Billy Evans was a 6-1 (1.85) guard for the University of Kentucky in the early 50s. For him it was choice of whether to play tennis or basketball as in high school he was twice Kentucky state tennis champion and he eventually played three years of varsity tennis at Kentucky as well as basketball. Evans also played baseball at the University of Kentucky. After graduation in 1954 he remained at Kentucky for another year to earn a master’s degree. He was drafted by the Rochester Royals in the fifth round of the 1955 NBA Draft, but never played professional basketball. He then joined the service and was chosen for the 1956 Olympic team while playing for the Air Force All-Stars.
In 1959 Evans was on the gold medal winning team at the Pan American Games, after which he went into business. He started with Phillips 66 but eventually became a vice-president of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Evans was inducted into the State of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988 and was a charter member of the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame.
United States