February 14th: On this date...

... in 1938, your University of Kentucky Wildcats had one of the most memorable wins of the program’s storied history when Joe “Red” Hagan hit a 48-foot shot from the “mid-floor” area of Alumni Gymnasium to beat visiting Marquette, 35-33. Funny thing is, there was still 12 seconds remaining in the game. Marquette must’ve had the best defense during the era if a 48-footer was the best shot available for the game-winner with that amount of time remaining. In any event, the shot banked in and the 4,000 rabid Kentucky fans went ballistic, or whatever the equivalent was to ballistic during black-and-white times. The fans rushed the court, “and carried Hagan triumphantly to the showers.” Hello! One of the people in attendance was Governor A.B. Chandler. Once the game concluded, Chandler called for a hammer and a nail, driving the nail into the spot where Hagan let loose of the ball. Marquette was considered to be among the best, if not the best team in all the land. Legend has it that the fans then took to the streets of Lexington, ending up at the intersection of Euclid and Woodland. The mob would cheer and dance until the wee hours of the night, when only the law and the lawless are out. Once the mob dispersed, students were seen walking to the SuperAmerica/Taco Bell for a late night snack. Some things never change.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach