February 13th: On this date...

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

... in 1951, Kentucky legend/skyscraper Bill Spivey set a program record with 34 rebounds in a win against unranked Xavier. The top-ranked Cats were also paced by Spivey’s 40 points. Quite a night for the seven-footer from Warner Robins, Georgia, who was the first seven-footer in Kentucky history. Bill Spivey would later set the single season record for rebounds during the 1950-51 season with 567, a record that will never get close to being broken again. Spivey led the 1950-51 Cats (34-2) to the NCAA Championship (22 points - 21 rebounds) and was a consensus first team All-American. His two years in Lexington were arguably the most productive of any two year run in history by a player. He sat out the first half of the 1951-52 season with a knee injury and the second half due to an NCAA investigation. The investigation was for his role in a point-shaving scandal that rocked college basketball. The charge of perjury would not stick, as he was later acquitted of all charges. Spivey would never be allowed to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, as he was permanently banned from the league for his so-called role in the scandal. When he came to Lexington, head coach Adolph Rupp got Spivey a job changing fluorescent lights in a local drug store. He did not need ladder.