24 Larry Pursiful

Larry Pursiful was born Larry Wayne Pursiful on June 14, 1940, in Four Mile, Kentucky, to Arva and Della Pursiful.

Pursiful was a standout player for Kentucky during the early 1960s under coach Adolph Rupp.  He earned All-SEC first team honors and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 19.1 points in the 1961-62 season, trailing only his All-American teammate Cotton Nash, who led the SEC with 23.4 points.

An unheralded schoolboy while playing at Lone Jack and Bell County Highs in Eastern Kentucky, Larry was offered a scholarship only by UK even though he was a first-unit All-State pick and scored 750 points in his final high school year. In the off-season, he played centerfield in baseball.  Pursiful scored over 27 points per game during his senior season at Bell County in 1957-58 and was a first team all-state pick. He also played for the Kentucky All-Stars and in the East-West All-Star game.  He was a third-team all-state selection after his junior year at Lone Jack playing for a 27-2 Mustang club.

“It was kind of unusual that they (the Wildcats) were the only people who recruited me,” recalled Pursiful. “That was fine with me because UK was the only place that I wanted to go. Like most Kentucky mountain boys, I grew up listening to all the great teams at Kentucky, the Fabulous Five, (Frank) Ramsey and (Cliff) Hagan.”

As a freshman, Pursiful led the yearlings with 19.1 points a game.

Pursiful got his first career start as a sophomore on February 22, 1960, against Alabama.  He scored 15 points.  He played in 17 games and scored 74 points on the season for a 4.4 per-game average.

As a junior, Pursiful was classed as one of the best shots in the nation —he finished as the country’s 10th best free thrower with an 83.9 percent accuracy mark and was the team’s best shot from the field at 41.1 percent. He ranked third in scoring with 375 points. Evidence of the fact that he was a consistent 20-point scorer was his high point production of 21 on four different occasions—against Illinois in the UK Invitational, Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Marquette. Pursiful’s top-flight performance in the UKIT earned him a spot on the All-Tournament five. Along with graduated All-Conference star Bill Lickert, Larry gained the unique honor of starting every game and piled up 956:38 minutes in action time that was second only to Lickert. He was the fourth most proficient player on the club that staged a sensational comeback to win 11 of its last 12 starts and finish in contention for the national title.

As a senior and the lone returning starter on the team, Pursiful earned All-SEC first-team honors and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 19.1 points, trailing only his All-American teammate Cotton Nash, who led the SEC with 23.4 points.  “He’s the fastest draw in the southeast.” This was the picturesque fashion used by a Knoxville newspaperman to scribe Kentucky’s captain, Larry Pursiful.  The scribe could have added that Pursiful was a better marksman than the sagebrush characters that ride across our home screens. Possessed with lightning speed as well as tremendous break-away speed Pursiful was one of the most unerring shooters in the game of basketball.  In speaking of the senior guard, Coach Adolph. Rupp said, “he’s a honey.” The Baron went on to say, “He’s always been a great shot, but up until this year we couldn’t get him to shoot. He’s probably the greatest shooter I’ve ever had at Kentucky.” That put Pursiful in some pretty select company.  His accurate marksmanship could tear apart a zone defense, and his speed could carry him through a man-to-man defense for lay-ups.  His 51% field goal accuracy was a new record at that time.

At season’s end, Pursiful, one of seven seniors on the UK varsity squad, was presented the Adolph F. Rupp trophy as the team’s best free throw shooter; the A. B. Chandler trophy, awarded  annually on the basis of leadership, scholarship, character, and ability; a Basketball Writers’ All-District certificate, and also was voted the captain of 61-62 squad, no election having been
held prior to the season.

Over his career, he played in 71 games, averaging 13.3 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and a field goal percentage of 46.6% and a free throw percentage of 81.4%.

On June 8, 1962, Pineville, Kentucky held “Larry Pursiful Day” to honor the Kentucky basketball star’s career.

Pursiful was one of only three SEC standouts selected in the 1962 NBA Draft, where he was picked by the Chicago Packers (now the Washington Wizards) in the eighth round.

Mainly because of job security reasons, Pursiful didn’t play in the NBA. He originally snagged a gig as the head coach at McCreary County High School but instead, he opted to play with the Phillips 66 Oilers, a well-known amateur team operated by one of the corporate giants in the National Industrial Basketball League.

“They let you play and gave you a job with the Phillips Petroleum Co., the corporation,” said Pursiful in another interview with this columnist over 20 years ago. “Once I finished playing, I had a job for the rest of my life if I wanted it.”

After his basketball career, Pursiful transitioned into ministry work. He was called to the ministry at the age of 47 and served as an associate pastor at Westport Road Baptist Church in Louisville. Despite his initial reluctance, he found fulfillment in his ministry, enjoying the opportunity to help people and share the Word of God. Pursiful continued to share stories of his basketball days, particularly his attempts to guard basketball legends Jerry West and John Havlicek, and stories about Coach Rupp.

Not surprisingly, Pursiful today remains a huge fan of the Wildcats, who are currently ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

“My wife and I still attend every home game in Rupp Arena and watch every (road) game they play on TV,” said Pursiful. “I’m still and will always be a Kentucky Wildcat.

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