The death of Kentucky basketball great Cotton Nash at age 80 on Tuesday prompted many on social media to offer their memories of and condolences to the former Wildcats star and his family.
A 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward from Lake Charles, La., Charles Francis Nash, 80, played for Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats from 1961-64, scoring 1,770 points and grabbing 962 rebounds. The three-time All-American was Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer when his UK career ended. Dan Issel (2,138 career points) subsequently left Kentucky in 1970 with the scoring record.
“As a three-sport competitor, Cotton Nash was one of the greatest all-around athletes ever to wear the Blue and White,” Mitch Barnhart, UK’s athletics director, said in a statement released by the school. “His accomplishments in basketball and baseball made him a rarity in American sports history. We are thankful for all he did for the University of Kentucky and our sympathies are with (wife) Julie and their family and friends.”
