Cliff Hagan, Legend of University of Kentucky Athletics, Passes Away
Cliff Hagan, a towering figure in the history of University of Kentucky Athletics, died Thursday at the age of 94.
A national champion player at Kentucky, Air Force veteran, NBA champion, UK athletics director and member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Hagan left an indelible mark on the sport and the University.
“Few people have impacted Kentucky Athletics in as many ways as Cliff Hagan,” UK Athletics Director and Champions Blue CEO J Batt said. “He represented Kentucky as a champion, Hall of Famer and Athletics Director, leaving a legacy that continues to shape this department. It is an honor to follow in his footsteps and to help carry forward the standard he set. Big Blue Nation will always be grateful for Cliff and all he gave to Kentucky. Our thoughts are with the Hagan family.”
A native of Owensboro, Hagan entered UK in the fall of 1949 and played initially for the freshman team in 1949-50.
In his first varsity season, Hagan was a key member of the squad that won the 1951 national championship under Coach Adolph Rupp. A year later, he was a first-team All-American and the leading scorer on the Wildcat squad that advanced to the NCAA East Regional final.
After an NCAA suspension sidelined Kentucky for the 1952-53 season, Hagan and the Wildcats returned to the court in 1953-54, constructing a 25-0 record and No. 1 national ranking. Hagan was first-team All-America again, averaging 21.6 points and 16.5 rebounds per game.
Hagan and teammates Frank Ramsey and Lou Tsioropolous had graduated in 1953, and ironically, NCAA rules of the day prohibited graduate students from playing in the NCAA Tournament. Faced with the prospect of three stars not being available, UK declined the tourney bid.
All totaled, Kentucky had a remarkable 86-5 record and won all three regular-season Southeastern Conference championships during Hagan’s three varsity campaigns.
Hagan averaged 19.2 points per game, and although scheduling limitations of the day allowed him to play in only 77 varsity games, he totaled 1,475 points and still remains No. 17 on the all-time UK scoring list. A 6-4 forward, he held the school rebounding record at 13.4 boards per game until Oscar Tshiebwe eclipsed the mark during his two-year career.
Following his UK career, Hagan served two years of military service (1954-56) in the United States Air Force. Stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, his military team won two worldwide Air Force championships.
Hagan entered the NBA in the 1956-57 season and played 10 years for the St. Louis Hawks. He averaged 18 points per game during his term in the league, was a five-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA second team twice.
Hagan was yet again a national champion when he led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA crown with series wins over the Detroit Pistons and then the Boston Celtics in the finals.
After retiring from the NBA, Hagan spent one season as a television and radio commentator for the Hawks. He re-entered the pro game in 1967-68 as player-coach of the Dallas Chaparrals of the newly formed American Basketball Association. He was an all-star during the league’s inaugural season. He retired from his playing and coaching duties during the 1969-70 season, his third year with the organization.
Hagan became director of athletics at his alma mater in July, 1975 and served in the post until 1988. In those years, Kentucky won NCAA championships in men’s basketball (1978) and women’s cross country (1988). The Wildcats won SEC titles in those two sports, along with football, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, volleyball and wrestling.
Facility development also was a significant part of Hagan’s term as AD. Under his direction, UK constructed the E.J. Nutter Football Training Facility, the Lancaster Aquatics Center, the Boone Indoor Tennis Center, the lighting of Shively Baseball Field and resurfacing and expansion of the Shively Track.
Hagan was a trendsetter in academics as well. He hired UK’s first athletics academic counselor and in 1981, he established the Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (CATS), the first university in the nation to open a facility solely dedicated to the academic development of student-athletes.
In addition to the laurels earned as a player, Hagan received a long list of other honors during his career, including:
- 1965 – Owensboro Boys Club named the Cliff Hagan Boys Club of America
- 1974 – Second-Team All-America for the 1951-73 period by Hall of Fame Magazine
- 1974 – All-Time All-SEC First Team by the Orlando Sentinel-Star
- 1974 – Named the All-Time Collegiate Player in Kentucky by Kentucky Sports Magazine
- 1975 – Named to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame and has a retired jersey in the rafters of Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
- 1975 – Hall of Fame of Distinguished Alumni by the UK Alumni Association
- 1975 – UK Centennial “K” Medallion
- 1978 – First UK player inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1988 – First Kentuckian inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame
- 1993 – UK baseball stadium named Cliff Hagan Stadium
- 2006 – Named to the inaugural class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
As a native of Owensboro, Hagan scored a then-record 41 points in the state championship game while leading Owensboro High School to the state title.
Hagan and his wife, Martha – also from Owensboro – had four children, Lisa, Laurie, Amy and Kip.
