A Salute to Cliff Barker

Big Blue HistoryThis weekend we honor those who serve. I don’t need to preach their importance or demand gratefulness. Instead, I’ll share a story you may have never heard about one of Kentucky’s finest men.

Cliff Barker was a two-time National Champion for Adolph Rupp, but his journey to the top of college basketball wasn’t typical. After his freshman season at UK, he enlisted into the Army Air Forces to fight in World War II. A gunner in a B-17 Bomber, his plane was taken down in enemy territory. He was captured in Germany and spent 16 months as a prisoner of war. From his New York Times obituary:

He filled idle time in prison camp by bouncing and passing a volleyball, the only ball he…