Louisville basketball to retire Junior Bridgeman's No. 10 jersey
The University of Louisville will retire men’s basketball legend Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman’s No. 10 jersey number on Dec. 13 during a ceremony at the Cardinals’ home game against Memphis, Vice President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced Monday.
Bridgeman’s jersey will the sixth number retired by the Louisville men’s basketball program. He’ll join Wes Unseld (1965-68), Russ Smith (2010-14), Pervis Ellison (1985-89), Charlie Tyra (1953-57), and Darrell Griffith (1979-80) in the rafters.
Statement from the Bridgeman family: “Our family is deeply humbled by this honor. Louisville has always held a special place in our hearts – it’s where faith, hard work and community came together to shape so much of our story. We’re grateful to the University for recognizing Junior in this way and we accept this moment not just as a celebration of one man, but as a reflection of all those who have poured into him and into our family over the years. We give thanks for the opportunity to continue serving a city and university that have given us so much.”
Bridgeman was a top 30 career scorer for the Cardinals, earning All-American honors in 1975 while leading Louisville to the Final Four. His number was previously one of UofL’s 20 honored jerseys in its basketball history.
In his three seasons, Bridgeman scored 1,348 career points (29th at UofL) and grabbed 657 rebounds. His 15.5 points per game career scoring average still ranks among the top 15 in school history.
Bridgeman was selected as the eighth player overall in the 1975 NBA Draft of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later dealt that year to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley. The East Chicago, Indiana, native played 12 seasons in the NBA and averaged 13.6 points over the course of his career and his No. 2 jersey is retired in Milwaukee.
Not only was he a fixture in his basketball career, but Bridgeman also played a vital role as an entreprenuer and businessman in the city of Louisville. He served on the U of L board of trustees and eventually owned over 450 fast-food restaurants, a Coca-Cola bottling company, and eventually a percentage of the Bucks franchise.
Statement from Pat Kelsey: “Junior Bridgeman was a great basketball player here at UofL, but his contributions to this university and the city of Louisville go far beyond the court,” “He was a brilliant businessman who will always be remembered as one of the most humble, generous and kind people in our community. What he did after his playing career in the business world and in his personal life is inspirational to athletes and non-athletes alike. Retiring #10 is an awesome way to honor the life and legacy of Junior. We will never fully understand the true scope to which Junior helped our city, as he often served and gave anonymously, but I hope that this banner up in the rafters with his name and number will serve as a regular reminder to everyone associated with our program and department to strive for greatness, on and off the court.”
Bridgeman passed away in March at 71-years-old and his No. 10 will be worn for the last time this season by senior guard Isaac McKneely.
