Bill Keightley, Long-Time Equipment manager for Kentucky Basketball, Dies at 81

Bill Keightley, the long-time equipment manager for the University of Kentucky basketball team and known by many as simply “Mr. Wildcat,” died on Monday at the age of 81.

Keightley was believed to have died from internal bleeding resulting from an undiagnosed tumor on his spine. Earlier in the day Keightley had been at the Cincinnati Reds season opener. On the way to the game Keightley fell while exiting a bus but those with him didn’t think he had been injured.

It wasn’t until he arrived at University Hospital that it was discovered Keightley had a tumor on his spine.

Keightley had been involved with Kentucky basketball’s equipment room since 1962 and had left his mark as one of the most beloved figures in Wildcats history.

Head basketball coach Billy Gillispie commented, “He influenced each of us on a daily basis, and he was a great example of someone who loved his University more than anything. Obviously, he’s in a better place, but the void he leaves for all of us, and especially his family, is going to be a difficult situation. Our hearts go out to his family and the millions of Wildcats fans who he loved so much.”

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