- Name
- R. C. Preston
- Position
- Center
- Hometown (Last School)
- Inez, KY (High)
- Ht
- 5'10"
- Seasons
- 1910-11, 1911-12, 1912-13, 1913-14
- Birthday
- March 9, 1890
R. C. Preston was born Roscoe Conkling Preston on March 9, 1890, in Inez, Kentucky to James Madison Preston and Frances Dixie Taylor Preston. He was a notable basketball player at the University of Kentucky during the 1910s. Preston played as a center for the Wildcats. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches tall, he was a key player for the team from 1910 to 1914.
Preston’s basketball career at Kentucky was marked by his impressive performance on the court. Pars, as he was called in college, played a total of 27 games, scoring 195 points throughout his college career. Midway through the 1913-14 season, he was declared ineligible by the university’s athletic committee due to alleged professionalism.
Beyond basketball, Preston was also a talented baseball player (he was captain of the 1913 team) and a dedicated student. He was a member of Delta Chi, a national social fraternity, Lamp and Cross, the Henry Clay Law Society, the Mountain Club, and he was on the editorial staff of the yearbook. He graduated in 1912 with an A.B. degree and later earned an L.D. degree in 1913. After completing his education, he pursued a career in law and served as the City Attorney of Catlettsburg, Kentucky.
Preston married Jane C. Gaines of Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1914, and the couple had three sons. Unfortunately, his life was cut short when he passed away on February 16, 1929, in Phoenix, Arizona, where he had moved in search of better health. He was buried in Richardson, Kentucky.
