32 Steve Clevenger

Steve Clevenger was born John Stephen Clevenger on July 29, 1946, in Anderson, Indiana. A three-time Indiana All-State guard at Anderson High School, he scored a school-record 1,298 points in three varsity seasons while shooting better than 50 percent each year. As a senior co-captain, Clevenger averaged 18.6 points and led the team with 154 assists before earning a place on the 1964 Indiana All-Star team. Adolph Rupp recruited him from the heart of Hoosier basketball country, and Clevenger signed with Kentucky as part of a class that also included Thad Jaracz, Cliff Berger, Jim LeMaster and Bob Tallent.

Injuries and academic difficulties interrupted Clevenger’s first two seasons, including a broken bone in his foot shortly before Kentucky’s run to the 1966 NCAA championship game. He eventually developed into a dependable reserve and spot starter whose passing and efficient shooting complemented Rupp’s more prominent scorers. Clevenger started five games as a junior and moved into the starting backcourt late in his senior season after Phil Argento was injured. Over three varsity seasons, he appeared in 61 games and averaged 4.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.

One of Clevenger’s finest performances came in his final Kentucky game, when he scored 15 points in 36 minutes against Ohio State in the 1968 NCAA Tournament. He made seven of 12 shots, handed out three assists and helped the Wildcats close a 22-win season with a victory. Though never one of Kentucky’s headline stars, Clevenger is remembered as a talented Indiana guard who persevered through early setbacks and became a valuable veteran contributor during the closing years of the Rupp era.