Reggie Warford, Kentucky’s second Black men’s basketball player, and first Black basketball graduate have passed away. He was 67 years old at the time.
Reggie Warford, a significant basketball player died at the age of 67.
Reggie Warford, the second African-American varsity basketball player to play for Kentucky, died on Thursday morning. He was 67 years old at the time.
Warford was the first African-American basketball player to attend Kentucky for four years and graduate. He came to campus in 1972, two years after Tom Payne broke the program’s color barrier. Payne only stayed in the UK for one season.
Warford, a native of Drakesboro, Kentucky, had struggled with a variety of health challenges over the last decade, requiring multiple organ donations. While healing after the transplants, he developed sarcopenia, a neuromuscular disease that causes muscle mass and strength loss, according to a 2019 WKYT report.
“I know how much Reggie meant to Kentucky and how he inspired others,” UK coach John Calipari tweeted Thursday. “Reggie and I worked together at Pitt in the 80s and have remained friends. I’m going to miss my brother, may God bless you, Reggie.”
Warford- First Recruit
Warford was the first recruit signed by Joe B. Hall after he replaced Adolph Rupp as Kentucky coach in 1972. He had originally committed to Austin Peay in high school. Warford was a second-team All-State selection as a senior at Drakesboro High School, averaging 26 points per game.
“I think that Coach Hall wanted me as much to be a person that would be here, that would do the right things, wouldn’t mess up and attract other African American players after that,” Warford said in a 2018 interview with UK’s Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. “That’s exactly what happened.”
Warford played in 50 games at Kentucky over four seasons, averaging 4.1 points per game. On 28 games as a senior, he averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 assists per game.
In Hall’s first season as coach, in 1972-73, Warford was the team’s lone Black player. In 1973, Larry Johnson and Merion Haskins joined him. Kentucky signed Jack Givens and James Lee a year later, and they went on to form the core of the 1978 national championship squad.
Reggie Warford Age, Family, Early Life
Warford was 67 years old. Reggie Warford, a native of Drakesboro, Kentucky, was the first African American basketball player to graduate from the University of Kentucky.
Reggie Warford Wife, What about his children?
Warford was a married man. Reggie is survived by his kids Grant and Tyler, as well as his wife Marisa.
Reggie Warford Career, What was his profession?
He was a 6’1″ man “Between 1972 and 1976, he appeared in 50 games and scored 206 points throughout his college career. Warford went on to teach at Pitt, Iowa State, and Long Beach State, as well as being the head coach of the Harlem Globetrotters in 2003.
Warford sued the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper in 1986, alleging that it had defamed him in an article concerning inappropriate college basketball recruitment offers, notably in reference to Steve Miller, a forward from Henry Clay High School in Lexington, KY. According to an article published on October 28, 1985, Miller claimed that Warford promised him a raise if he signed Miller and that Miller agreed “that would be advantageous.
How much is Reggie Warford Net worth?
There are no details in the income stats of Warford at the moment.
Which school and college did he go to? What was his major?
Reggie Warford was a former basketball player for the University of Kentucky who attended Drakesboro High School in Muhlenberg County before getting recruited to the UK.
Is he available on any kind of social media platform?
Reggie Warford had no social media presence.
Reggie Warford’s Appearance Height, Weight
Height | Feet: 6 Feet 1 Inch |
Hair color | Black |
Eye color | Brown |
Weight | N / A |
Body type | Fit |
Sexual orientation | Straight |
Interesting facts about Reggie Warford’s which you should be known
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Black |
Age | 67 |
Relationship status | Married |
Spouse | Marisa Warford |
Children | 2 |