The WUKY SportsPage
Keith Elkins, WUKY
Subscribe
It's time to turn to the WUKY SportsPage with your host Keith Elkins. . .revealing conversations and stories you thought you knew from prominent Kentucky sports figures.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
May 4, 2023
Hall of Fame Jockey Chris McCarron on his career in the saddle and this year's Derby picks
Chris McCarron is a Hall of Fame jockey and a two-time Kentucky Derby winner. He won six Triple Crown events in all. He won nine Breeders Cup races, including five Classics, and many other major races. He led North American jockeys in earnings four times, and led in wins three times. He won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1974 and another Eclipse for Outstanding Jockey in 1980. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1989.He retired in 2002 with 7,141 wins – currently seventh all-time – and purse earnings of nearly 264 million dollars, a record at the time. He served as technical advisor, racing designer, and had an acting role as Hall of Fame jockey Charlie Kurtsinger in the 2003 film “Seabiscuit.” He also founded the North American Racing Academy to help develop the skills of young riders.
playlist_add
Apr 13, 2023
WUKY SportsPage: Keeneland's Jim Williams
Jim Williams served as director of publicity/communications at Keeneland for 38 years (1971-2009). He worked with racing’s greatest jockeys and trainers as well as media members from around the world who covered racing at Keeneland. He was also involved in the preparations and activities for visits by dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II, who attended races at Keeneland on October 11, 1984. This conversation covers changes at Keeneland through the years, Jim’s memories of prominent people in the racing business and of course, the day the track hosted the Queen.
playlist_add
Mar 30, 2023
WUKY SportsPage: Reds play-by-play broadcaster John Sadak
In celebration of Opening Day in Cincinnati we present this conversation between Keith Elkins and Reds play-by-play announcer John Sadak. The two discuss his long and varied sportscasting career which now includes calling the action for professional baseball's oldest franchise.
playlist_add
Mar 23, 2023
Hall of Fame broadcaster Tom Hammond swaps stories with Keith, describes career turning point
Tom Hammond recently retired after a distinguished career in sports broadcasting with NBC. A University of Kentucky graduate, he got his start on radio in his hometown of Lexington, and began his television career as sports director at WLEX-TV in the late 1960s.This conversation covers, among other topics, the early assignments he handled in Lexington, the variety of events he broadcast to a network audience, and some of the partners he worked with over his 34 years with NBC.
playlist_add
Feb 28, 2023
WUKY SportsPage: sports entrepreneur Brooks Downing
In the mid-1990s, Brooks Downing was the sports information director for men’s basketball at the University of Kentucky, where he worked closely with coaches Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith during a run that included two national championships. Today, he’s a sports entrepreneur, the founder and president of bdG Sports, a marketing and event management company that has established a strong presence in college basketball and professional golf with events across the U.S. and in the Bahamas. He’s a UK graduate and a Lexington native.
playlist_add
Feb 3, 2023
WUKY SportsPage: 'Comeback Cat' Cameron Mills
Cameron Mills was a member of two national championship teams at Kentucky. He began his college career as a walk-on, but became a key contributor with his outstanding shooting. He still holds the UK record for three-point field goal percentage for a season (53.2, 42-79 in 1996-97). As of this season, he realized a long-term goal in his broadcasting career, joining the UK Sports Network radio team on the basketball pregame show. This conversation covers his development as a player, which was guided early by his father, former Wildcat Terry Mills, as well as his experience at UK. Coach Rick Pitino delivered an unexpected type of motivational message in their first conversation after Cameron joined the team, but success and championships followed under Pitino and Tubby Smith. Mills’ faith has always been an important part of his life, and today he continues to bring that message to a wide range of audiences through Cameron Mills Ministries. His dedication to his broadcasting career — with many high school game broadcasts and a seven-year run for his own talk show to his credit before joining the UK Network — has assured his continued connection with the UK fan base and Wildcat history.
playlist_add
Jan 18, 2023
WUKY SportsPage: Old Friends Farm founder Michael Blowen
Michael Blowen is the founder of Old Friends, a retirement farm for thoroughbreds located in Scott County, Kentucky, north of Lexington. The stars in residence at Old Friends include 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm; Touch Gold, whose win in the 1997 Belmont Stakes denied Silver Charm the Triple Crown; two longshot winners of the Belmont, Sarava, who won at 70-1 in 2002, and Birdstone, a 36-1 winner in 2004; and several winners of Breeders Cup World Championship races. The big winners draw visitors from around the world, but Old Friends is also home to horses who had little success on the track. All are able to live out their later years in a peaceful setting in Central Kentucky. He speaks one on one with SportsPage host Keith Elkins.
playlist_add
Dec 19, 2022
WUKY SportsPage: KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett
COVID-related decisions, changes in technology, the introduction of new sports activities — that’s just a small sample of the endless variety of challenges Julian Tackett has faced in his 12-plus years as commissioner of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and 39 years overall with the KHSAA. In this conversation with Keith Elkins, he talks about those issues, as well as his background, which was influenced by his work with sports figures such as former University of Kentucky football coach Jerry Claiborne, longtime UK sports information director Russell Rice, and former Transylvania basketball coach Don Lane, among many others.
playlist_add
Oct 28, 2022
UK Hall of Famer Derek Bryant
This week on the WUKY SportsPage Keith Elkins chats with new UK Athletics Hall of Famer Derek Bryant who played baseball for the Big Blue and then a successful career in Major League Baseball.
playlist_add
Oct 6, 2022
WUKY SportsPage: Catching up with the 'Blond Bomber' Jay Shidler
Jay Shidler was a fan favorite during his basketball career at the University of Kentucky. Known as the Blond Bomber in reference to his blond hair and long-range shooting skills, he was a starter as a freshman in 1976-77, and was a member of the 1978 national championship team. He was a high school All-American in Lawrenceville, Illinois and led his team to a state championship there. He and co-author Paul Corio wrote “Blonde Bomber: A Ride with Shide,” in which he is open about the ups and downs of his basketball career and his life since then.
