35 Zeb Blankenship

Zeb Blankenship was born William Zeb Blankenship on February 27, 1927, in Elkhorn City, Kentucky to Thomas L. Blankenship and Emma Belle Phillips Blankenship. He was a southpaw that played as a guard/forward for the University of Kentucky Wildcats during the 1945-46 basketball season. Standing at 5’11” and weighing 170 pounds, Zeb was known for his tenacity on the court.

Before joining the Wildcats, Zeb was a standout player at Cumberland High School in Elkhorn City, Kentucky (later changed to Elkhorn City High School), where he earned All-State honors in 1944. His high school success led him to be a member of the 1945 Kentucky High School All-Star Team.  Blankenship was named to the KHSAA All Tournament team and was noticed by Adolph Rupp, who came to the dressing room and asked that he come to play at the University of Kentucky.  Blankenship readily accepted the offer, but he had a medical concern that needed attention first:  a hernia.  It kept him from being drafted into the military during the Second World War.  Rupp recruited him for UK with the stipulation he must have the hernia repaired.  Blankenship’s grandfather was a physician, one of the few in Pike County at the time, and he repaired the hernia.  Zeb played one season at UK, after which the Army found out he had the hernia repaired and drafted him out of college.  He missed the NIT game that season as he was called out for an Army physical.

Blankenship was the recreational director at Fort Meade, Maryland, from 1945-47.

Had it not been for Zeb being drafted into the military he would have played on the NCAA championship teams of 1948 and 1949.  However, Blankenship was proud of his service, referring to his time in the military as a “higher calling.”

After service, his grandfather talked to him about becoming a doctor and attending the University of Louisville as he had done.  Zeb did this for one year, but decided that wasn’t what he wanted to do.  He wanted to be a coach and get into education like his uncle Tilden Deskins had done in Pike County.  Deskins had been a professional baseball player, then coached at a few schools before getting into teaching and eventually becoming superintendent of the Pike County school system.

So Zeb Blankenship went back to UK and got a degree.  He received his bachelor’s degree in 1952 from UK, majoring in physical education and biological science. He earned his master’s in education from the same institution in 1953.

Blankenship married in 1951.  He first coached at Virgie for the 1952 and 1953 seasons, then went to Belfry for two seasons before moving on to Madison-Model, where he coached basketball from 1956-1961.  He then coached the 1961 season at Mercer County, where his team went 18-5.  For the ten years of coaching his record was 151-106.  The question of whether he coached as well as he played is best left to observers of the time.  His only two losing seasons were the first two at Virgie.

He then became a principal at Mercer County until 1967, when he went to Jessamine County.

Blankenship’s coaching career ended in 1964, when he coached Mercer county for one season.

He served three years on the board of the KHSAA, and was president of the organization for four years.  Blankenship was principal at Jessamine County High School for a few years before moving on to the Jessamine County Board of Education, where he retired in 1983.  He also served on the board of Bluegrass RECC.

Zeb Blankenship passed away on November 9, 2012, at the age of 85. He is remembered for his contributions to basketball and education, as well as his dedication to his community.