12 Marion Cluggish

Marion Cluggish was born Robert Marion Cluggish on September 18, 1917, in Marion, Kentucky, to Hamilton “Jack” Cluggish and Julia Bee Stanaford Cluggish. He grew up in Corbin, where his unusual height and skill around the basket made him one of Kentucky’s most imposing schoolboy players. The 6-foot-7 center led Corbin High School through three weeks of tournament play and to the 1936 state championship, scoring nine points in a 24-18 victory over Nebo in the title game. Cluggish scored 63 points during the state tournament, led every game in scoring and received a trophy as Corbin’s most valuable player. He was also selected as a center on the all-tournament team.

Freshmen were not eligible for varsity competition when Cluggish entered Kentucky, so he played for Paul McBrayer’s freshman team during the 1936-37 season. He starred in a season-opening 38-15 victory over the Georgetown freshmen, scoring repeatedly from the pivot position, and helped the Kittens record victories over Georgetown, Morehead, Cumberland and Eastern. Cluggish received a freshman numeral at the conclusion of the season.

Cluggish joined the varsity as a sophomore in 1937-38, appearing in 13 games and scoring 45 points as Kentucky finished 13-5. At 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, he was the tallest player Kentucky had suited up during the 1930s. Initially used behind veteran center Homer Thompson, Cluggish steadily improved and gave Adolph Rupp a second imposing option around the basket.

As a junior in 1938-39, Cluggish emerged as one of Kentucky’s principal scorers, producing 104 points in 20 games. His breakout performance came at Vanderbilt, where he made nine field goals and scored 18 points in a 51-37 victory—the highest total by a Wildcat in a game to that point in the season. Kentucky finished 16-4 and captured the SEC Tournament championship by defeating Mississippi, LSU and Tennessee.

Cluggish enjoyed his finest season as a senior in 1939-40, scoring 152 points in 21 games for a 7.2-point average. He helped Kentucky defeat Ohio State for the Sugar Bowl Tournament championship and contributed several important late-season performances, including 12 points against West Virginia, 11 against Xavier and a strong all-around effort in a 46-18 rout of Alabama. The Wildcats finished 15-6 and won their second consecutive SEC Tournament championship, with Cluggish scoring 25 points across Kentucky’s three tournament victories and receiving honorable mention for his play.

His most memorable Kentucky performance came in his final game at Alumni Gymnasium on February 24, 1940. With the rest of the Wildcats struggling from the field, Cluggish scored from the pivot, on rebounds and at the foul line to produce a career-high 22 points in a 43-38 victory over Vanderbilt. It was the highest individual scoring total by a Kentucky player that season and provided an appropriate farewell for one of the program’s first true big men. Cluggish completed his three varsity seasons with 301 points in 54 games and two SEC Tournament championships.

Cluggish also played football at Kentucky and graduated in 1940. Following military service during World War II, he signed with the New York Knickerbockers for the inaugural 1946-47 season of the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA. He appeared in 54 regular-season games and five playoff games, becoming the first former Kentucky player to compete in the BAA. Cluggish later moved to Orlando, Florida, with his wife, Patricia, and spent decades teaching and coaching at Howard Middle School. The school’s gymnasium was named in his honor upon his retirement. He died in Maitland, Florida, on September 5, 2008, after suffering a sudden cardiac event, 13 days before his 91st birthday.