Pieces of championship floor to be auctioned off for charity

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - UK basketball fans have a chance to own a piece of history starting this week.

Coach John Calipari signed the first souvenir piece of the Wildcat's NCAA basketball championship floor.

It goes up for auction at 12:00 p.m. October 11 to raise money in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Northwestern Mutual, which got the floor after the NCAA tournament, is donating the souvenir pieces.

Fans will have just one week to bid on 300 pieces of the floor which will be auctioned online.

The top 300 bidders will get one of the signed, numbered pieces which come with a certificate of authenticity.

Money raised by the auction benefits pediatric cancer efforts at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville and Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington.

A portion of the floor also is being installed in the newly renovated locker room at Rupp Arena in Lexington as a constant reminder for future UK teams of the Wildcats' championship year.

The auction ends on October 18.