Jack "Goose" Givens

[HeismaNole]

Easily one of my all-time favorite players and he's coming to my work on Sunday to promote his new book, do a Q&A, and sign books (tickets are available to the public fyi). We get the chance to talk with him and was curious if you had any favorite memories or good stories or questions to come up with?

I never hear anything about the Bryan Station or NBA days but was curious what people remember about Goose from then.

 

[BigE_44]

Oscar does a good job of covering HS/recruitment with him in part 1. Listen to all the interviews and I believe you’ll have plenty to talk about.

 

[K86]

When I was in high school he and some of the 78 team toured the state and played a game at McLean County. I had the pleasure of meeting him. When I got to UK and would see him on Campus, he would always speak. Very nice man.

 

[Elliott Tim]

When I was in high school he and some of the 78 team toured the state and played a game at McLean County. I had the pleasure of meeting him. When I got to UK and would see him on Campus, he would always speak. Very nice man.

Says a lot about him.

 

[HeismaNole]

View embedded media

Oscar does a good job of covering HS/recruitment with him in part 1. Listen to all the interviews and I believe you’ll have plenty to talk about.

What a treasure trove of a find. Much appreciated.

 

[blue cincy]

Jack was a deacon in our church here in Lexington back in the day. After his career. We played in the Lexington church league basketball. We had some fun times and good teams back in the day.
When Rupp opened my brother went to a ton of games (he is 7 years older) but we both went to Bryan Station. I went when we had some really good football teams (played for BSSH). My brother with Jack. Mel turpin and Leroy Byrd III was Sr when I started going there. Anyway, I remember going to Rupp with my brother and when team ran out of to warm up the whole places with the long GOOOOOOOOOOSE. Then of course when announcing lineups and so forth. Was one of my favorite memories. Watched some good games in Rupp for sure.

 

[BigE_44]

What a treasure trove of a find. Much appreciated.

Man they’re all worth a listen. The Ralph hacker/Jim Host/Terry Mobley/Brooks Downing episodes in particular shed a lot of light on what really happened behind the scenes over the years. Really wish he could have recorded conversations with guys like Russell rice/cawood/CM/cliff/etc, but this will have to do.

 

[Dontbanstan]

I’m interested where is this happening?

 

[lpkilla77]

Bryan Stations finest.
Kentuckys finest.

 

[BradleyCrawford08]

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching the YouTube channel From the Rafters of Rupp, Kyle Macy’s one-on-one interviews with former UK players with their jerseys retired here. Great insight into their time before, during, and after their Kentucky careers. Here is Jack Givens and his interview….

 

[HeismaNole]

Enjoying these podcasts and videos.

Goose mentioning he had a west coast recruiting road trip of Hawaii, UCLA and UNLV lines up but was too scared to get on the plane.

Glad that happened. 😂

 

[gakat3]

I have a copy of Sports Illustrated from the 1978 championship with Big picture of Goose on the cover with sayin “The Goose was Golden”. One of my favorites. I also saw Goose in the Ky state tourney , excellent team.

 

[Smashcat]

Lexington and eventually UK were lucky to have two outstanding high school players in the same class. Givens at Bryan Station and James Lee at Henry Clay.

 

[HeismaNole]

I have a copy of Sports Illustrated from the 1978 championship with Big picture of Goose on the cover with sayin “The Goose was Golden”. One of my favorites. I also saw Goose in the Ky state tourney , excellent team.

Well, come out on Sunday and get that signed. That sounds awesome.

I had a 1978 national championship ball signed by everyone but sold it to get money for an engagement ring. Don't have that wife anymore so would've preferred to have kept the ball.

 

[MychalG]

I have the '78 SI mag signed by Jack, Kyle, Mike Phillips, Truman Claytor, James Lee, Rick Robey and Coach Hall..that is matted and framed..

 

[HeismaNole]

View embedded media

Oscar does a good job of covering HS/recruitment with him in part 1. Listen to all the interviews and I believe you’ll have plenty to talk about.

Had to circle back to this to tell you how much fun these have been. I'm currently listening to the Anthony Epps episode.

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

Easily one of my all-time favorite players and he's coming to my work on Sunday to promote his new book, do a Q&A, and sign books (tickets are available to the public fyi). We get the chance to talk with him and was curious if you had any favorite memories or good stories or questions to come up with?

I never hear anything about the Bryan Station or NBA days but was curious what people remember about Goose from then.

I am way too young (32) to have any Goose memories. But my mom got the chance to meet him and said he was extremely nice, and down to earth.

