This week Rotarians are invited to climb into the “way-back machine” and revisit the glorious – for UK basketball fans – year of 1978. That was the year that the Wildcats defeated the Duke Blue Devils at the Checkerdome in St. Louis for their fifth NCAA national championship. And who better to travel with on that journey than two men who were there, front and center, Jack Givens and Rob Bolton.
Jack “Goose” Givens, was born September 21, 1956, in Lexington, Kentucky. Growing up in a housing project, he honed his skills at Lexington’s Douglass Park in the Dirt Bowl league before earning Kentucky Mr. Basketball and Parade All-American honors at Bryan Station High School in 1974.
At UK, the 6-foot-5 forward scored 2,038 points, ranking third on the school’s all-time list, and earned three first-team All-SEC selections plus consensus second-team All-American honors in 1978. He led the Wildcats to the 1978 NCAA Championship, exploding for a then-record 41 points on 18-of-27 shooting in a 94-88 title win over Duke, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors and a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His No. 21 jersey is retired at Rupp Arena.
Drafted 16th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 1978, Givens played two NBA seasons, appearing in 156 games before ending his NBA career in 1980. He also played four years in the Japan Basketball Association, as well as in Italy and Belgium.
Following his playing career, he has worked as a broadcaster, including as a color analyst for NBA teams like the Orlando Magic and currently for UK men’s basketball on the UK Sports Network alongside Tom Leach. He has ventured into real estate development, served as CEO of the Orlando Comets AAU program (which won a national title in 2006 and has placed over sixty players on NCAA scholarships), and holds a role as vice president of business development at Five Star Electric.
In 2024, he released his memoir They Call Me Goose: My Life in Kentucky Basketball and Beyond, detailing his rise from poverty, financial struggles, and reliance on faith and family. Jack is married to Linda; they have two children, Jeremy and Jaimie.
Rob Bolton is graduate of UK and was the Team Manager of the 1978 basketball team. He is a highly regarded realtor for Christie’s International Real Estate Rob Bolton, known for his deep market knowledge, work ethic, exceptional client service, and longstanding commitment to the community. He has developed neighborhoods (Hartland and the Gardens of Hartland), and built homes (Heritage Place and Prestwick) in addition to selling new and existing residential real estate.
Rotary in Review
REMEMBERING THE 1978 UK BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPION TEAM
The last Rotary Club lunch program before the Thanksgiving Holiday featured the dynamic duo of Jack “Goose” Givens and Rob Bolton, both affiliated with the 1978 University of Kentucky national championship basketball team. President Jim Richardson introduced Rob as a lifelong Cat fan who also did “some stuff” as a real estate developer — he developed Hartland, Gardens of Hartland, Heritage Place and Prestwick—and is friends of Jack and Jim!
Rob then introduced “Goose” Givens, one of the stars of the 1978 championship team. He compared him to other outstanding players of the day—Dr. J, Earl the Pearl, the Iceman and Clyde the Glide. That team went 30-2 (16-2 in the SEC), averaging 84 points per game, including 13 games with more than 90 points, and a 54 percent field goal percentage. When asked if the three-point line would have made a difference, Givens responded that “Coach Hall didn’t let point guards shoot,” so nothing would have changed.
Rob then conducted a Q&A session with Givens. He asked about the chemistry of the team and how well they played together. Givens responded by remembering a game against Michigan State. “Gary Hooker was always trash talking and pulling on my jersey and “Daisy Dukes” basketball shorts,” said Givens. A pick by Rick Robey took care of Hooker for the rest of the game.
Givens said his favorite game, other than the national championship game, was a win against an undefeated Indiana team in the 1975 Mid-East Regional. He was a freshman and IU had beaten Kentucky by 24 points earlier in the season. That was his first road trip to Bloomington, which is an intimidating setting. A sure breakaway basket was blocked by Scott May, who looked at Givens and said “don’t bring that ##$%$Y%$ in here.” However, the greatest satisfaction was seeing State Troopers lined up as they crossed over the Ohio River into Kentucky for a police escort back to campus, with fans lining the highway. He said the toughest and greatest player he ever played against was Bernard King of the University of Tennessee. He added that the most difficult arena to play in was in Knoxville. The best pure shooter was Ray Allen, who went on to win NBA championships in Boston and Miami. And, when asked about his preference for short or long basketball shorts, the Daisy Dukes” were a unanimous selection.
Rob concluded his Q&A session by asking about the “Best Coaches Speech.” Givens gave the nod to the one Coach Hall gave in St. Louis in the Final Four. Kentucky was ready to play in the second semi-final game but had to wait longer when the Arkansas-Notre Dame game went into overtime. He said the tension in the locker room could be cut with a knife. After the coaches came into the room after their meeting, Coach Hall climbed into a garbage can and squatted down. Moments later he jumped up and said “let’s go play some basketball.” What a day reminiscing with two members of the 1978 National Championship team.
– Paul B. Chewning