Nunn Center Makes Public 'Mr. Wildcat' Interviews
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2008) − The University
of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History is unveiling the first selection of 20
interviews from the oral history collection of beloved longtime figure of Kentucky basketball,
manager Bill Keightley. The center is currently processing the collection which comes from more
than 40 hours of oral history interviews with the late Keightley. The collection, which launches
online as the UK men’s basketball season begins, gives the public a unique opportunity to
not only hear the legend, known to many basketball fans as “Mr. Wildcat,” but to
search his own words for topics and other key basketball figures he speaks about in the
interviews.
The Nunn Center, in partnership with the Kentuckiana Digital Library, has constructed an original interface to more intuitively present oral histories online. According to Doug Boyd, director of the Nunn Center, “we have developed a process that enables users to search by keyword and then link to that specific moment in the audio interview. Users will be able to search through hours of interviews and find exactly the topic they wish to hear Bill Keightley discuss.”
The William B. Keightley Oral History Project interviews, conducted between 2005 and 2007 by UK Archivist Jeffrey Suchanek, include many conversations on his time as part of the university's legendary basketball program. Topics discussed with the popular basketball figure feature: Keightley’s life experiences; experiences working with coaches and players, including recordings about coaches Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Billy Gillispie; UK Athletics; changes in college athletics, equipment and style of play; and growing up in his hometown of Lawrenceburg, Ky.
Hear interviews and read transcripts from the Keightley Oral History Project. All 20 interviews UK conducted with Keightley are expected to be online by the end of November.
Keightley, who passed away March 31, 2008, was associated with the UK Wildcats basketball program since 1962. He managed the "Bill Keightley Equipment Room" in Memorial Coliseum and was as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies the team amassed.
Keightley completed 48 seasons on the UK sidelines. During his tenure as equipment manager with the basketball team he enjoyed a 1,113-351 win-loss record and played a role in 57 percent of all UK basketball games played. UK recognized Keightley by retiring a jersey in his honor in 1997, and he was among 88 Wildcat greats inducted into the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
A graduate of Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, Keightley was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps serving in World War II.
The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, part of the UK Libraries Special Collections and Digital Programs, is internationally recognized for its outstanding collection of more than 7,000 oral history interviews. The collection has interviews with a diverse group of individuals including U.S. Supreme Court justices, U.S. senators, civil rights leaders, farmers, veterans, and medical practitioners.
The Nunn Center, in partnership with the Kentuckiana Digital Library, has constructed an original interface to more intuitively present oral histories online. According to Doug Boyd, director of the Nunn Center, “we have developed a process that enables users to search by keyword and then link to that specific moment in the audio interview. Users will be able to search through hours of interviews and find exactly the topic they wish to hear Bill Keightley discuss.”
The William B. Keightley Oral History Project interviews, conducted between 2005 and 2007 by UK Archivist Jeffrey Suchanek, include many conversations on his time as part of the university's legendary basketball program. Topics discussed with the popular basketball figure feature: Keightley’s life experiences; experiences working with coaches and players, including recordings about coaches Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Orlando "Tubby" Smith and Billy Gillispie; UK Athletics; changes in college athletics, equipment and style of play; and growing up in his hometown of Lawrenceburg, Ky.
Hear interviews and read transcripts from the Keightley Oral History Project. All 20 interviews UK conducted with Keightley are expected to be online by the end of November.
Keightley, who passed away March 31, 2008, was associated with the UK Wildcats basketball program since 1962. He managed the "Bill Keightley Equipment Room" in Memorial Coliseum and was as much a fixture around UK basketball as the seven national championship trophies the team amassed.
Keightley completed 48 seasons on the UK sidelines. During his tenure as equipment manager with the basketball team he enjoyed a 1,113-351 win-loss record and played a role in 57 percent of all UK basketball games played. UK recognized Keightley by retiring a jersey in his honor in 1997, and he was among 88 Wildcat greats inducted into the charter class of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
A graduate of Kavanaugh High School in Lawrenceburg, Keightley was a retired U.S. Postal Service carrier and veteran of the Marine Corps serving in World War II.
The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, part of the UK Libraries Special Collections and Digital Programs, is internationally recognized for its outstanding collection of more than 7,000 oral history interviews. The collection has interviews with a diverse group of individuals including U.S. Supreme Court justices, U.S. senators, civil rights leaders, farmers, veterans, and medical practitioners.