Kyle Macy with 1978 national championship teammates Jack Givens and Rick Robey. (UK Athletics Photo)
Few Kentucky basketball players have been as beloved as guard Kyle Macy was during his three-year career at UK playing for coach Joe Hall after transferring from Purdue after his freshman season.
He was a key reason Kentucky won the 1978 national championship as he was the missing piece for a talented group of seniors who had made the Final Four in 1975 and Elite Eight in 1977 needed to give Kentucky another national title.
Macy wrote a book with Dr. John Huang — “From the Rafters of Rupp” — about the UK players who have their jerseys retired and hanging at Rupp Arena. He interviewed 19 of them and the book should be a must-read for Kentucky fans of any age.
It tells the story of Kentucky basketball going back to greats like Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramey to all-time leading scorer Dan Issel to 1978 teammates Jack Givens and Rick Robey to The Unforgettables to Tony Delk. Perhaps my favorite was with Joe Hall. Or maybe it was Kenny Walker or the late Mike Pratt.
Macy will have a multi-city book signing tour across Kentucky this month with books available at each stop.
Macy, a former Indiana Mr. Basketball, was a three-time All-American and NBA first-round draft pick. Macy finished his UK career with 1,411 points, 470 assists, 243 rebounds and 127 steals. He had just 191 turnovers in 3,390 minutes of play. He was a 52 percent shooter from the field and was brilliant at the foul line where he made 331 of 372 attempts for an 88.98 percent mark in his career. During his senior season he was 104 of 114 — a 91.2 percent mark.
He won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games playing for coach Bobby Knight and was the 1980 SEC Male Athlete of the Year. Macy played seven years in the NBA and three more professionally in Italy.
“I’ve been so blessed by the support of Kentucky fans throughout my career and life,” said Macy in a release about the tour. “This tour is a chance to reconnect, reminisce, and say thank you to the Big Blue Nation that has meant so much to me.”
Macy was a color analyst on the UK Radio Network for basketball games for four years and has worked as analyst for various national radio and TV outlets. He also was the head men’s basketball coach at Morehead State University for nine years.
If you want a refresher on Kentucky basketball history or perhaps learn about some of these great players for the first time, this is a great way to do so. This “coffee table” style book would also make a great gift for any UK fan of any age.
Here is the complete tour schedule:
Kentucky Book Tour Schedule
• Corbin – Tuesday, Sept. 9, 11:30 a.m. | Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (members only)
• London – Thursday, Sept. 11, 12:00 p.m. | The Grind Coffee Shop
• Danville – Thursday, Sept. 11, 6:00 p.m. | Boyle County Public Library
• Bardstown – Wednesday, Sept. 24, 5:30 p.m. | Nelson County Public Library
• Somerset – Thursday, Sept. 25, 12:00 p.m. | Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce (at The Center for Rural Development)
• Murray – Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:00 p.m. (CST) | Calloway County Public Library
• Hopkinsville – Friday, Sept. 26, 1:00 p.m. (CST) | The Book and Bottle Shop
• Frankfort – Tuesday, Sept. 30, 6:00 p.m. | Paul Sawyier Public Library
• Paducah – Saturday, Sept. 27 | Kentucky Oaks Mall (tentative)
(Additional tour stops are being explored in Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, Mayfield, and Louisville.)
2 Responses
It could be worse…he could be endorsing another insurance company.
He was a very pivotal piece of winning the 1978 championship. The free throws he made against Magic Johnson Michigan St in the regional finals was Hugh for the cats getting in the final four. I always like his free throw stance when he rub his socks before shooting the free throw.