In his strong dedication to the scholar-athlete, Hagan continues to give the academic program support and emphasis. "I feel a genuine commitment to provide all the academic support and encouragement we can to help our athletes leave our campus with an education and a degree," he said.
On the games side of the ledger during Hagan's first year as AD, Wildcat wrestling and rifle teams won SEC titles, the basketball team won the NIT, the baseball team won the SEC Eastern Division and the tennis team finished fourth in the conference. And the 1976 football team was a pleasant surprise, filling Commonwealth Stadium game after game.
Kentucky's overall total of 43vi points placed the Wildcats fifth in the tough SEC all-sports standing, their highest finish in several years.
Hagan joined the Wildcat athletics staff as assistant to Harry Lancaster, with varied administrative duties, including creation and implementation of the Blue & White Fund for the then-new Commonwealth Stadium. He was named director of athletics in July 1975 while Lancaster, whose retirement was not effective until February of 1976, remained as a special assistant to Hagan.
Hagan's path to the athletics directorship began at Owensboro, Kentucky, where he established a then state high school tournament record of 41 points in leading Owensboro to victory over Lafayette in the championship game of the 1949 state high school tournament.
At UK, he played on teams that won 86 of 91 games and an NCAA championship (1951). The 1954 team, undefeated in 25 games, elected not to participate in the national tournament.
Hagan set a dozen Southeastern Conference records and an NCAA record of 528 rebounds as a junior. He averaged 24 points a game, led the nation in rebounding, and scored a UK record of 51 points against Temple in 1954.
He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, Student Government, Baptist Student Union, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and twice was selected among the top ten students in the College of Education.
After graduating from UK in 1954, Hagan served two years at Andrews Air Force Base, Washington, D. C, as a commissioned officer. He led the base to two World Wide Air Force championships and won All-Service honors both years.
During ten years with the St. Louis Hawks, he ranked high among 11 players on the league scoring charts with 12,433 points in 672 games for an 18.5 mark and was selected to play in five East-West All-Star games and was named to the NBA second All-League team twice. He hit over .790 from the free throw line seven years in a row and held the NBA record for most field goals scored in a single quarter (12).
The Hawks won the Western Division six times during Hagan's playing career there and defeated the Boston Celtics in 1958 for the world championship. Hagan was All-Pro in the NBA in 1957-62, inclusive.
He received his M.S. in education from Washington University in 1958.
In 1965, a Herbert Hoover Boys Club of America was organized in Owensboro and named the Cliff Hagan Boys Club of America.
During his 11th year in St. Louis, Hagan did radio and television commentary for the Hawks' basketball team and for Anheuser Busch.
He then joined the Dallas Chapparals as player-coach and was selected as the 1958 Texas Professional Coach of the Year. When he left Dallas, he was only 92 points shy of a regular-season career total of 15,000 points.
In 1974, he was named to the Hall of Fame Magazine's All-America second-team for the 1951-1973 period, to the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel Star's All-Time Southeastern Conference first team, and the All-Time top collegiate
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