... in 2008, over 3,000 fans gathered at Rupp Arena to celebrate the life of one "Mr. Wildcat", Bill Keightley. Mr. Keightley passed away March 31st, 2008, after complications discovered after a fall at Opening Day in Cincinnati. He was eulogized by many friends including Jeff Sheppard, Rick Pitino, Joe B. Hall, and Billy Gillispie. Hall said, "Bill Keightley outgrew his job as equipment manager and he left a void in this program that's going to be impossible to fill." . I was actually with a group of friends the following Thursday in Cincinnati when, before the first pitch, they called for a moment of silence in Mr. Wildcat's honor. That says a ton about how far reaching this man was to so many. What a great ambassador for the state of Kentucky and the Kentucky basketball program. He will be forever missed. Everyone would have loved to have gotten Mr. Wildcat’s thoughts on the past two years, and especially hear what he’d have to say about the freshmen this year. There’s a part of me that thinks Bill Keightley was the missing piece to our 2010 Final Four run. Simply another calming influence for the new guys to have in their back pocket. You cannot convince me otherwise. The freshmen would have loved him like no other.
Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach
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