University of Kentucky Hall of Fame head coach Joe B. Hall turned 93 years young earlier this week. His legacy in Lexington has been cemented for decades now, encapsulated by the statue of himself sitting outside of the Wildcat Coal Lodge where the current Wildcats eat and sleep.
Coach Hall is a beloved figure around the Big Blue Nation, not just for his on-court accomplishments (of which they are many, including a 1978 national championship), but for how he’s continued to stay involved with the Wildcat program over the years.
John Calipari, the current Kentucky head basketball coach and sixth to hold the title since Hall left the spot in 1985, remembers the impact that Hall had on him during his first-ever practice back in 2009.