Cawood Ledford, 75; Longtime Radio Voice of Kentucky Wildcats

Cawood Ledford, 75, the longtime radio voice of the Kentucky Wildcats and one of the nation’s most respected horse racing broadcasters, died of cancer Wednesday at a hospital near Harlan, Ky.

The son of a coal miner, Ledford was born and grew up in Harlan. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II and then earning a degree from Centre College in Danville, Ky., he returned to his hometown to teach English.

By 1951, Ledford was announcing high school football and basketball games in Harlan. He joined WLEX Radio in Lexington, Ky., two years later and began calling University of Kentucky football and basketball games.

He worked 17 NCAA Final Four basketball tournaments, including Kentucky’s national championship seasons in 1958 and 1978. He retired after the 1991-92 basketball season.

Ledford also called the Kentucky Derby more than 15 times for CBS Radio.