- Oct 16, 2026
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Cliff Hagan, a Basketball Hall of Famer who won championships at both the collegiate and professional levels, died Thursday. He was 94.
Hagan captured the 1951 NCAA title with the University of Kentucky and later claimed the 1958 NBA championship with the St. Louis Hawks. Drafted by the Celtics in 1953, third round, he never played for the franchise after serving three years in the Air Force. He was traded to the Hawks with Ed Macauley in 1956 for rights to Bill Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft.
The forward spent his entire 10-year NBA career with St. Louis, earning five All-Star selections and two All-NBA honors. He finished with career averages of 17.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists across 839 appearances before retiring following the 1969-70 season.
At Kentucky, Hagan was a two-time consensus All-American under Adolph Rupp and helped lead the Wildcats to a 25-0 record in 1953-54. He later served as Kentucky's athletic director from 1975 to 1988, a span that included the school's 1978 men's basketball national championship. Hagan entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, the first former Kentucky player to receive that honor.
"Few people have impacted Kentucky Athletics in as many ways as Cliff Hagan," said J Batt, Kentucky athletic director and Champions Blue CEO.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).