Center
Fred Fest was born Frederick William Fest in Winchester, Kentucky on March 6, 1897, to George Maxmillian Fest and Alice Alberta Johnson Fest. He was a notable basketball player who played as a center for the University of Kentucky Wildcats during the early 1920s. He attended Martins Ferry High School in Ohio, where he was…
Thomas Bowman “Tom” Zerfoss was born on June 15, 1895, in Kentucky, the son of Louis Frank and Elizabeth Peak Zerfoss. Although some sources list his birthplace as Ashland and others as Bedford, there is no dispute that he grew up in Kentucky and became part of one of the Commonwealth’s earliest basketball families. Zerfoss…
Elmer Hopkins was born Elmer Woodson Hopkins on March 17, 1893, in Henderson, Kentucky, to Woodson Hopkins and Magdalene Ewing Hopkins. His father, Woodson, was a city engineer for Henderson. Hopkins attended the old Barret Manual Training High School in Henderson, Kentucky. Hopkins’ basketball career at Kentucky is questionable. Yearbooks from the era indicate that…
Thomas Beatty was born Thomas Elmer Beatty on April 4, 1891, in Lexington, Kentucky, to William D. Beatty and Lydia Belle “Lettie” Beatty. He was a member of the University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team during the 1910–1911 and 1911–1912 seasons. While detailed records from that era are scarce, his inclusion on the roster…
R. C. Preston was born Roscoe Conkling Preston on March 9, 1890, in Inez, Kentucky to James Madison Preston and Frances Dixie Taylor Preston. He was a notable basketball player at the University of Kentucky during the 1910s. Preston played as a center for the Wildcats. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches tall, he was…
Thomson Bryant was born Thomson Ripley Bryant on January 8, 1885, in Fayette County, Kentucky, to Dudley Hughes Bryant and Sarah Quaels Thomson. In the earliest, formative years of basketball at the University of Kentucky—when the sport itself was still carving out its place on campus—few figures embodied the spirit of those rugged beginnings quite…