The Best Father-Son Combos in Kentucky Football History
Bronny James was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, setting the stage to team up with his famous father as the first active father-son combo to play in an NBA game. While nepotism takes are flying around the internet, it made me ask a much different question, who’s the best father-son duo to play for the Kentucky Wildcats? Here are a few of the best legacies to wear a Kentucky jersey.
Bill and Bill Ransdell — Two Bill Ransdells were standouts for the Wildcats. The elder played running back for Blanton Collier from 1959-61. In his career, he rushed for 570 yards and four touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 169 yards and a score. The younger Bill Ransdell quarterbacked Kentucky to a victory over Wisconsin in the 1984 Hall of Fame Game. He threw for 22 touchdowns and started for three seasons, ending his career as UK’s all-time passing yards leader. His mark of 5,564 yards still ranks fifth in school history.
Sam Ball, Shane Ball — Sam Ball was one of the best offensive linemen to ever play at Kentucky. He was an All-American offensive tackle in 1965 before winning an NFL Championship and a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts. Ball is a member of the UK Ring of Honor and UK Athletics Hall of Fame. His son, Shane, played for the Wildcats from 1991-94.
Antonio Hall, Nik Hall — Antonio Hall is one of the highest-ranked players to commit to Kentucky in the internet era. The offensive tackle from Canton, OH started in 45 consecutive games and was an All-SEC selection. His son was a highly-touted signee in the 2020 recruiting class, but unfortunately, a career-ending injury forced the high school All-American to retire before ever taking a snap in Lexington.
Hal Mumme and Matt Mumme — Even though Hal did not play at UK, the son of the head coach received some snaps during blowouts in the Air Raid era. Matt Mumme played in 11 games as Tim Couch’s backup in 1998, completing 14 of 21 passes for 259 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He’s currently the associate head coach at Colorado State.
Bill Allen and Beau Allen — The two quarterbacks each shared a similar fate at Kentucky. Bill Allen was a backup who played in 20 games from 1985-1988. Beau began his career at Kentucky, then transferred to Tarleton State where he was WAC Newcomer of the Year. He spent a season on the sideline at Georgia Southern before deciding to finish his career in Lexington.
Donte’ Key and Dane Key — Donte’ played linebacker for the Cats from 1992-95 and was named National Defensive Player of the Week for his heroics in the first modern Governor’s Cup. Dane set the school’s freshman receiving touchdown record with six in 2022. Entering his third season in Lexington, the talented pass-catcher has 1,155 career receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard