41 William Sturgill

William Sturgill was born William Bartram Sturgill on July 30, 1924, in Floyd County, Kentucky, to Troy B. Sturgill and Dorothy Maggard Sturgill. “Bill” Sturgill starred at Prestonsburg High School, earning county, district and regional basketball honors in consecutive seasons. He played varsity basketball at Berea College in 1942 before transferring to the University of Kentucky.

The 6-foot-2 guard played for Adolph Rupp during the 1944–45 and 1945–46 seasons, earning varsity letters both years and scoring 111 career points. Contemporary accounts described him as a good offensive player and a “dandy shooter” with a distinctive overhead release. He appeared in Kentucky’s 1945 NCAA Tournament games at Madison Square Garden and returned the next season as one of only two senior lettermen. His younger brother, Barkley Sturgill, joined the Kentucky squad as a freshman that year, giving the Wildcats two brothers from Prestonsburg.

Sturgill produced his best scoring stretch in the 1945 SEC Tournament, collecting seven points against LSU and a career-high eight against Alabama. He also scored four points, including a long field goal just before halftime, as Kentucky avenged an earlier loss to Tennessee with a 40–34 victory. In his final home appearance, Sturgill drove underneath for the basket that carried Kentucky past its previous single-game scoring record during an 83–40 victory over St. Xavier. A two-sport Wildcat, he also competed in varsity tennis and was active in student government, Sigma Chi, the YMCA Cabinet and Omicron Delta Kappa before graduating with a degree in political science.

After college, Sturgill became a prominent Kentucky businessman, public servant and university benefactor. He served 18 years on the UK Board of Trustees, including 10 years as chairman, and led the 1989 search committee that recommended Rick Pitino as Kentucky’s basketball coach. The Sturgill Development Building and UK’s William B. Sturgill Award reflect his lasting service to the university. He married Eloise Williams on February 18, 1950, and remained closely identified with Kentucky until his death in 2014.