6 Dickie Derrickson

Dickie Derrickson was born Richard Derrickson on October 16, 1926, to Alvis and Brown Derrickson. He grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and helped Lafayette High School win its first state basketball championship in 1942. After graduating in 1944, he accepted a scholarship from Adolph Rupp to play at the University of Kentucky.

At Lafayette, Derrickson played forward alongside Singleton “Sing” Yeary, who would become his Kentucky teammate. Contemporary accounts in University High’s student newspaper, The U-Hi Lights, place him in the Generals’ starting lineup during his senior season. He scored four points in a 36–19 victory over University High reported in January 1944 and six in Lafayette’s 29–23 overtime defeat in the district championship game later that winter.

The district final also produced a moment worth remembering beyond the score. After the loss, Lafayette’s players visited University High’s dressing room to congratulate the winners. The opposing school’s newspaper praised their courage and sportsmanship, offering a glimpse of the young men behind one of Lexington’s competitive high school teams.

Derrickson joined Rupp’s Wildcats as a 5-foot-11, 160-pound freshman guard for the 1944–45 season, wearing No. 6. His recorded Kentucky appearances came against Fort Knox in the December 2 opener and Cincinnati on December 9, both decisive Wildcat victories. He appeared in two games without scoring, but his brief college career unfolded during a season when military obligations repeatedly disrupted Rupp’s roster.

Kentucky’s yearbook reported that Derrickson and teammate Jim Howe passed their Army physicals early in the season. A subsequent report in The Kentucky Alumnus confirmed that Derrickson had entered Army service. His induction in January 1945 ended his time with the Wildcats before he could complete his freshman season. He served in the Pacific Theater and received the Purple Heart at the Battle of Okinawa that April.

After his discharge, Derrickson began a 36-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. His lasting sports contribution came through Lexington’s recreation programs: he chaired the committee that planned, raised funds for, and built Southland Park, coached youth baseball, and umpired softball for more than 25 years. He also supervised Parks and Recreation football and basketball leagues for 42 years, helping generations of children participate in organized sports.

Derrickson and his wife, Frances Turner Derrickson, shared 68 years of marriage and raised three children. He died at his Lexington home on January 3, 2022, at age 95, and was buried at Camp Nelson National Cemetery. His story connects Kentucky’s wartime basketball history with decades of service to his country and community.