Kelsey Nunley, Keenan Burton and Dezerea Bryant lead UK Athletics Hall of Fame class
A barrier-breaking baseball player, a star basketball center from the 1970s, a track-and-field champion, a top football wide receiver, a softball pitcher and a courageous diving coach comprise the Class of 2022 for the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.
Jim Andrews (1970-73), Keenan Burton (2003-07), Derek Bryant (1970-73), Dezerea Bryant (2014-2015), Mike Lyden (1993-2008) and Kelsey Nunley-Moore (2013-16) will be officially inducted on Thursday, Nov. 10, the school announced Thursday.
This year’s class:
▪ Jim Andrews was a first-team All-SEC selection as both a junior and senior who led the Cats in scoring with 20.1 points and 12.4 rebounds as a senior and 21.5 points and 11.3 rebounds as a junior. Dan Issel, Cotton Nash and Cliff Hagan are the only other Wildcats to average 20-or-more points and 10-or-more rebounds over two seasons. Andrews’ 43 double-doubles rank third all-time in UK history.
▪ Keenan Burton starred as a pass receiver and kick returner under UK football coach Rich Brooks. Burton finished his career fourth in pass receptions (189) and second in both receiving yardage (2,376) and touchdown catches (25) in school history. Burton was a three-time All-SEC honoree and helped the Wildcats to consecutive wins in the 2006 and 2007 Music City Bowls.
▪ Derek Bryant was the first Black baseball player at the University of Kentucky. He was a two-time All-SEC first-team selection who finished his collegiate career with a batting average of .369. The former Henry Clay High School star went on to play with the Oakland Athletics in Major League Baseball and was player and manager in Mexico where he is a member of the Mexican Baseball League Hall of Fame.
▪ Dezerea Bryant was a two-time NCAA champion in the 200-meter dash, winning the indoor event as a junior and outdoor event as a senior. She set an NCAA record with a time of 22.18 seconds. She was a five-time NCAA medalist and a nine-time All-American in her two seasons at UK. Bryant won the 4-by-100-meter relay at the 2019 World Relays as well was the 200 meters in the 2019 United States Championships.
▪ The 1966 NCAA Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, Lyden was a 12-time SEC Diving Coach of the Year. He coached 12 Wildcats to 49 All-America honors. In 2006, Lyden coached Tayrn Ignacio to UK’s first national diving championship in program history. Lyden died in 2008 at age 51 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The UK Athletics CATSPY Courage Award is named in his honor.
▪ Kelsey Nunley-Moore pitched Kentucky to the 2014 Women’s College World Series, its first and only appearance in the national softball championship. Nunley was the winning pitcher in all 10 of UK’s postseason victories in 2014. She was named 2016 NFCA first-team All-American and the 2016 SEC Pitcher of the Year.
Hall of Famers will be inducted during a dinner on Nov. 10 and recognized on the field during Kentucky’s football game at Kroger Field against Vanderbilt on Nov. 12.
UK launched its Hall in 2005 by inducting an 88-member charter class of individuals who had previously had their jerseys retired. Since then, 104 individuals have joined the Hall, including this year’s class.
UK requires a five-year waiting period after leaving the school to be eligible for inclusion into the Hall of Fame, and a 10-year waiting period to have a jersey retired. An individual must be a member of the Hall of Fame to be eligible for jersey retirement.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 8:19 PM.