Adrian Smith of Cincinnati Royals, Kentucky Wildcats fame dies at 89
Adrian Smith, who won a NCAA national title at Kentucky and was an NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1966, has died. Smith was an Anderson Township resident.
Anderson Township resident Adrian Smith has died at age 89. If you don't recognize the name, Greater Cincinnati basketball aficionados knew him as "Odie," a talented 6-foot-1 guard from Farmington, Kentucky who won a national championship with the Kentucky Wildcats , an Olympic gold medal in Rome in 1960 and was named the 1966 NBA All-Star Game MVP, which came complete with a Ford Galaxie as a prize. Smith kept the vehicle in great condition over the years and kept it proudly on display.
Adrian Smith's time with Kentucky Wildcats Though he originally only had a scholarship offer at Murray State, which was withdrawn, Smith started at Northeast Mississippi Junior College. He excelled enough there to warrant a look from the legendary Adolph Rupp and Kentucky's "Big Blue. " Smith finally got some playing time in relief his junior year, then became a starter as a senior, averaging 12.
4 points per game. His team became known as "The Fiddlin' Five," and the Wildcats went on to win the 1957-58 NCAA National Championship with an 84-72 win over Seattle University. Seattle featured a future NBA Hall of Famer named Elgin Baylor.
Another member of the "Fiddlin' Five" that you may not be aware of was the father of NBC football analyst and former Cincinnati Bengal Cris Collinsworth. Lincoln Collinsworth was a 6-foot-3 guard. The team was called "The Fiddlin' Five," as Rupp said they were known for "fiddlin' around and fiddlin' around" before pulling out a game.