Big Blue Nation mourns tonight, because Mr. Wildcat himself, Bill Keightley, died at 81 in Cincinnati tonight from bleeding from an undiagnosed spinal tumor.
He was on the bench for every Kentucky team from Rupp to Gillispie, witnessed 1,100 wins, three national championships and 24 SEC championships. The man was a living legend, a reminder of how great Kentucky basketball was, is and always will be.
They’ll be crying from Fulton to Pikeville tonight. The Big Blue Nation lost a giant tonight, and Rupp Arena just won’t be the same without Mr. Wildcat on the bench.
Godspeed, Bill Keightley, and tell the Man in the Brown Suit that the new guy’s going to get things straightened out.