Athlete – Basketball
Jack “Goose” Givens was born in Lexington, KY, and attended Bryan Station High School, where he was chosen as Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball in 1974, his senior season.
From there, he went on to a very successful basketball career at the University of Kentucky from 1974-1978 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Sciences with an emphasis on Business Administration.
Jack left UK as the second all-time leading scorer with 2,038 points behind Dan Issel’s 2,138 points. He is now third on the all-time scoring list behind Issel and Kenny Walker. Jack’s biggest game came in the 1978 NCAA Championship game against Duke when he scored 41 points and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
As the 14th player chosen in the 1978 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Jack enjoyed a successful professional career in both the NBA and several stints overseas. In all, he played more than seven years of professional basketball and is the only player to have won a national championship in both the US and Japan, where he was also named the Japanese National Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Jack’s public relations experience spans more than 25 years, wherein he served as a color analyst for University of Kentucky Basketball Network, ESPN, Turner Sports, and The Sunshine Network, and he was the voice of the Orlando Magic Broadcast Network for more than 15 years.
After his broadcast career, Jack obtained his real estate broker’s license in Orlando, FL, and worked in the commercial real estate industry. He served as Vice President of Real Estate at Universal City Property Management, a mixed-use property development company developing more than 2,400 acres in southwest Orange County.
Jack now serves as Vice President of Business Development for Bowlin Group, LLC, which is based in Walton, KY. Bowlin Group, LLC, owns Bowlin Energy, Bowlin Communications, and Bowlin Services and serves a diverse customer base which includes Duke Energy, LGE/KU, E.ON US., Cincinnati Bell, Time Warner Cable, Verizon Wireless, Dish Network, and Owen County RECC as well as other CO-OPS throughout the state.
Jack and his wife, Linda, reside in Georgetown, KY. Jack and Linda have been married 36 years, and they have two children, Jeremy (35) and Jaimie Lynne (32). Jack also has a son, L. Lamont Bond from a previous relationship.
