24 James Goforth

James Goforth was born James William Goforth on October 19, 1913, to John and Mary Goforth. Known as “Big Jim,” he played basketball for Louisville Male High School and helped the Bulldogs reach the 1932 state championship game against Hazard. His late basket and subsequent free throw twice put Male ahead before Hazard rallied to win, 15–13. Goforth received the tournament’s O.D.K. leadership cup, recognizing qualities that would later distinguish him far beyond basketball. His family also had ties to Butlerville, Indiana, where a hometown newspaper reported that he played basketball and graduated from high school.

Goforth began his Kentucky basketball career with the freshman team in 1933–34. Under coach Len Miller, the talented group completed an undefeated 16–0 season. Playing alongside future varsity standouts Leroy Edwards and Ralph Carlisle, Goforth earned his freshman numerals as part of a class that would help strengthen Adolph Rupp’s emerging program.

As a sophomore in 1934–35, Goforth appeared in 17 varsity games and scored 28 points. Kentucky finished 19–2, swept its 11 conference games, and shared the Southeastern Conference championship with Louisiana State. With Edwards and Dave Lawrence earning All-America recognition, the Wildcats were building a national reputation, and Goforth contributed to the depth behind one of Rupp’s strongest early teams.

During his junior season in 1935–36, Goforth continued competing for backcourt playing time. A December Kentucky Kernel report described him and Russell Ellington as pressing starters Milerd Anderson and Warfield Donohue, although infected blisters temporarily hampered Goforth. He ultimately appeared in 19 games and scored 36 points, his highest season total, as Kentucky finished 15–6.

Goforth’s senior season in 1936–37 ended with an SEC Tournament championship. He played in 19 games and scored 21 points for a Kentucky team that finished 17–5, closing the season with tournament victories over Louisiana State, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee. Across three varsity seasons, he appeared in 55 games and scored 85 points, contributing to two conference championship teams during the formative years of Rupp’s tenure.

His final Kentucky appearance provided a championship farewell. On March 1, 1937, Goforth scored six points as the Wildcats defeated Tennessee, 39–25, in the SEC Tournament final at Knoxville. He had also contributed five points against Louisiana State in the opening round. His career scoring high came against Vanderbilt on March 2, 1935, when he made four field goals for eight points.

Goforth’s campus life extended beyond basketball. He played end on Kentucky’s football team and was associated with Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, appearing among its pledges in the 1935 Kentuckian. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education in 1938 and became a teacher and coach in Harlan County. He was also a Freemason associated with Burchfield Lodge No. 933 in Alva, Kentucky.

On October 19, 1942, his 29th birthday, Goforth enlisted in the Marine Corps. In October 1943, he married Nancy Offutt at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, shortly before departing for overseas service. Nancy worked as a physical education instructor at Sturges Junior High School in San Bernardino while her husband served in the Pacific.

Serving with the Fourth Marine Division, First Lieutenant Goforth participated in the Marshall Islands campaign before fighting at Saipan. On June 16, 1944, after his commanding officer became a casualty, he assumed command of his company, reorganized his men under heavy enemy fire, and led a successful attack. Four days later, he directed an assault against Hill 500. On June 22, he again led his men against a fortified enemy position and was mortally wounded. He was 30 years old.

Goforth received the Silver Star posthumously for his gallantry and leadership at Saipan. His widow later accepted the medal from Brigadier General Ivan W. Miller during a ceremony at El Toro Marine base. His decorations also included the Bronze Star and Presidential Citation. He was survived by Nancy, his parents, and two sisters.

Kentucky honored “Big Jim” on November 25, 1944, when the university’s Alumni Association presented a bronze plaque commemorating five UK athletes who had died in World War II. Presented at halftime of the Kentucky–Tennessee football game, the plaque was displayed in Alumni Gymnasium alongside enlarged, tinted photographs of the five men in military uniform. Excelsior Lodge No. 258 also arranged a Masonic tribute at Louisville’s Parkland Temple as a courtesy to his lodge in Alva.

A photograph published on July 19, 1945, captured three friends who had known Goforth during his Kentucky basketball years gathered at his grave on Saipan. Capt. Lawrence J. Garland Jr., Lt. Earl Sands, and First Lt. William G. Sellers paid their respects to their fallen friend. Kentucky remembered him again in its December 9, 1950, game program among the university’s lettermen who died in World War II—a lasting place of honor for a Wildcat whose leadership carried from the basketball court to the battlefield.