I was saddened to hear of the death of Mr. Keightley, last night. If you’re a Kentucky fan, you automatically know and envy Mr. Keightley. He has had every Wildcat fan’s dream job of being the equipment manager for the past 40-odd years. He worked with six different coaches. He sat on the bench (!) with three national title winning teams and dozens of Kentucky basketball legends. He handled the towels of my own personal heroes (Deron Feldhaus, Jamal Mashburn, Cliff Hawkins, Tayshaun Prince, Patrick Sparks, etc.). He saw some of the greatest, most emotional moments in sports history – moments that, for me, are like “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” only more like, “Where were you when Christian Laettner stepped on Aminu Timberlake?” or “Where were you in ’97 when the ‘Cats went to OT?” The difference is that instead of saying, “I was at home about two feet from the TV” or “In a shitty hotel room in Florida, screaming at the top of my lungs” his answer is, “I was there.”
He was Mr. Wildcat (not bad for a guy from Lawrenceburg!). What Kentucky fan wouldn’t pay the school to have that job? Rumor has it that Mr. Keightley was also a pretty wonderful guy – a WWII veteran, friendly, supportive, encouraging.
I’ll miss seeing him in his seat on the bench.
