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Cotton Nash

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Cotton Nash
Nash with the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team
Basketball career
Personal information
Born(1942-07-24)July 24, 1942
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMay 23, 2023(2023-05-23) (aged 80)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolLake Charles
(Lake Charles, Louisiana)
CollegeKentucky (1961–1964)
NBA draft1964: 2nd round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1964–1968
PositionSmall forward
Number33, 17, 44
Career history
1964–1965Los Angeles Lakers
1965San Francisco Warriors
1967–1968Kentucky Colonels
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points470 (5.6 ppg)
Rebounds273 (3.3 rpg)
Assists65 (0.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Baseball career
First baseman / left fielder
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1967, for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 1970, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Batting average.188
Hits3
Strikeouts3
Runs batted in2
Teams

Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash (July 24, 1942 – May 23, 2023) was an American professional basketball and baseball player. He played as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers and San Francisco Warriors, and in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Kentucky Colonels. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins.

Early life

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Nash was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on July 24, 1942. His uncle gave him the nickname "Cotton-top" because he was towheaded.[1]

The family moved to Indiana when Nash was 11 years old, and Nash picked up basketball. He attended Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, Indiana. His father was transferred to work in Orange, Texas, and he settled the family in Lake Charles, Louisiana, because the state had more lenient rules on high school sports transfers. Nash attended Lake Charles High School from 1958 to 1960.[2]

Basketball career

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A jersey honoring Nash hangs in Rupp Arena

Nash attended the University of Kentucky, where he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team. He was named to the All-Southeastern Conference three times[3] and was a first-team All-American in 1964. Nash participated in the United States Olympic Trials for the 1964 Summer Olympics, and was selected as an alternate.[1]

The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) selected Nash in the second round of the 1964 NBA draft.[4] He played for the Lakers until February 1, 1965, when the Lakers acquired Bill McGill and waived Nash.[5] The San Francisco Warriors claimed Nash for the $1,000 waiver price.[6]

Nash played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Kentucky Colonels during the 1967–68 ABA season. He averaged 8.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.2 assists per game.[7]

Baseball career

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While at the University of Kentucky, Nash also played on the Kentucky baseball team. In 1963, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.[8][9][10]

In May 1964, Nash signed with the Los Angeles Angels and made his professional baseball debut with the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.[11] In August 1967, the Angels traded Nash with cash to the Chicago White Sox for Bill Skowron.[12] The White Sox promoted him to the major leagues on September 1.[13]

During spring training in 1969, the White Sox traded Nash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ed Hobaugh. Nash played for the Columbus Jets in the International League that year. Hobaugh retired in June and the White Sox asked for Pittsburgh to return Nash to their farm system.[14] Nash refused to report to the Tucson Toros, and the White Sox traded him to the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later (later determined to be Jerry Crider). Nash reported to the Denver Bears.[15] The Twins promoted him to the major leagues in September.[16] Late in the 1969 season, the Twins asked Nash to come to spring training as a pitcher in 1970.[17] He played for the Evansville Triplets in 1970,[17] earning another promotion to the major leagues that September.[1]

Nash played for the Portland Beavers in 1971.[17] The Louisville Colonels of the International League acquired Nash from the Twins for Mike Derrick in January 1972.[18] However, the Colonels' acquisition of Cecil Cooper made Nash expendable, and he did not make their final preseason roster cut.[19][20] He joined Denver during the 1972 season.[21]

Personal and later life

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Nash and his wife, Julie Richey, began dating while they attended the University of Kentucky. They married in November 1964 and had three children.[1]

In 1993, Nash was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.[22]

Death

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Nash was hospitalized at Baptist Health Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and died on May 23, 2023, aged 80,[23][24] after suffering from ill health since the previous November.[25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA/ABA

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Source[26]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG PPG
1964–65 L.A. Lakers (NBA) 25 6.7 .246 .781 1.4 .4 2.1
1964–65 San Francisco (NBA) 20 9.5 .375 .900 2.4 .5 4.2
1967–68 Kentucky (ABA) 39 20.2 .348 .000 .747 4.9 1.2 8.5
Career 84 13.6 .340 .000 .766 3.3 .8 5.6

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Costello, Rory (March 27, 2018). "Cotton Nash". Society for American Baseball Research.
  2. ^ "The Shreveport Journal 19 May 1977, page 21". Newspapers.com. May 19, 1977. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ledger-Enquirer 28 Feb 1964, page 38". Newspapers.com. February 28, 1964. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  4. ^ "Lakers Draft Hazzard, Nash; Bradds Goes to Baltimore". Camarillo Star. Newspapers.com. May 5, 1964. p. 7. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  5. ^ "The Baltimore Sun 02 Feb 1965, page 25". Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "Argus-Leader 07 Feb 1965, page 35". Newspapers.com. February 7, 1965. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "1967–68 Kentucky Colonels Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  8. ^ "Kettleer Notes". Barnstable Patriot. Barnstable, MA. April 11, 1963. p. 6.
  9. ^ "1963 Cape Cod Baseball League Champions". Barnstable Patriot. Barnstable, MA. September 12, 1963. p. 7.
  10. ^ "All-Star Rosters". Cape Cod Standard-Times. Hyannis, MA. July 20, 1963. p. 5.
  11. ^ "The Courier-Journal 16 May 1964, Page 19". Newspapers.com. May 16, 1964. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  12. ^ "The Courier-Journal 06 Aug 1967, Page 48". Newspapers.com. August 6, 1967. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  13. ^ "The Belleville News-Democrat 02 Sep 1967, page 6". Newspapers.com. September 2, 1967. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  14. ^ "The Cincinnati Enquirer 05 Jul 1969, Page 15". Newspapers.com. July 5, 1969. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  15. ^ "Article clipped from the Fitchburg Sentinel, 29 July 1969, page 12". Fitchburg Sentinel. July 29, 1969. p. 12. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "The Bismarck Tribune 03 Sep 1969, page 28". Newspapers.com. September 3, 1969. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c "Star Tribune, 17 Sep 1969, Page 30". Newspapers.com. September 17, 1969. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Knoxville News-Sentinel 30 Jan 1972, page 34". Newspapers.com. January 30, 1972. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  19. ^ "The Courier-Journal 11 Apr 1972, Page 25". Newspapers.com. April 11, 1972. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Evansville Courier and Press 16 Apr 1972, page 40". Newspapers.com. April 16, 1972. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "The Indianapolis Star 09 May 1972, Page 30". Newspapers.com. May 9, 1972. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "Lexington Herald-Leader 04 Jul 1993, page 34". Newspapers.com. July 4, 1993. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  23. ^ "Cotton Nash, 3-time All-American at Kentucky who played in the NBA and MLB, dies". AP NEWS. May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  24. ^ "UK Men's Basketball Hall of Famer Cotton Nash Dies". University of Kentucky Athletics. May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Story, Mark (May 23, 2023). "Cotton Nash, once a Kentucky basketball 'rock star,' dies at age 80". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "Cotton Nash NBA & ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
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