SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Frank Ramsey, enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982, has passed away at the age of 86.
“The Basketball Hall of Fame family mourns the loss and celebrates the life of seven-time NBA champion Frank Ramsey,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Frank was an outstanding player who accepted and celebrated the important role of sixth man, the first player off the bench on a championship winning team comprised of many star athletes. He truly embodied a team first mentality.”
Ramsey was a confident, cerebral player who enjoyed pressure-filled situations and always excelled in the clutch. In his professional career with the Celtics dynasty in the 1950s and1960s, he was a talented sixth man, who could have started for many NBA teams. As a student athlete, Ramsey starred at the University of Kentucky under Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp, where he was known as the "Kentucky Colonel.” Ramsey led Kentucky to a 32-2 record and NCAA championship in 1951 and a perfect 25-0 season in 1954. His No. 30 hangs from the rafters at Rupp Arena. Ramsey is a member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
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