Ramsey, Frank V. Jr.
Basketball
b. July 13, 1931, Corydon, KY
A 6-foot-3 guard at the University of Kentucky, Ramsey helped lead the school to the 1951 NCAA championship as a sophomore. Kentucky won 32 of 34 games that season and 29 of 32 in 1951/52. Because of recruiting violations, however, the school wasn't allowed to field a team the following season.
Coach Adolph Rupp kept the players together and worked them frequently in intra-squad games. The Southeastern Conference voted to give three players, Ramsey, Cliff Hagan, and Lou Tsioropoulos, an extra year of eligibility, but the NCAA wouldn't allow them to take part in post-season play. Kentucky won all 25 of its games, then sat out the NCAA tournament.
Ramsey joined the Boston Celtics of the NBA in 1954 and became the team's first "sixth man," coming off the bench to provide instant offense. With the Celtics, he frequently played small forward. Despite his part-time role, he averaged more than 15 points a game in five of his nine professional seasons.
He missed the 1955/56 season because of military service. After he returned in the fall of 1956, the Celtics won seven NBA championships in eight seasons. Ramsey's 20-foot shot in the second overtime of the seventh and decisive game against the St. Louis Hawks won the first of those championships, in 1957.
Ramsey retired in 1964. Interestingly, the man who was nicknamed the "Kentucky Colonel" returned to basketball briefly to coach the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association in 1970-71, compiling a record of 32 wins and 35 losses.