Will Stein is doing a heck of a job in his first season as the Kentucky Wildcats football coach. But, until he goes full Curt Cignetti in Lexington, Big Blue Nation’s priorities will lie with basketball. And the fanbase is in mourning this weekend following the loss of a legend.
Cliff Hagan, a Wildcat national champion (1951) and one of the Kentucky basketball program’s all-time leading scorers, passed away on Thursday. He was 94 years old.
Hagan, a two-time All-American, averaged 19.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game in his three-season Wildcat career. He’s most well-known for his time in Lexington, does have an NBA legacy. From 1957-62, Hagan recorded 22.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest for the St. Louis Hawks. He made all five NBA All-Star teams in that period and led St. Louis to the 1958 NBA Championship.
On top of statistical feats, Hagan was part of a league-altering trade. He was drafted in the third round of the 1953 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, but never wound up playing for the franchise. After a final season at Kentucky and two years of military service, the Celtics sent him and Ed Macauley to the Hawks for eventual 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell. Hagan also hit the first game-winning playoff buzzer-beater in NBA history, against Boston in Game 6 of the 1957 NBA Finals.
