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County, Kentucky



Bickerstaff, Bernie

Birth Year : 1944

Bernie Bickerstaff was born in Benham, Kentucky. At the age of 25, he was head coach at the University of San Diego, at the time, Bickerstaff was the youngest college coach in the U.S. He went on to become the youngest assistant coach in NBA history when he joined the Washington Bullets [now Washington Wizards] at the age of 29. From 1985-1990, Bickerstaff was head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics; he was the first African American from Kentucky to be named a head coach in the NBA [the second was Wes Unseld and the third was Dwane Casey]. Bickerstaff was pesident and general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 1990-1997. In 2004, Bickerstaff was named general manager of the NBA team the Charlotte Bobcats, he was the teams first coach and returned as the head coach for the 2006-2007 season. Bikerstaff ranks 33rd on the NBA's winningest coaches list. Bernie Bickerstaff Boulevard in Benham, KY, is named in his honor. For more see Who's Who in America, 45th-48th ed.; Who's Who in the West, 22nd -24th ed.; and Bernie Bickerstaff an NBA Coaches website.

Geographic Region: Benham, Harlan County, Kentucky / Charlotte, North Carolina



Bishop, Daryl

Birth Year : 1950

Daryl Bishop was born in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1969, he was the first African American to play basketball for the University of Kentucky, playing a few games as a walk-on, then withdrawing from the team. He had a more successful career as a defensive back on the football team. At that time at UK, football players could not play until their sophomore year. In spite of only playing three years, Bishop's career at UK was phenomenal. He holds the UK career record for most pass interceptions (14) and return yardage (376). He made more tackles (348) than any defensive back in UK history. He is also remembered for the 43-yard interception return touchdown in the 1971 win over Vandy and the 97-yard touchdown return against Mississippi State. Daryl Bishop was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1974. Information provided by the University of Kentucky Athletics Media Relations Office. See also Fifty Years of the University of Kentucky African-American Legacy, 1949-1999.

Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky



Bridgeman, Ulysses "Junior"

Birth Year : 1953

Ulysses Bridgeman was born in East Chicago, Indiana. Bridgeman was a 1975 graduate of the University of Louisville. The 6' 5" forward played for Coach Denny Crum; in 1972 the Cardinals were ranked 4th in the country and played in the Final Four. In 1975 Bridgeman was drafted 8th in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers and then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Bridgeman finished his career with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1988 and his jersey was retired. He holds the team record for most games played. Today, Bridgeman is owner of more than 150 Wendy's Restaurants, including several in Louisville, KY; it is one of the largest Wendy's franchises in the U.S. In 2003 Bridgeman was named chairman of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees. For more see Basketball biographies: 434 U.S. players, coaches and contributors to the game, 1891-1990, by M. Taragano and M. Pitsch; "Bridgeman likely to lead trustees," Courier Journal, 08/29/03; and P. King, "Former NBA star scores on Wendy's team," Nation's Restaurant News, vol. 38, issue 34, p. 70.

Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / East Chicago, Indiana



Brock, James "Jim"

James Brock was the second head basketball coach at William Grant High School (WGHS) in Covington, Kentucky, coaching there from 1955 to 1965. Like other African American school teams in Kentucky, WGHS was a member of the Kentucky High School Athletic League (KHSAL). The counter league, Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA), was for whites only until school integration began in the mid-1950s. The 1956-1957 WGHS team was the first African American basketball team to win a district tournament in the KHSAA tournament. As more African American students were allowed to attend the formerly all white schools, there was an impact on the pool of high school athletes that had been restricted to the all black schools. In 1965, the year that William Grant High School was closed, the basketball team won only five games. The season was a far cry from the winning seasons that had garnered the school a win-loss record of 185-69 during Brock's years as head coach. With the closing of William Grant, Brock moved on to Cincinnati, where he continued to successfully coach high school sports. James Brock was inducted into the Northern Kentucky Black Hall of Fame and the KHSAA Hall of Fame in 2000. For more see Shadows of the past, by L. Stout; Many tried, few defeated William Grant in '50s, '60s, The Cincinnati Post, 02/23/1998; and Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame class of 2000 inductees announced, 06/21/1999, at the KHSAA website.

Geographic Region: Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky / Cincinnati, Ohio



Brown, J. B., Jr.

Brown is from Fort Knox, KY, but considers Owensboro, KY, his home. While attending high school in Fort Knox, Brown set a record as state high jump champion. The 6'8" center was an All-America basketball player at Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) and a member of the team that won the 1987 NCAA Division II Championship. Brown, starting all but one game, was the second leading rebounder that season with 225 rebounds. Brown went on to play ball with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1988-1995. He underwent a kidney transplant in 1996 and taught elementary school geography in Daviess County, Kentucky in 1997. For more see M. Graf, "J B Brown becomes a Harlem Globetrotter," Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 09/28/1988; and N. Phillips, "Brother's kidney gives KWC star hope," Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 07/13/1996.

Geographic Region: Fort Knox, Bullitt, Hardin, %26amp; Meade Counties / Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky



Casey, Dwane

Birth Year : 1957

Dwane Casey was born in Morganfield, Kentucky. Casey, a 6' 2" guard, was on the University of Kentucky basketball team from 1976-1979; the 1977-78 team won the NCAA Championship. Casey played in 95 games, scoring 125 total points. He then was an assistant coach under Clem Haskins for five years at Western Kentucky University until 1986, when he became an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky. Casey was the third former player to become an assistant coach at UK and the first African American to do so. In 1988 he filed a $6.9 million suit against the Emery Air Freight Corp. and the employees who claimed to have discovered $1,000 cash in a package Casey sent to the father of California basketball player Chris Mills. [The suit was eventually settled out of court.] Casey resigned from the UK in 1989. He later served as an assistant coach overseas and in the NBA. From June 2005 - January 2007, Casey was head coach of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. He was the third African American from Kentucky to be named a head coach in the NBA [the first was Bernie Bickerstaff, the second, Wes Unseld]. For more see Dwane Casey at the Big Blue History website; J. Tipton, "UK names Casey coaching assistant," Lexington Herald-Leader, 04/19/1986, Sports section, p. C1; M. Barnhill, "Kentucky basketball coach sues freight firm in Mills case," 07/09/1988, News section, p. N8, and "Kentucky charged by NCAA - investigators say L.A. basketball star's father was paid $1000," 07/26/1988, News section, p. N1, both in the Daily News of Los Angeles (California); and "Timberwolves hire Sonics assistant," The Grand Rapids Press, 06/18/2006, Sports section, p. C1.

Geographic Region: Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / MinnesotaDare for U of K Legends?
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