BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A member of the inaugural 1991 WKU Athletic Hall of Fame class, WKU men’s basketball all-time great Bobby Rascoe passed away Saturday, Aug. 24, in Bowling Green, Ky. He was 84.
A native of Owensboro, Ky., Rascoe led Daviess County High School to the state tournament in 1957 and 1958 while earning Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) All-Tournament honors in both seasons. Rascoe received All-American honors for 1958 after totaling 103 points in the state tournament.
Playing under the legendary Coach E.A. Diddle, Rascoe lettered at WKU from 1960-62 and ranks 12th in Hilltopper Basketball history with 1,687 points scored in just three seasons and 81 games played. Rascoe’s career scoring average of 20.8 points per game stands at fourth-most in WKU history and helped the Tops to a total of 56 wins over three seasons. The Hilltoppers secured the Ohio Valley Conference title in each of his three seasons on The Hill while appearing in two NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 in both trips.
Rascoe finished his career at WKU ranking third on the program’s all-time scoring leaders list. He earned All-America honors as a senior in 1962 and was a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, earning first-team honors in 1961 and 1962. Rascoe was named to the Ohio Valley Conference 40th Anniversary Team in 1988.Rascoe was selected by the New York Knicks as the 20th pick in the 1962 NBA Draft. From 1962-67, Rascoe competed for the Phillips 66ers of the AAU and helped the team to an AAU Championship in 1963. Rascoe earned AAU All-American honors with the 66ers in 1966 before finishing his pro career with the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels from 1967-70.
Rascoe returned to The Hill and served as an assistant under head coach Jim Richards on the Hilltopper Basketball staff from 1974-78. On Dec. 29, 2012, Rascoe was honored by having his No. 45 jersey retired in the rafters of Diddle Arena. He is one of only 11 players in Hilltopper Basketball program history to receive the honor.
Rascoe served the Alumni W-Club Board of Directors for more than three decades and is also a member of the Dawahares/KHSAA Hall of Fame and Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 28 beginning at 4 p.m. CT and the morning of Thursday, Aug. 29 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Bowling Green. The funeral ceremony will begin Thursday at noon following visitation.
An obituary and more information on visitation and funeral arrangements can be found at: https://www.jckirbyandson.com/obituaries/Robert-Byron-Bobby-Rascoe?obId=32879340
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