Kentucky legend C.M. Newton has died at age 88. Newton played pitcher for the Kentucky baseball team and as a reserve on the 1951 basketball National Championship team.
Newton followed up his playing career by becoming the basketball head coach at Transylvania. He was then hired by Bear Bryant to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide. He resigned from Alabama to take a job in the SEC offices, but found his way back to coaching for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Kentucky hired Newton to be the athletics director in 1989. Newton was responsible for the hirings of Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith, who combined to bring Kentucky two National Championships.