Page and Northington (who were inducted into UK’s Hall of Fame this Friday) became the Wildcats’ first black players in 1967. Tragically, Page died after an injury he received in practice, and Northington had to leave the team in his grief. However, he urged his fellow teammates Hackett and Hogg to remain in school, and they became the first black players to finish their careers at Kentucky.
With some supporters fighting for recognition for almost 20 years, this honor has been a long time coming:
“I keep thinking I’m going to wake up from some kind of dream today,” said Paul Karem, a former Cats quarterback and longtime crusader to give those pioneers their due.