playlist_add
Sep 20, 2022
WUKY SportsPage: We catch up with two sport athlete Pookie Jones
As Kentucky’s quarterback, Pookie Jones helped lead the Wildcats to the 1993 Peach Bowl. He is a former Kentucky Mr. Football from Calloway County High School, and was recruited by Penn State, Nebraska and Tennessee among others before choosing UK. He was also a UK baseball star, and played professionally in the Colorado Rockies organization. In this interview, he talks about his two-sport UK career, the Wildcats run to the Peach Bowl, life in baseball’s minor leagues, and his current part-time coaching position at West Jessamine High School, where his son Jacob is a highly regarded college prospect.
playlist_add
Sep 1, 2022
WUKY SportsPage UK Athletics' Tony Neely
On the eve of what many fans hope to be a successful football season, Keith talks with Tony Neely, assistant athletics director for athletics communications and public relations at the University of Kentucky. In this conversation, he talks about his relationships with coaches and players, the ever-changing environment in sports communications, and the occasional bad-news situations that every public relations official encounters. He also pays tribute to C.M. Newton, former UK athletics director and Vanderbilt basketball coach, who had an important role in his career. A breakfast meeting with Newton and former Alabama basketball coach Wimp Sanderson provided a memorable experience.
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2022
WUKY SportsPage: Wildcat great Jim Andrews
Jim Andrews was recently elected to the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. He played basketball at UK from 1970-73. In three seasons -- freshmen were not eligible for varsity play at that time – he had 43 double-doubles, third in UK history behind Dan Issel and Cotton Nash. He averaged a double-double in each of his last two seasons – 21.5 ppg and 11.3 rpg as a junior, and 20.1 and 12.4 his senior year. The Wildcats won SEC championships in all three of his seasons, and he earned first team all-SEC honors in both his junior and senior years. In this conversation, he talks about his recruitment by UK (it included some help from a gas station attendant who was filling up assistant coach Joe B. Hall’s car on a recruiting trip), the transition from Adolph Rupp to Hall as head coach, the matchups with rival Tennessee at a time when only the conference champion made the NCAA tournament, and how the uncertainty and eventual demise of the ABA affected his professional career.…
playlist_add
May 4, 2022
WUKY SportsPage episode 55: 'Legendary' entrepreneur Alan Stein
Alan Stein may be best known for bringing professional baseball back to Lexington in 2001 as the founder of the Lexington Legends, but he has a long list of interests and accomplishments. Keith Elkins catches up with the 'newly retired' businessman who appears to be busier than ever.
playlist_add
Apr 14, 2022
WUKY SportsPage episode 54: UK football great Art Still
A first-team All-American defensive end at Kentucky, Art Still helped lead the 1977 Wildcats to a 10-1 record, including a 6-0 mark in the SEC. He was named first-team All-SEC in 1976 and 1977. He is a member of the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. A first-round draft choice by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1978, and second overall pick in the draft, he played 12 seasons in the NFL and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He is a member of the Chiefs’ Hall of Honor and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. In this conversation, he recalls highlights from his college and professional career – including the great 1977 season at UK – and remembers some of the teammates and coaches that not only helped him achieve success on the field, but also helped him gain – and give – greater understanding about the different backgrounds that each brought to UK.
playlist_add
Mar 16, 2022
WUKY SportsPage episode 53: sports journalist Mike Fields
Mike Fields’ 45-year sportswriting career included 36 years covering high school sports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Fans, coaches and players across the state looked for his stories throughout the year, especially in March, when the Sweet 16 basketball tournaments are in the spotlight. In this conversation, Mike shares his thoughts on a high school writer’s job, his working relationships with coaches, and his memories of the Sweet 16 and the great players he covered.
playlist_add
Feb 22, 2022
WUKY SportsPage Episode 52: UK linebacker Joe Federspiel
This week on the WUKY SportsPage Keith catches up with UK great Joe Federspiel. Joe was a star linebacker at Kentucky from 1969 through 1971, earning first team All-SEC honors as a senior. He was named to Kentucky’s All-Time Team by both the Lexington Herald-Leader and Louisville Courier-Journal, and to the SEC All-Decade Team for the 1970s by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
playlist_add
Feb 8, 2022
WUKY SportsPage Episode 51: Former UK football coach Fran Curci
Fran Curci was the head football coach at Kentucky from 1973-81. His nine-season run stood alone as the longest tenure for a Wildcat football coach until it was matched by Mark Stoops in 2021. Curci’s 1976 team won the Peach Bowl, and his 1977 team went 10-1, including a 6-0 mark in SEC play. In this conversation, he talks about his decision to come to UK after getting input from some very well-known coaches (Notre Dame’s Ara Parseghian had some reservations). He also covers the high and low points of his time at UK, as well as his playing days when he was an All-American quarterback at Miami and a pro with Coach Hank Stram’s Dallas Texans in the American Football League.
playlist_add
Jan 5, 2022
WUKY SportsPage Episode 50: Kentucky Wesleyan broadcaster Joel Utley
Joel Utley is his 61st year as the radio broadcaster for Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball. In that time, Kentucky Wesleyan has won eight NCAA division II national championships, and finished runner-up in four other seasons, meaning he has called 12 NCAA championship games. He’s a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Wesleyan Hall of Fame.
playlist_add
Dec 14, 2021
WUKY SportsPage Episode 49: Wildcat wideout Keenan Burton
Keith Elkins catches up with UK football great Keenan Burton
playlist_add