As a rule, when university officials act out of emotion in renaming buildings or retiring jerseys, it is a mistake. Such consequential honors are generally best awarded only after the judgment of history has been rendered.
Yet, to every rule, there are exceptions.
On April 7, 1992, only 10 days after Duke's Christian Laettner had ended the college basketball careers of the Kentucky senior class known as The Unforgettables with his 1992 NCAA Tournament buzzer-beater, then-University of Kentucky Athletics Director C.M. Newton acted from emotion.
At the end of a postseason awards ceremony in Rupp Arena, Newton shocked Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey and Sean Woods by asking them to turn around and look to the rafters where their retired jerseys were being unveiled.