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UK Men’s Basketball National Champion Walt Hirsch Dies

BELMOND, Ia. – Walter "Walt" Hirsch, a three-time men's basketball national champion at the University of Kentucky, died Tuesday. He was 92.
 
Hirsch (1948-51) was a multi-sport athlete, also participating in baseball, and played basketball under legendary head coach Adolph Rupp. Hirsch is the only player in UK history to be a member of three national title squads.
 
A 6-foot-4 forward, Hirsch played in 13 games for the 1948 champions, scoring 37 total points. He averaged 4.6 points in 34 appearances for the 1949 title winners and then played in 30 games during the 1951 season, averaging 9.1 points per game. He was ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament that season as a four-year varsity player per NCAA rules at that time.
 
Hirsch was an All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection in 1950 after averaging 9.9 points per game, the third-highest mark on the team.