LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Former University of Kentucky basketball and football player Carl Luther "Hoot" Combs of Morgan County has died at the age of 87.

His son, Carl Salyer Combs of Lexington, says his father's death was due to a stroke and pneumonia. A lawyer and well-known sports personality, "Hoot" Combs was 60 when he moved from Lexington to Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1979. He returned to Kentucky last year and lived at the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore.

Combs was taken to the V-A Medical Center last Thursday and died
there Saturday.

"Hoot" Combs was a sportscaster of U-K games and a public address announcer for U-K and the state high school basketball tournament. When Mr. Combs graduated, he served with the Army's First Armored Division in North Africa and Italy in World War Two and earned several decorations. They included the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge and E-A-M-E Ribbon with four battle stars. He was ultimately promoted to major.

After the war, he returned to Lexington and worked briefly as a part-time sports information director before practicing law.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at W.R. Milward Mortuary-Broadway in Lexington. Burial will be in Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Jessamine County. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)