Former UK basketball player, Kentucky native remembered as ‘a terrific competitor’
Former University of Kentucky basketball player Gerry Calvert died Monday. He was 85.
A native of Maysville, Calvert played for UK in the mid-1950s. He later became a lawyer and practiced in Lexington for more than a half century.
Calvert had been in failing health and had undergone brain surgery.
“He was a walking miracle,” said Terrie Greer, Calvert’s sister-in-law. “He had brain cancer and lung cancer. He’s fought the good fight for two years. They only gave him three months after the brain surgery.”
Calvert, a 5-foot-11 guard weighing 160 pounds, played for Adolph Rupp’s UK teams from the 1954-55 season through 1956-57. He scored 777 career points, and averaged double-digit points as a junior (11.2 ppg) and senior (15.2 ppg). He was UK’s second-leading scorer in 1956-57.
“Coach Rupp called him Red,” recalled Lexington businessman Jim Host, who lived in a room next to Calvert when they were UK students. “He had red hair. (Calvert) was a great person to be around and was a terrific competitor.”
After his UK playing career, Calvert played on the team that competed against the Harlem Globetrotters.
After setting basketball aside, he got a degree from the University of Louisville Louis C. Brandeis Law School and practiced in Lexington for 56 years.
Host said Calvert was active in politics and served as chairman of the Fayette County Republican Party. Calvert also helped establish the Adolph Rupp Trophy, which was presented to the Division I Player of the Year from 1972 through 2015.
Calvert also became known for rescuing dogs.
“He loved dogs so much that he got a kennel license for their home and rescued who knows how many dogs,” Greer said. “Cathy, his wife, currently has eight.”
Greer also said Calvert entertained people by recalling stories involving basketball and other topics.
“He was an awesome story teller . . . ,” Greer said. “Heaven received an angel.”
There will be a visitation on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kerr Brothers on Harrodsburg Road. A funeral mass will be on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at Cathedral of Christ the King Catholic Church (299 Colony Blvd, in Lexington).