My mom has served her community as a nurse all her life, which has mostly been in Louisville Kentucky. I’m not sure where she was or what hospital she was working in, but one day she got a very tall patient. Spoiler alert: it was the Goose.

She didn’t recognize him and she said during the initial examination, “you’re really tall, you should’ve played basketball!” When he heard this he looked over to his wife and they giggled, not in a mean way. Jack said, “that’s very kind of you to say.” When my mom left the room the doctor who’d been in there with her said, “you don’t know who that is??” She said, “no, should I?” He said, “that’s the Goose! Jack Givens! He played basketball for Kentucky and was a big deal there!” She went in and apologized but they both laughed and told her to think nothing of it. She said he was one of the nicest patients she’s ever taken care of.

She did graduate from UK (both my parents did, it’s where they met). But she didn’t take to following the basketball team until later after school. She was a very focused student. Plus, back then (as many of you know) tvs were a luxury. And so if she did listen to a game it was on the radio.

 

[*CatinIL*]

I used to have a copy of that Magazine issue...

 

[kywildcat41086]

I used to have a copy of that Magazine issue...

This is what makes you a LEGEND at UK!!!

 

[*CatinIL*]

This is what makes you a LEGEND at UK!!!

Yep, 41 points and a TITLE!

 

[RogerIndy]

I was a senior at UK when Givens, Lee, Robey and Phillips (RIP) were also seniors. I was at the airport at midnight, along with 20,000 other fans to welcome them home from the championship game. Jack Givens is my favorite UK player of all time.

 

[kritikalcat]

Jack was a deacon in our church here in Lexington back in the day. After his career. We played in the Lexington church league basketball. We had some fun times and good teams back in the day.
When Rupp opened my brother went to a ton of games (he is 7 years older) but we both went to Bryan Station. I went when we had some really good football teams (played for BSSH). My brother with Jack. Mel turpin and Leroy Byrd III was Sr when I started going there. Anyway, I remember going to Rupp with my brother and when team ran out of to warm up the whole places with the long GOOOOOOOOOOSE. Then of course when announcing lineups and so forth. Was one of my favorite memories. Watched some good games in Rupp for sure.

Do you know if Jack’s mom work at Eastern State? My grandma was an LPN there in the 60s-80s and I kinda remembered that they worked together.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

What’s NOT to love about Givens?!??

 

[blue cincy]

Do you know if Jack’s mom work at Eastern State? My grandma was an LPN there in the 60s-80s and I kinda remembered that they worked together.

My wife worked at Eastern State in the late 80s and I cannot remember if she was there then. My best friends mom worked at Eastern State from the 70s through early 90s. He could not remember and his mother passed several years ago. There were several Bryan Station High parents of our friends that worked there. It is very possible she could have.

 

[Funkjumper]

Thank you for starting this thread! Summer of 1979, UK had just won the national championship game. Goose hosts a basketball camp in Williamsburg, KY. My brother I, from nearby Bell County, sign up to attend the camp. Upon arrival we’re told that not enough kids signed up for the camp and it would have to be canceled because the Kyle Macy Camp was going on at the same time and drew more kids (Lexington?).

Our Givens Group had been playing on an outdoor court awaiting next instructions before we heard the news. Shocked. What to do. Before we could come to terms with the news, the Goose came out to our court and played a few games of basketball with us. Now, I’ve played a lot of football, scored many touchdowns, and blew up a bunch of mfers on defense, but the greatest sports moment in my life is when I had to guard The Goose on this court. He signed an autograph for me immediately after our games.

 

[HeismaNole]

Interviewed Goose for over an hour today for our work before he signed books. Awesome guy. Such great stories. Anxious to read the rest of his new book.

“You all like to think of Coach Hall like this grandfatherly figure. But he was not like that as our coach.” 😂 Said Grevey would get chewed out by Hall all the time and Givens said he didn’t understand it. Like why do you let him talk to you like that?

Grevey said, “I want you to listen to me. When I’m gone, it’s going to be you that he talks to. I want you to sit in the front row of all of the film sessions and meetings, look Coach Hall in the eyes and shake your head…and don’t listen to a single bit of it.” 😂 Talking about not to let any of the criticisms get to ya.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Easily one of my all-time favorite players and he's coming to my work on Sunday to promote his new book, do a Q&A, and sign books (tickets are available to the public fyi). We get the chance to talk with him and was curious if you had any favorite memories or good stories or questions to come up with?

I never hear anything about the Bryan Station or NBA days but was curious what people remember about Goose from then.

I remember being on afternoon shift in Ohio and the supervisor who came from Olive Hill, Ky calling me and said UK won and Goose went off that night.
National Champs in 78.