Billy Evans, a player on UK’s only undefeated basketball team, dies at 88
Billy Evans, who was part of three Kentucky basketball teams in the early 1950s that compiled an overall record of 77-6, died Sunday. He was 88.
A native of Berea, Evans scored 716 points and grabbed 549 rebounds in a UK career that spanned the seasons of 1951-52, 1953-54 and 1954-55. He was subsequently inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.
Evans could be used to show how dramatically recruiting has changed. During an interview for the UK Athletics Men’s Basketball Oral History Project, he said he committed to Kentucky without having even met Coach Adolph Rupp or assistant coach Harry Lancaster. He said the scholarship offer came in a letter he received while working a summer job in the Chicago area.
Former UK player Ralph Carlisle recommended Evans to Rupp and Lancaster. As a player for The Foundation School in Berea, Evans competed against Carlisle-coached Lafayette High School.
Evans played on the only Kentucky team to post an undefeated record. His teammates on the 25-0 team of 1953-54 included three other UK Athletics Hall of Famers: Cliff Hagan, Frank Ramsey and Lou Tsioropoulos.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t put me in the same boat with Hagan and Ramsey, who were All-Americans, but life was all better for me for having played basketball there,” Evans said in the Oral History interview.
In his final UK season of 1954-55, Evans averaged 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds. He was named to the All-Southeastern Conference Third Team as picked by The Associated Press. He was declared ineligible for the postseason because he had earned his degree.
Kentucky won the SEC championship in each of Evans’ three seasons.
When asked how he described the UK years when speaking with his children and grandchildren, Evans said, “You work hard. You study hard. I was a good student.”
In a news release announcing Evans’ death, UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart said, “Billy Evans is among the great players from our commonwealth who helped build the tradition of University of Kentucky basketball. His legacy as an all-around athlete and a winner always will be part of our history. Our condolences are with his wife, Nancy, and his family and friends.”
Evans was selected in the fifth round of the 1955 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals. He also played on gold medal-winning teams in the 1956 Olympics and the 1959 Pan American Games. He was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in the charter class and his jersey hangs in the Rupp Arena rafters.
“It’s special,” Evans said of his jersey retirement. “I don’t go around to everybody and say, ‘Look up there,’ but it’s an honor. I’m happy to be there.”
Evans is survived by his wife, Nancy, and his two daughters, Sallie Coryell and Allison Scanlan. Funeral arrangements are pending.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 12:18 PM.
