MADISONVILLE, Ky., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Hall of Fame basketball player Frank Ramsey survived a tornado that destroyed his Kentucky home and decades of mementoes of his career.
"It was quite an experience," Ramsey told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "The tornado flattened my house. I got in the closet, and it came over thundering like a freight train. I don't think it took more than 12 seconds."
Ramsey, 74, lives in Madisonville, where he was a high school star. He was a two-time All-American at the University of Kentucky and played on Boston Celtics teams that won several NBA championships.
Several championship rings that were in a safe in the closet survived the tornado. But plaques and photos hanging on the wall were destroyed by the storm, which reduced most of the house to kindling. Only the closet and the walls of a fireplace survived.