Cotton Nash

Charles Francis Nash was born on July 24, 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

He was an All-American basketball player at the University of Kentucky. The Los Angeles Lakers took him 14th overall in the 1964 NBA Draft, but he only played one season in the NBA before choosing the path of minor league baseball. Nash made his Major League debut for the Chicago White Sox in 1967, appearing in three games for them.

Basketball came calling again, and Nash played for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA during the 1968-69 season. He returned to baseball once again, playing ten games for the Minnesota Twins between the 1969 and 1970 campaigns. Nash was 3-for-13 (.231) at the plate for Minnesota, drawing two walks and driving in two runs. This was the end of his Major League career, although he continued to play at the minor league level through 1972.

Nash passed away in 2023 at the age of 80.

• University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame
• Left Kentucky as their all-time leading scorer in men's basketball
  • Currently ninth as of 2025