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Ernest Sparkman was born August 20, 1925, in Knott County, Kentucky, the son of John B. Sparkman and Elizabeth Amburgey. By his teenage years he was living in the Litt Carr area of Knott County, and he played basketball at Carr Creek High School under legendary coach Morton Combs. Sparkman emerged from one of Eastern…
Obituary – Robert W. Brannum, ex-UK basketball player, Lexington Herald-Leader (February 8, 2005) by Mark Pratt (AP) ALSO HAD PLAYED FOUR YEARS FOR BOSTON CELTICS BOSTON – Robert W. Brannum, a standout basketball player at the University of Kentucky who went on to play four seasons for the Boston Celtics, has died after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.…
Transferred to Long Island after Sophomore Season Obituary – Former Rupp athlete dies at 85, Kentucky Kernel (February 10, 2011) by Chandler Howard Former UK basketball player George Vulich died Tuesday night at the age of 85 after a fight with cancer. But his son, Steve Vulich, 63, said his father’s death could not have come in a more fitting manner. “He…
Ed Lander was born Walden Edward Lander Jr. on January 31, 1922, in Lexington, Kentucky to Walden Edward Lander and Sara Kathryn Sanders. Lander played basketball at Picadome and Lafayette high schools. He went on to letter in basketball at the University of Kentucky in 1942 and 1943 and was a member of UK’s baseball…
Obituary – Deward Compton, Murfreesboro (TN) Daily News Journal (November 2, 2001) Services for Deward “Foots” Compton, 80, formerly of Nashville and Murfreesboro, who died Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Abilene, Texas, will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Jennings & Ayers with burial in Evergreen Cemetery. Leonard Underhill will officiate. He is survived by daughters, Kathy Cypert of Abilene, Susan…
Carl Althaus was born Carl Ellis Althaus on April 20, 1921, in Louisville, Kentucky to Carl and Amalie Althaus. The family home backed up to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary grounds, where he and his brothers played. Carl always talked about his mom’s cooking – soup, stuffed cabbage, and Sunday morning “kuchen” (German coffee cake)…
Melvin Brewer was born Melvin Charles Brewer on June 28, 1919, in New Albany, Indiana, to Calvin Brewer and Olive Myrtle Shoemaker Brewer. He was a New Albany Bulldog, University of Kentucky Wildcat and part of the Greatest Generation as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. Brewer excelled at track,…
Obituary – PROMINENT MAYSVILLE SURGEON DENHAM DIES, Lexington Herald-Leader (August 27, 2001) by Leanna Mcguire A prominent Maysville surgeon, Dr. Harry C. Denham, co-founder of the Denham Medical Clinic in Maysville and a former University of Kentucky basketball player, died Saturday. He was 83. Dr. Denham, born June 17, 1918, was one of six children of Henry and Mary…
Larry Spears was born Lawrence Eugene Spears on October 1, 1917, in Boyd, Kentucky to William Roscoe and Emma Lilly Spears. He had a sister, Eva Burks, and a brother, Arthur Spears. Spears was an outstanding West Virginia High School athlete, having been named All-State in football and basketball at Ceredo-Kenova High School. Spears lettered…
Marion Cluggish was born Robert Marion Cluggish on September 18, 1917, in Marion, Kentucky, to Hamilton “Jack” Cluggish and Julia Bee Stanaford Cluggish. He grew up in Corbin, where his unusual height and skill around the basket made him one of Kentucky’s most imposing schoolboy players. The 6-foot-7 center led Corbin High School through three…