Bird's Eye View

Claude Sullivan, 
Early Voice of UK Men’s Basketball, 
Inducted in KHSAA Hall of Fame

UK Libraries National Advisory Board member Alan Sullivan accepted the award from the Kentucky High School Athletic Association on behalf of his father, Claude Sullivan—legend in sports broadcasting and one of the first voices of UK's men’s basketball program. The award was presented by longtime UK Libraries friend Jim Host, and Dean of UK Libraries, Terry Birdwhistell, attended the awards luncheon and ceremony. Sullivan was chosen in the “Contributor” category, which KHSAA defines as an individual who has made outstanding contributions to interscholastic athletics on a statewide scale in some capacity other than athlete, coach, or official, including such areas as athletic administration, state association administration, sports medicine and sports media. Sullivan covered high school games his entire career even after he became an announcer for college and professional sports teams, including the Cincinnati Reds. He earned Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year honors eight-consecutive years (1959-66) and was national runner-up to Lindsey Nelson in 1960. Sullivan was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Kentucky Journalism and UK Athletic Halls of Fame in 2006. UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is the repository for the Claude Sullivan Collection, which includes recordings of Sullivan’s games. To learn more about this celebrated and distinguished figure in Kentucky sports history, read Alan Sullivan’s Voice of the Wildcats: Claude Sullivan and the Rise of Modern Sportscasting recently published University Press of Kentucky.