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Injured Bill Spivey, 1951

Posted on May 22, 2015 | in Uncategorized | by
Six-year-old Ellis Harfford Jr. has a look at University of Kentucky basketball player Bill Spivey's cruthces, Nov. 13, 1951. The Wildcats All-American center underwent a knee operation three weeks prior to this photo. Spivey, UK's first 7-foot-tall player, had dreams of playing for the National Basketball Association, but those dreams were dashed after he was implicated in a point-shaving scandal in the early 1950s. Several current and former UK Wildcats of the era admitted they accepted money to shave points. But Spivey, who was indicted for perjury in the case, was adamant to the end of his life that he never had any part in attempts to fix college games. A New York trial jury voted 9-3 for acquittal, and the district attorney's office said it saw no use in trying the case again. But the damage was done. Although Spivey was never found guilty of any wrongdoing, he was barred from the NBA for life before he had a chance to play his first pro game. He went on to play for some minor professional teams, including a stint with a team opposing the Harlem Globetrotters. Herald-Leader archive photo

Six-year-old Ellis Harfford Jr. had a look at University of Kentucky basketball player Bill Spivey’s crutches on Nov. 13, 1951. The Wildcats All-American center underwent a knee operation three weeks before this photo. Spivey, UK’s first 7-foot-tall player, had dreams of playing for the National Basketball Association, but those dreams were dashed after he was implicated in a point-shaving scandal in the early 1950s. Several UK players and former players of the era admitted that they accepted money to shave points. But Spivey, who was indicted for perjury in the case, was adamant to the end of his life that he never had any part in attempts to fix college games. A New York trial jury voted 9-3 for acquittal, and the district attorney’s office said it saw no use in trying the case again. But the damage was done. Although Spivey was never found guilty of any wrongdoing, he was barred from the NBA for life before he had a chance to play his first pro game. He went on to play for some minor professional teams, including a stint with a team opposing the Harlem Globetrotters. Spivey died in 1995 at age 66. Herald-Leader Archive Photo

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