UK Wildcats Blog

Kentucky Big Blue Madness 2009

One of the most significant nights in the history of the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program took place on Friday, October 16, 2009. That night, Big Blue Madness 2009 unfolded at Rupp Arena in front of one of the most enthusiastic and charged up crowds in the history of the event. The arrival of new Kentucky coach John Calipari has the fans of the Kentucky basketball program revitalized and ready to enjoy the season that is to come.

The excitement surrounding this 2009-10 edition of the Kentucky Wildcats is at a level that fans have not seen in quite some time. With the arrival of freshman like John Wall and the return of Patrick Patterson, 2009-10 should signal the return to the top of the college basketball world for the Kentucky Wildcats.

The excitement in Rupp Arena during the introductions of the players was the kind of thing that gives chills to a loyal Wildcats fan. You could feel the anticipation in the arena as the 2009-10 team was introduced. Loud cheers were heard for each player and the introduction reached a fever pitch when Coach Calipari took the stage. The 2009-10 version of Big Blue Madness will go down in history as one of the greatest events to ever take place in the history of Kentucky Basketball.

Tayshaun Prince returns to Lexington

On Friday night, September 18th, former Kentucky Wildcats star Tayshaun Prince returned to Lexington to launch the Locker Program at the Griffin Gate Marriott. The Locker Program is associated with the Athletes United Foundation and was created to help Central Kentucky children and families in need. The Locker Program will be placed into several Central Kentucky schools and will encourage students to bring in items to help families and kids who are less fortunate. The program supports those families in need and also allows students to experience to rewarding feeling that comes with giving.

It was great to see Tayshaun return to Lexington to put his name and efforts behind such a great cause. Tayshaun spent a few minutes talking with those in attendance about how much being a Kentucky Wildcat has meant to him and how excited he was to return to Lexington to get the Locker Program going. The emcee for the event was former Wildcat Cameron Mills. Also in attendance at the event were former Wildcats basketball star Kyle Macy and former Kentucky and Cincinnati Bengals football star Doug Pelfrey. Coach John Calipari was scheduled to attend the event but was called away to make sure he took care of some recruiting business, with a high profile recruit in town for the UK/UL football game, which Cameron Mills pointed out was the task that he was brought to Lexington to complete.

The event featured a great silent auction, loaded with unique autographed items from many players and coaches throughout UK basketball history. There was also a special Tayshaun Prince themed art print that was available for auction that was created by this site's editor, Kentucky artist Jim Ransdell. It was a great night with one of the most beloved Wildcats of all-time and gave everyone in attendance a great feeling seeing Tayshaun return to Lexington to invest his time and effort back into the Lexington and Central Kentucky community.

1984: Dicky Beal Day

The 1983-84 season for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team was one of the most memorable seasons in the program's rich history. The senior class from that season still holds a special place in the hearts of Wildcat fans. The seniors from that team were Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin, Tom Heitz, Jim Master and Dicky Beal.

Being a native of Northern Kentucky, Dicky Beal was a very popular figure in that area. It was not that often that a player from Northern Kentucky was able to make a big impact at UK, and the fans in that area were extremely proud of their hometown Wildcat. After the 1983-84 season had been completed, an event was planned to honor the UK career of Dicky Beal.

The event was held at Holmes High School in Covington where Dicky was a high school basketball star. The event  was created to spotlight Beal and the other UK seniors form the 1983-84 team. In addition to the game with the UK seniors, Beal was also going to be honored by the city by having a street named after him. All five of the UK seniors were in attendance to play in the game and to sign autographs for fans.

In these never before published photos, you can see Beal and fellow seniors Tom Heitz, Jim Master, Melvin Turpin and Sam Bowie signing autographs for the many UK fans who were in attendance that day. The photos are a great look back at the classic uniform style worn by the team that year. They are also a great historic reminder of one of the lesser known events in the history of Kentucky basketball and one of the favorite senior classes of all-time.

(click on images for a larger view, these images are copyrighted)