He turns 75 on Tuesday. Ingle did the P.A.
work for UK basketball from 1968 through 1988, a span that began with in Memorial Coliseum and ended with in Rupp Arena. man (he also kept crowds informed in UK football, women's basketball and volleyball), Ingle used a spare style that was full of information and devoid of verbal pyrotechnics. "People still recognize his voice relatively regularly," his son, , wrote in an e-mail message.
"The phrase most people reference or ask him to say is 'basket by Macy.'" Being the public address announcer at Rupp Arena brings a certain level of celebrity. "Random fans would compliment him on how well he pronounced the tough foreign names," wrote the younger Ingle, who noted, "I'm not sure how they knew whether he was right or not.
"One lady even brought him a little Garfield paperweight once to congratulate him for doing so well with the foreign names, which he still has." Ingle retired from his job at Kentucky in 1997, where he worked for 35 years. He served as Director of Financial Aid for 20 years and Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs for his last 15 years.
Since his retirement, Ingle spends most of his time golfing, bowling in leagues at Southland Lanes, reading and volunteering at his church, Southern Hills United Methodist. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Wesley Foundation at Kentucky. Ingle hasn't put down his microphone entirely.
He still does Tates Creek football and the All "A" Classic Tournament in Richmond, as well as the district and regional basketball tournaments when they are in Richmond. Ingle is also looking forward to becoming a grandfather for the first time in September. His son and his wife, , are expecting.
"For Dad's birthday, Ann-Phillips and I are hosting a small reception at our house in downtown Lexington for family and close friends," Jay Ingle wrote. Jerry Tipton covers UK basketball for the Herald-Leader. This article contains his opinions and observations.
He can be reached at jtipton@herald-leader.com. He turns 75 on Tuesday.
News RSS