LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Big Blue Nation is remembering a dedicated superfan.
Wallace "Wildcat Wally" Clark died Friday after battling respiratory issues. He had gained notoriety during his years of camping out to get Big Blue Madness tickets. He often arrived long before anyone else to be sure he was first in line.
"It was everything. The thing is, he wanted to be first. He didn't care how many days he had to stay out there. He wanted to be first," said his sister, Sue Mardis.
In fact, Mardis said, Clark once camped out for more than a month.
"39 days. I called him an idiot," Mardis said with a laugh.
Clark had a stroke in his younger years, but he still did everything in his power to support the Cats. Mardis said he even had a tattoo on his leg displaying all the years UK had won the NCAA title.
"He told me, he said, when I die, I've got to hang that leg outside that casket," Mardis said.
After having Covid twice over the last couple of years, Mardis said Clark was dealing with a respiratory issue when he died Friday morning. She and the family are remembering him as a man who'd do anything he could to help anyone. As for Clark's request about his leg tattoo, Mardis said they will figure something out.
"I'm going to talk to them about it. Maybe they can just leave the whole thing open. We can put shorts on him. He always wore shorts, Even in the wintertime!" she laughed.
It's clear, his legacy is the joy he brought them, even on tough days like this one.
"He just had a heart of gold. He was just a good guy," Mardis said. "And I'm really going to miss him."
