| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 3 |
Alma Mater: Xavier [1934]
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Date Born: October 17, 1912
Date Died: May 3, 1989
Overall Record: 106-47 [6 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/24/1948 | Cincinnati at Kentucky | W | 70 - 43 | - |
| 12/13/1947 | Kentucky at Cincinnati | W | 67 - 31 | - |
| 12/7/1946 | Kentucky at Cincinnati | W | 80 - 49 | - |
Obituary - Cincinnati Enquirer (May 6, 1989)
Political, Sports Giant Wiethe Mourned
by Terry Flynn
They came from all walks of life, gathering Friday evening at a St. Bernard funeral home to say farewell to one of the most colorful, respected sports and political figures in Cincinnati, John "Socko" Wiethe.
Wiethe, the head of the Hamilton County Democratic Party for three decades, died Wednesday of a blood ailment. He was 76.
From the political arena, which had been Wiethe's main passion for 34 years, came judges, members of city councils and mayors from all over the country. And the governor of Ohio, Richard Celeste.
"You can't replace a man like Socko Wiethe, as a friend or as a Democrat," Celeste said as he greeted other Wiethe mourners in front of the Imawalle Memorial funeral home on Vine Street.
How long had the governor known Wiethe? "I knew him long enough to love him," Celeste said with a smile. "We began working together about 1973. And even when he couldn't be with me, he always gave me the best advice."
Financier Carl Lindner, chairman of American Financial Corp., drove to St. Bernard from his Indian Hill home to pay his respects to Wiethe, describing him as "a friend for 40 years."
One of Wiethe's players during his tenure (1946-52) as basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati was Tay Baker, who went on to be one of the Bearcats' most successful basketball coaches himself.
"He coached like he did everything else," Baker said. "There was no one like him. He really started the UC basketball program toward the big time. He recruited, he scheduled strong competition, and he brought in the business community to support the team."
Among the other former Bearcat players and coaches, basketball and football, from the past 40 years who came to pay their respects were former coach and athletic director George Smith, UC provost Thurmond Owens, former football coach Ray Nolting, and Nick Skorich, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns in the NFL.
"He (Wiethe) got us into Madison Square Garden (New York), and that's when UC basketball really started to grow," said Owens, who played two years under Wiethe.
Former WCPO-TV news director Al Schottelkotte, who covered nearly all of Wiethe's political career, called him "one of the most colorful people in Cincinnati history."
