The first seating chart for University of Kentucky basketball games when Rupp Arena opened in the Lexington Center in 1976. The shaded A, B and C areas were designated for Blue and White Fund contributors. “We’ve got more requests for Blue and White Fund seats than we have seats available,” UK Athletics Director Cliff Hagan said five months before the new home of the Wildcats opened. “But I guess that’s a nice problem to have.” The Blue and White Fund, the fundraising arm of University of Kentucky Athletics and known today as The K Fund, was started in 1973 for football tickets when the Wildcats moved into Commonwealth Stadium. “We should have learned from the response to football — that should have been the barometer” Hagan said. “The real surprise has been the response of people who held priority seating in Memorial Coliseum. They’ve taken over half the 3,000 seats allotted to the fund.” Hagan said the 3,000-seat limit was self-imposed “to enable fans to attend the games at regular price.” Donation requirements were the cost of the ticket, plus $250 in the A areas, $100 in the B, and $50 in the C. The other 20,000 seats were divided among the public, faculty and students, who were offered 7,000 seats, including some at prime locations such as mid-court lower level. Student tickets were free, faculty tickets were sold at a reduced rate, and general public tickets were $5 for lower level, $4 for upper level. Despite the enormous task of moving from 11,500-seat Memorial Coliseum to 23,000-seat Rupp Arena, Hagan said, “People will still be 70 feet closer than the farthest seat in Freedom Hall.” Published in the Nov. 24, 1976 Lexington Herald. Click here to see a chart of donation levels required today. And click here to see a photo from our archives of the first game at Rupp on Nov. 27, 1976.