Basketball Hall of Famer Cliff Hagan, a Kentucky champion and the man dealt in the trade that brought Bill Russell to Boston, has died at 94.

UK Athletics announced that the 6-foot-4 forward died Thursday. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Hagan won titles at the college and pro levels, starred for a decade in the NBA, and later ran the athletic department at his alma mater. Few Kentucky figures matched that span of service.

Kentucky athletic director and Champions Blue CEO J Batt saluted a career that touched nearly every corner of the program.

"Few people have impacted Kentucky Athletics in as many ways as Cliff Hagan," Batt said. "He represented Kentucky as a champion, Hall of Famer and Athletics Director, leaving a legacy that continues to shape this department. It is an honor to follow in his footsteps and to help carry forward the standard he set."

Batt closed with a simple debt of gratitude from the fan base that watched Hagan play, coach from the front office, and set a standard for the next generation.

"Big Blue Nation will always be grateful for Cliff and all he gave to Kentucky. Our thoughts are with the Hagan family."

Kentucky glory under Adolph Rupp

Hagan arrived at Kentucky as a two-time consensus All-American under legendary coach Adolph Rupp. He helped the Wildcats capture the 1951 national championship.

In 1953-54 he led Kentucky to a perfect 25-0 record. The school declined an NCAA Tournament invitation that season because eligibility rules barred Hagan and two other graduated players from taking part.

Across his three varsity seasons the Wildcats went 86-5. That kind of dominance still sits near the top of program lore, the same way other Kentucky lives of quiet distinction have drawn national notice in recent years, from Wendell Berry’s passing to other homegrown names who shaped the state’s public life.

Drafted by Boston, shaped by service

The Celtics selected Hagan in the third round of the 1953 draft. He never played a minute for them.

Instead he served in the United States Air Force from 1953 to 1956. After his military duty, his basketball path turned on one of the most famous trades in NBA history.

In 1956 Boston sent Hagan and fellow Hall of Famer Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks for the rights to Bill Russell. St. Louis took Russell at No. 2 overall in that year’s draft, then watched the big man become the backbone of a Celtics dynasty.

Hagan made the other side of the deal count. He spent his entire 10-year NBA career with St. Louis and helped the Hawks beat those same Celtics for the 1958 NBA title.

A decade of production in St. Louis

The numbers held up. Hagan averaged 17.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across 839 NBA games. He earned five All-Star nods and two All-NBA selections.

One night in 1958 he poured in 26 points in a single fourth quarter against the Knicks. He retired for good after the 1969-70 season.

His path from military service to championship basketball mirrors other American stories of duty and public work cut short too soon, including the recent loss of Army veteran and ESPN analyst Chris Spatola.

Return home as athletic director

Hagan came back to Kentucky as athletic director in 1975 and held the post until 1988. During his watch the men’s basketball team won the 1978 national championship behind Jack Givens and Rick Robey.

In 1978 he also became the first former Kentucky player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The school retired his No. 6 jersey. In 2006 he entered the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as well.

Player. Champion. Hall of Famer. Athletic director. The résumé did not lean on one peak season. It stacked decades of competence, loyalty, and results.

Modern sports often chase the next contract or the next viral moment. Hagan’s record points the other way, show up, win, serve your country, then build the institution that gave you a start.

Champions leave more than box scores. They leave a standard worth keeping.