Cawood Ledford broadcast Kentucky games from 1953-92.

Sept. 5
I was saddened upon hearing of the passing of legendary broadcaster Cawood Ledford. He was one of the real giants in the sport of college basketball.

He was so unique and so special. His voice was synonymous with Kentucky basketball. When you think about the pieces that made up the tradition of the Wildcats' program, Cawood Ledford was an important one. People all over the state would stop what they were doing to listen to his broadcasts.

His style sold Kentucky basketball. He had a special passion for college hoops and that passion was demonstrated by the way he described the game. You could feel that emotion as you listened to him.

My feelings for Cawood were so special that last season I dedicated my All-Cawood Ledford Team of the top broadcasters in the sport today. These guys work diligently and promote the sport; they are the voices of their respective schools, as Cawood was.

Included on the list were veterans like Woody Durham of North Carolina, Max Falkenstien of Kansas, Mick Hubert of Florida, Bob Murphy of Stanford, Johnny Holliday of Maryland and Wes Durham of Georgia Tech, to name a few.

Cawood Ledford was synonymous with Kentucky basketball.

Cawood's passing after a battle with cancer is another reason why we all try so hard to raise as many dollars as possible to get the research done to end this dreaded disease. Recently, with the Jimmy V Foundation, we raised over $1.5 million at the annual golf tournament in Cary, N.C.

We must stamp out the disease that takes away beautiful people like Cawood Ledford. He certainly will be missed.