Coach – Basketball
Charles W. “Charlie G.” Givens, Sr., born in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a graduate of Lincoln County High School in Stanford, KY, where he began playing sports. He played football and basketball, for which he received scholarships from Wichita State University and Texas A&M University. Basketball became his passion.
Mr. Givens was given a chance to try out with several professional teams, including the Carolina Cougars and The Harlem GlobeTrotters, but he then decided to play abroad with the Harlem Clowns. Upon his return, Mr. Givens landed in Cincinnati, OH, where he resided for 13 years. In 1969, he moved to Lexington, KY, and launched his career at The Salvation Army (which later became the Boys and Girls Club of Lexington) as the director of the Recreation Department. During his tenure, Mr. Givens developed and implemented many programs for youth in the community. This list includes, but is not limited to, the following: daytime and overnight summer camps, local and out-of-town athletic events, after-school programs, and out-of-town sports leagues among others, providing a safe haven for youth in the community. Ensuring that each child had access to these opportunities, he would even transport them himself on the “Big Blue Bus!” Mr. Givens retired from The Boys and Girls Club in October 2003 after 35 years of service, but he continued his calling to help young men and women further their education, achieve their lifelong goals, and obtain a better future.
Mr. Givens, who was best known as “Charlie G,” “Little G” or “Coach Givens,” helped young men and women to become coaches, assistant coaches, and college, pro and semi-pro athletes by providing them with the skills needed to obtain such positions. In addition to the young men and women who were supported by his mentorship, Mr. Givens formed great relationships with some of the most esteemed coaches such as Tubby Smith, head coach at High Point University; Denny Crum, former head coach at the University of Louisville; Rick Pitino, former head coach at the University of Louisville; Happy Osborne, former head coach at Georgetown College; Wade Houston, former head coach at the University of Tennessee; Don Lane, former head Coach at Transylvania University; Wally Brown; Tony Yates, former head coach at the University of Cincinnati; Linnie Hampton; and the late Kenny Turner, former coach at the University of Cincinnati. Needless to say, Charlie Givens touched so many lives and his legacy will live on through the achievements of those whom he supported along the way.
