LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Author Kevin Cook initially started his book, "Memorial Coliseum: 75 years as monument, stage, and arena," researching the construction of Historic Memorial Coliseum and the basketball history within it.
A Navy veteran himself, he felt compelled to truly dive into the meaning of "memorial" in hopes it would connect with so many others.
“My motivation was to make sure that everybody understood that came into this building, what that word memorial meant, and that it would retain the respect that this building embodies for the years to come,” Cook shared at the podium.
When Cook wrote this book, he had no idea that his book launch would include so many people who made this book possible.
- Jim Andrews
- Dicky Beal
- Doug Flynn
- Jack "Goose" Givens
- Ralph Hacker
- Tom Hammond
- Coach Dick Parsons
- Jared Prickett
- Derrick Ramsey
- Chip Rupp
- Kenny Walker
- Sean Woods
“Initially, for basketball this arena seated 11,500 if you take every Kentuckyian who died during a war conflict, they would have filled every seat, and there would’ve been extras standing in the aisle. So in that sense, their sacrifice still truly fills this arena.”
Big Blue Fans from around the Commonwealth made their way to HMC to not only get this book but have their moment with former Wildcats. Teddy Baker drove from Middlesboro with a scorebook from 1976 and got Jack “Goose” Givens to sign it.
“From 1972 on I started keeping these scores in score books, and this is from the last game at Memorial Coliseum in 1976. I was 12 years old when I done this,” Baker smiled. “Well, he said he liked my scores better because I had him for 27. He said that the other scorebook had him at 26.”
“I love Memorial Coliseum. I grew up in Lexington, so my season tickets in my family were straight across from where we're sitting. So I have a lot of memories from this building. Went to the last game in this building, we had drop/add. This is where we registered. This is where I stood out line outside in line for tickets and for bowl games. And just a lot of great memories.”
Reminisced Diane Massie, a UK Board of Directors Alumni Association member and UK College Communications & Information Board member.
“I'm hoping to learn more about some of the events that they've had. And of course, now and in recent history, seeing the volleyball team here, the women's basketball, the gymnastics team, there's been a lot of great teams that have played here.”
I spent the evening at Memorial Coliseum where author Kevin Cook held his book launch event.
— Sierra Newton (@SoFlossieWrites) August 11, 2025
"Memorial Coliseum: 75 Years as Monument, Stage, and Arena" features stories, and facts all about Historic Memorial Coliseum! #BBN
LINK TO PRE- ORDER: https://t.co/2vJ4lClcNw pic.twitter.com/QEj0ucVblY
Class of 2025 UK Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Doug Flynn shared how special the moment is for him, especially with his induction announcement.
“This is really a cool deal, because I played a lot of games in this place when I was a high school senior. And then when I was a freshman, I got to play with this big guy right here [Jim Andrews]. The memories that I have from that they outlast so many more memories than I ever had as a pro player. Because these were guys that I loved. We were all just starting out in careers that we didn't know what we were going to do, and we had a friendship that's lasted for, you know, ever since we were in school together.”
LINK TO PRE-ORDER: Memorial Coliseum: 75 years as Monument, Stage, and Arena
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