21 Terry Mills

Terry Mills was born August 15, 1948, in Knox County, Kentucky, to Reed Mills and Mary Ruth Mayo. He learned the game competing against his two older brothers on a basket their father attached to the family barn. At Knox Central High School, Mills became the centerpiece of the most successful two-year stretch in the program’s history, leading the Panthers to their first two state tournament appearances. A prep All-American and All-State selection, he scored 1,622 points during his three-year varsity career and drew interest from more than 100 colleges. In the 1966 Sweet Sixteen, he scored 32 points in a narrow loss to eventual champion Shelby County, further establishing himself among Kentucky’s finest high school players.

Mills signed with Kentucky in March 1966 as part of a celebrated recruiting class that included Dan Issel, Mike Pratt, Mike Casey, Bill Busey, Mort Fraley and Jim Dinwiddie. After redshirting the 1967–68 season, the 6-foot-2 guard developed into one of Adolph Rupp’s most dependable reserves. His finest season came in 1969–70, when Casey’s broken leg opened a place in the lineup. Mills started 10 games, averaged 9.1 points and gave the Wildcats an accurate outside shooter, capable rebounder and steady playmaker as Kentucky won 26 of 27 games and captured the Southeastern Conference championship.

His most memorable moment came at Auburn on February 2, 1970. With Kentucky needing a victory to pull even with Georgia atop the SEC standings, Mills launched a high-arcing 25-foot jump shot in the closing seconds and delivered the winning basket. He also scored 18 points in Kentucky’s NCAA Mideast Regional final against Jacksonville, keeping the Wildcats within reach before fouling out of the 106–100 defeat. Kentucky again won the SEC championship during his senior season, although an ankle injury and Casey’s return reduced his playing time. Official UK records list both the 1969–70 and 1970–71 teams as conference champions.

After leaving Kentucky, Mills built a career in the insurance business and was later identified by UK Athletics as an agent and unit manager with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance in Lexington. His family’s connection to Kentucky basketball continued through his son, Cameron Mills, a member of the Wildcats’ 1996 and 1998 national championship teams. Terry Mills is remembered as a talented homegrown guard whose patience, versatility and willingness to fill whatever role Rupp required helped sustain Kentucky’s championship tradition.