Joe B. Hall

Hall stepped into arguably the most impossible job in sports — succeeding Adolph Rupp — and delivered a national championship in 1978, his sixth season. His 297-100 record over 13 years (1972–1985) maintained Kentucky's status as a blue-blood program. The 1978 title is forever linked to Jack 'Goose' Givens' masterful 41-point performance in the championship game against Duke. Hall also reached the 1975 title game, falling to John Wooden's UCLA in what became Wooden's final game as a coach. He recruited and developed future NBA players like Sam Bowie, Mel Turpin, and Kenny Walker. A Kentucky native and former Rupp player himself, Hall understood the weight of Big Blue Nation's expectations better than anyone.