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4 unusual facts about Kentucky Colonels


Kentucky Colonels

They were equally famous for publicity stunts, their most famous coming in 1968 when Penny Ann Early, the first licensed female horse racing jockey, was signed to appear in an ABA game (albeit for a few seconds).

In April 1969 the Colonels were bought by a group of Louisville investors that included H. Wendell Cherry, Bill DeWitt, J. David Grissom, Stuart P. Jay, David A. Jones, John Y. Brown, Jr. and Mike Storen.

During this season the Colonels fielded the first ever female professional basketball player when jockey Penny Ann Early joined the team for pregame warmups and appeared briefly during a game.

In preseason play, on September 23, 1972, the Colonels hosted the NBA's Atlanta Hawks for an exhibition game in Frankfort, Kentucky.


Earl Foreman

Strapped for cash due to debts, the Squires traded Warren Armstrong to the Kentucky Colonels for a draft pick and cash, and sold Rick Barry to the New York Nets for $250,000.

Jan van Breda Kolff

The son of coaching great Butch van Breda Kolff, V.B.K., as he was referred to, played from 1975 to 1983 for the Denver Nuggets, Kentucky Colonels, and Virginia Squires in the American Basketball Association, and the New York/New Jersey Nets in the National Basketball Association.

Kevin Keathley

Catherine College (asst.)
Louisville Eagles (asst.)
Kentucky Colonels
Rio-Grande Valley Silverados
East Kentucky Miners
SouthEast Texas Mavericks
Bakersfield Jam
Sauk Valley Predators
Ottawa SkyHawks

Louisville Gardens

The facility has served the city of Louisville and Jefferson County in a variety of ways during the past century, from utilization as an actual armory to American Basketball Association's Kentucky Colonels basketball games, to various wrestling events, concerts, political rallies, and Hurricane Katrina flood relief have also been staged there.

Mike Storen

In April 1969, Storen and others including future Governor of Kentucky John Y. Brown, Jr., bought the American Basketball Association's Kentucky Colonels franchise.


see also

Edward J. Baker

He was commissioned by Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky as part of the Honorary Order of Kentucky Colonels, of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, in 1935.

Nashville West

White then reformed his old band, the Kentucky Colonels, with his brothers, but was killed on July 14, 1973 in Palmdale, California, when he was struck by a car driven by a drunken driver.

Walt Simon

After retiring from Basketball, he went on to work for John Y. Brown, Jr. (who had owned the Kentucky Colonels with his wife, Ellie Brown) at Kentucky Fried Chicken.