The renowned men’s basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats, Charles Francis “Cotton” Nash, passed away at the age of 80 on Tuesday morning. The former UK basketball player, according to Patrick Nash, one of Cotton Nash’s three children and a Lexington attorney, had been dealing with serious health issues since Thanksgiving. He received good treatment at Baptist Health Hospital, but he eventually passed away from his illness.
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Cotton Nash was a standout three-year varsity player at Adolph Rupp from 1961 to 1964, recording 1,770 points and 962 rebounds. Nash, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, who stands 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds, was Kentucky’s all-time greatest scorer until Dan Issel passed him in 1970 with 2,138 career points.
Nash had extraordinary athletic versatility by being one of just 13 athletes to have competed in both the NBA and Major League Baseball, according to Baseball Almanac. He participated in ABA (American Basketball Association) competition as well. Nash expressed thanks for his special experiences as a member of this exclusive group in a 2020 interview.
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Nash became a nationwide matinee idol in the 1960s and was a key member of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, much like Rex Chapman and Kyle Macy did in the 1980s and the 1970s, respectively. When Nash joined Rupp’s varsity team in 1961–1962, he immediately rose to fame thanks to his Hollywood good looks and unusual blond hair, which gave rise to his nickname.
Nash maintained an amazing double-double average throughout his UK career, scoring 22.7 points and grabbing 12.3 rebounds per game, despite being forced to play as a pivot on tiny Kentucky teams. Former colleague Larry Conley described Nash as having exceptional athleticism, great speed for his size, significant strength, and a keen understanding of the game.
Nash was a center for Kentucky from 1962 to 1965, and John Adams thought he was one of the best basketball players he had ever seen, played with, or faced. Adams praised Nash’s outstanding work ethic and emphasized his dedication to honing his talents via repetition.
Nash spent his formative years in New Jersey, where he discovered a love for baseball and developed a special admiration for Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees. However, Nash was introduced to a basketball-centric milieu when his family moved to Indiana when he was 11 years old as a result of his father’s job shift. This change ultimately influenced Nash to select Kentucky as his college destination.
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