"Hello everybody, this is Cawood Ledford...."
There are probably no more familiar words to long time Kentucky basketball fans than those of the legendary voice of the Kentucky Wildcats, Cawood Ledford. The smooth sound of Cawood's voice brought Kentucky basketball to life for generations of WIldcat fans.
Cawood Ledford was the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats from 1953 until his retirement in 1992.
The Harlan, Kentucky native broadcast high school football and basketball games in his hometown before moving to Lexington to become the voice of the Kentucky Wildcats in 1953. Ledford called Kentucky games for 39 years, retiring in 1992. Cawood's last Kentucky radio broadcast was the 1992 NCAA East Regional Final that is considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever played. In addition to his duties with the University of Kentucky, Cawood could also be heard calling the NCAA Men's Final Four on the CBS Radio Network and the Kentucky Derby.
Cawood was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987 and was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994. Ledford is a member of the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame and one of only a few non-athletes to have his name hanging in the rafters at Rupp Arena. Cawood Ledford is considered to have been one of the greatest play-by-play announcers in the history of sports broadcasting.
After Cawood's passing in 2001, the University of Kentucky dedicated the court in Rupp Arena in his honor, dubbing it "Cawood's Court". Even to this day, Cawood Ledford remains one of the most beloved and respected members of the University of Kentucky basketball family.
