| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 1 |
Alma Mater: Purdue [1956]
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Date Born: March 29, 1934
Date Died: April 30, 2011
Overall Record: 143-188 [12 Seasons]
Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
11/27/1982 | Butler at Kentucky | W | 90 - 53 | - |
Obituary - Butlersports.com (May 3, 2011)
Joe Sexson, Butler's men's basketball coach from 1978-89, passed away in Zionsville on Saturday, April 30. He was 77.
Sexson guided Butler to 143 victories during his tenure, including a 19-10 season and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament in 1984-85. He was named Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1977-78 and Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1983-84. Butler's two all-time leading scorers, Chad Tucker and Darrin Fitzgerald, both played under the veteran coach.
Sexson came to Butler from an 18-year stint at Purdue University, where he served as an assistant basketball coach and head baseball coach. During his term, Purdue's basketball teams posted a 274-178 record and appeared in five post-season tournaments. He left Purdue as the school's second-winningest baseball coach with 221 career victories.
One of the finest athletes ever to come out of Indianapolis, Sexson was a four-sport standout at Arsenal Technical High School. He earned all-state honors for two straight years as a halfback in football, and as a senior, he led Tech's basketball team to the finals of the Indiana state tournament. He swept the state's individual basketball honors, being named "Mr. Basketball," winning the coveted Trester Medal and being named to the All-State and Indiana All-Star teams. He was later named to the Consensus Indiana All-Star basketball team for the period of 1951-60, and he was elected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Sexson enrolled at Purdue and went on to set a three-year varsity scoring record of 1,095 points, becoming just the second basketball player in Purdue history at that point to score over 1,000 career points. He was a captain and MVP for the Boilermakers, and he was named to the All-Big Ten basketball squad. He established numerous Purdue basketball records during his three seasons, including playing 70 minutes in a single game.
The versatile Sexson also was named to the All-Big Ten baseball team, and he was a recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor for combined athletic ability and scholastic proficiency. He graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1956.
Prior to his coaching stint at Purdue, Sexson coached for one year at Southwestern High School in Tippecanoe County and for two years at Scecina High School in Indianapolis.
Visitation will be from 3-8 p.m., Thursday (May 5) at Zionsville United Methodist Church, 9644 Whitestown Road, Zionsville. The funeral service will be at 1 p.m., Friday (May 6) at the church.