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Vernon Hatton

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Vernon Hatton
Hatton from the 1958 Kentuckian
Personal information
Born(1936-01-13)January 13, 1936
Owingsville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMarch 21, 2025(2025-03-21) (aged 89)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolLafayette (Lexington, Kentucky)
CollegeKentucky (1955–1958)
NBA draft1958: 2nd round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Playing career1958–1962
PositionGuard
Number11, 20, 52, 17
Career history
1958Cincinnati Royals
1958–1961Philadelphia Warriors
1961Chicago Packers
1961–1962St. Louis Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points1,244 (5.5 ppg)
Rebounds531 (2.4 rpg)
Assists318 (1.4 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Walter Vernon "Vern" Hatton (January 13, 1936 – March 21, 2025) was an American basketball player who won a national championship as a player at the University of Kentucky and played professionally in the National Basketball Association.

Kentucky career

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Hatton played under Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. He is considered a Kentucky basketball legend largely due to a memorable half-court shot he made to force a third overtime in a victory over Temple University.[1] He was voted an honorable mention All-American his senior year and scored 30 points to lead the Kentucky Wildcats over Elgin Baylor-led Seattle in winning the 1958 NCAA men's basketball championship. Hatton was named a member of the NCAA All-Tournament team for 1958 along with Baylor, Johnny Cox, and Guy Rodgers.[2] Hatton said of playing for Rupp, "It takes you six to eight years to get over playing for Adolph Rupp, but once you get over it, you get to like him."[3]

Professional career

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A jersey honoring Hatton hangs in Rupp Arena.

He was drafted 9th overall in the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals.[4]

Personal life

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Hatton was married with three sons and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[5]

Hatton died on March 21, 2025, at the age of 89.[6][7]

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

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Source[8]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1958–59 Cincinnati 22 29.9 .319 .667 3.7 1.4 7.5
1958–59 Philadelphia 42 10.8 .393 .796 2.3 1.0 5.0
1959–60 Philadelphia 67 15.7 .357 .609 2.4 1.2 4.6
1960–61 Philadelphia 54 11.3 .319 .821 1.7 1.1 4.4
1961–62 Chicago 15 26.4 .308 .754 3.0 2.9 9.5
1961–62 St. Louis 25 20.1 .362 .821 2.3 2.2 7.2
Career 225 16.3 .344 .735 2.4 1.4 5.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1960 Philadelphia 6 2.8 .308 .333 .5 .2 1.5

References

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  1. ^ "Hatton Saves Game Twice for Wildcats and Wins It in Third Overtime". The New York Times. December 8, 1957. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "All-Tournament Teams". The Washington Post. 1998. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kentucky's Tortured Champions". The New York Times. March 29, 1978. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Hampton, Jeff (March 15, 2016). "7 Mormons Who Made March Madness History". LDS Living. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Hummer, Steve (April 2, 2013). "In the beginning". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Thompson, Tyler. "Kentucky Basketball great Vernon Hatton passed away before today's game". KSR. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  7. ^ Story, Mark. "'I was a Kentucky boy.' Vernon Hatton, one of UK's storied 'Fiddlin' Five,' dies at 89". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  8. ^ "Vern Hatton NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 18, 2023.

Additional reading

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