21 Jack Givens

Jack Givens was born Jackie Lamont Givens on September 21, 1956, in Lexington, Kentucky, to Betty Smith Givens. Better known as “Goose,” he was initially more interested in baseball and did not begin playing organized basketball until the eighth grade. After transferring from Henry Clay to Bryan Station, Givens developed into one of Kentucky’s most celebrated high school players. He scored 1,777 career points, earned Kentucky Mr. Basketball and Parade All-American honors in 1974, and set a state tournament record with 24 rebounds against Owensboro. The hometown star chose Kentucky in part so his family could continue watching him play.

Givens made an immediate contribution as a Wildcat, helping Kentucky reach the 1975 NCAA championship game during his freshman season and scoring 24 points with 11 rebounds in the semifinal victory over Syracuse. He later helped Kentucky win the 1976 NIT championship before emerging as one of the nation’s smoothest and most dependable scorers. A three-time first-team All-SEC selection and consensus second-team All-American as a senior, Givens finished his Kentucky career with 2,038 points in 123 games, becoming only the second Wildcat to surpass 2,000. His No. 21 jersey was retired, and he became a charter member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Givens secured his permanent place in Kentucky basketball history during the 1978 NCAA Tournament. After scoring 23 points against Arkansas in the national semifinal, he delivered one of the greatest championship-game performances ever played, pouring in a career-high 41 points on 18-of-27 shooting as Kentucky defeated Duke 94–88. Givens scored 23 points in the first half, including 18 of Kentucky’s final 20, repeatedly finding open spaces in Duke’s zone as the Wildcats captured their fifth national championship and first in 20 years. He was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player and finished the championship season averaging 18.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Givens with the 16th overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, and he played two NBA seasons before continuing his professional career overseas in Japan. He later became a longtime basketball broadcaster, including work with TBS and the Orlando Magic, before returning to Kentucky’s airwaves as an analyst for the UK Sports Network. More than four decades after his unforgettable night against Duke, “Goose” Givens remains one of the most beloved hometown heroes ever to wear Kentucky blue.