18 Dale Barnstable

Dale Barnstable was born Dale Arthur Barnstable in Antioch, Illinois on March 4, 1925, to Albert Thomas Barnstable and Evelyn Mae Shugart Barnstable.

Barnstable attended Antioch Community High School, where he laid the foundation for his athletic career.

After high school, Barnstable served in the U.S. Army during World War II, participating in campaigns across Germany and France.  He served in the 71st Infantry Division in World War II. He shook hands with Gen. Dwight Eisenhower after landing in France at La Havre, and served under Gen. George Patton and encountered him more than once. He was part of a division that led the liberation of France, that advanced into Austria and liberated a concentration camp at Gunskirchen.

From that background, he came home and at the suggestion of a former UK player he encountered on a post-war basketball tour of Europe pursued a college basketball career.

He enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 1946, playing under Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp. Barnstable was a key player on Rupp’s first two NCAA championship teams in 1948 and 1949. As a starter on the 1949 team, he earned third-team All-Southeastern Conference honors, finishing his college career with 635 points, averaging 4.9 points per game.

Kentucky went 127-13 with Barnstable on the roster, including 68-5 during the championship seasons. UK won the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament titles in all four seasons with Barnstable on the squad.

Barnstable was an alternate on the 1948 Olympic gold-medal team coached by Rupp. He was an All-SEC Third Team selection by the Associated Press in 1949 and also played on the golf and track and field teams at Kentucky, and was the president of his senior class in his final year there.

In the 1950 NBA Draft, Barnstable was selected in the seventh round by the Boston Celtics. However, his professional career was derailed by a point-shaving scandal in 1951. Alongside teammates Ralph Beard and Alex Groza, Barnstable was implicated for accepting $500 to influence the outcome of a 1949 National Invitation Tournament game. As a result, he was banned for life from the NBA by President Maurice Podoloff.

Following this setback, Barnstable became coach at DuPont Manual High School. He led the Crimsons to a berth in the 1951 Sweet 16. His team, which included future UK player Phil Grawemeyer, lost to Clark County 45-44 in the semifinals. The Courier-Journal named Barnstable its High School Coach of the Year.  He then transitioned into a successful career in sales with American Air Filter in Louisville, Kentucky. He also became an accomplished amateur golfer, winning the Kentucky Senior Open twice and becoming the first Kentucky amateur to compete in The Senior Open Championship. In recognition of his golfing achievements, the Dale Barnstable Award was established to honor the best amateur golfer in Kentucky aged 60 and above.

Barnstable was the father of identical twin actresses Priscilla “Cyb” and Patricia Barnstable, known for their roles in the television series “Quark.” He passed away at his home in Louisville on January 26, 2019, at the age of 93.