[bucslover68]

Arguably the greatest football player in Belfry High School history, Rick Kestner, died yesterday of a heart attack at the age of 64. Kestner played at Belfry, UK, and then in the NFL. In 1961, he teamed with Floyd Hatfield to form one of the greatest passing/receiving tandems in Kentucky high school football history. Hatfield had 26 TD passes in 1961, then a state record, and 16 of those TD passes were caught by Kestner. In 1979, there was a football history book published recounting Belfry football from 1949-78. At that time, Kestner was the all-time leading scorer in BHS history with 242 career points. At UK, Kestner was a three year letterman, and helped the 'Cats to one of their greatest wins, a 27-21 win over number one ranked Ole Miss in 1964. Kestner had 9 catches for 185 yards and 3 TDs. Later, he had his jersey retired at UK. Rick's children, Shelley and David, were friends of mine when i grew up in Belfry. RIP Rick.