Photo - NBA.Com
Big Blue Nation is mourning the loss of a UK basketball legend. 86-year old Frank Ramsey passed away early Sunday morning in Madisonville.
Not only was Ramsey a legend at the University of Kentucky, where he helped the Cats win the 1951 national championship, he went on to a significant NBA career, where he was a part of seven NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics. Ramsey became known in the NBA as the original 6th man.
During his years in the NBA, he played in more than 600 games. Ramsey, who was a Madisonville native, averaged 13.4 points per game in the NBA. He spent his entire 9 year career with the Celtics, with another year off for military service. The Celtics retired his #23.
Ramsey currently stands 27th in all-time scoring at UK, and is currently 2nd on the all-time rebounding list. In addition to the 1951 national championship, Ramsey also played on the 1953-54 team that went unbeaten, but was not eligible for post season play.
In addition to his basketball career, Ramsey also garnered attention for surviving a November 2005 tornado that destroyed his home on the south side of Madisonville. Ramsey was in the home at the time the tornado hit and some of his keepsakes from his playing career were found miles away.
