For decades, playing basketball for the University of Kentucky has put young men on the path to success not only in sports but in life. Players have parlayed the statewide fame and adoration they gained by dribbling a basketball for the beloved Wildcats into success in business and politics.
Largely because of the renown he gained as a member of one of the most popular UK teams ever, Richie Farmer has twice been elected Kentucky agricultural commissioner, and Republican insiders in Frankfort say he currently is the favorite to win the GOP nomination for governor in 2011.
Most Kentucky voters cannot name a thing Farmer has done during his more than six years as head of the Kentucky Department of Agricultural, but they remember well the young Kentucky-born player who made the most of his abilities as a player for the Wildcats — and that apparently is enough to convince some to vote for Farmer for governor.
Earlier, former UK player Scotty Baesler served as a judge and was three times elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky’s Sixth District. Baesler, a Democrat, also ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor and the U.S. Senate, losing the Senate race to another famous Kentucky athlete, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning.
While the tanking of the U.S. economy has forced former UK basketball star Dan Issel and his wife to file for bankruptcy, for many years politicians in Kentucky encouraged Issel to seek political office in his home state, and Issel even briefly served as the head of tourism in the state. However, his long stint as a player, coach and general manager of the Denver Nuggets kept Issel from returning to Kentucky where he no doubt would have had success in the political arena.
But not all former Wildcats have used their fame is a positive way. , a gifted athlete who played for the Wildcats from 1986 to 1990, has pleaded guilty to two felonies and two misdemeanors for his role in a scam involving UK basketball tickets. To date, Miller has admitted to taking money from individuals in Clark County and Fleming County for UK tickets he did not have. He still faces similar charges in Fayette County.
According to prosecutors, Miller created the false impression that his former association with the Wildcats gave him special access to coveted UK tickets. He faces at least a year in jail.
Another former Wildcat, Ed Davender, who played with Miller for two years, also has been charged in connection with the same ticket scam but has pleaded not guilty. He faces charges in Fleming, Fayette and Harrison counties.
Fame is a gift that can work two ways. You can use it for something positive like Farmer and Baesler, or you can misuse it to cheat the gullible like Miller did.
Largely because of the renown he gained as a member of one of the most popular UK teams ever, Richie Farmer has twice been elected Kentucky agricultural commissioner, and Republican insiders in Frankfort say he currently is the favorite to win the GOP nomination for governor in 2011.
Most Kentucky voters cannot name a thing Farmer has done during his more than six years as head of the Kentucky Department of Agricultural, but they remember well the young Kentucky-born player who made the most of his abilities as a player for the Wildcats — and that apparently is enough to convince some to vote for Farmer for governor.
Earlier, former UK player Scotty Baesler served as a judge and was three times elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky’s Sixth District. Baesler, a Democrat, also ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor and the U.S. Senate, losing the Senate race to another famous Kentucky athlete, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning.
While the tanking of the U.S. economy has forced former UK basketball star Dan Issel and his wife to file for bankruptcy, for many years politicians in Kentucky encouraged Issel to seek political office in his home state, and Issel even briefly served as the head of tourism in the state. However, his long stint as a player, coach and general manager of the Denver Nuggets kept Issel from returning to Kentucky where he no doubt would have had success in the political arena.
But not all former Wildcats have used their fame is a positive way. Derrick Miller, a gifted athlete who played for the Wildcats from 1986 to 1990, has pleaded guilty to two felonies and two misdemeanors for his role in a scam involving UK basketball tickets. To date, Miller has admitted to taking money from individuals in Clark County and Fleming County for UK tickets he did not have. He still faces similar charges in Fayette County.
According to prosecutors, Miller created the false impression that his former association with the Wildcats gave him special access to coveted UK tickets. He faces at least a year in jail.
Another former Wildcat, Ed Davender, who played with Miller for two years, also has been charged in connection with the same ticket scam but has pleaded not guilty. He faces charges in Fleming, Fayette and Harrison counties.
Fame is a gift that can work two ways. You can use it for something positive like Farmer and Baesler, or you can misuse it to cheat the gullible like Miller did.
