'Definition of a truly great man:' Hundreds gather to honor Junior Bridgeman in Louisville
Amanda Hancock- Junior Bridgeman, a former U of L basketball star and successful entrepreneur, passed away at the age of 71.
- Hundreds gathered at Southeast Christian Church to celebrate Bridgeman's life and legacy as a businessman, philanthropist, and family man.
The traditional all-black dress code was broken up with pops of red in the form of ties, hats and suit jackets, each small signals of how many in the Louisville community will remember Junior Bridgeman: As a forever U of L Cardinal.
They will also remember Bridgeman as an successful entrepreneur and philanthropist; a family man who considered his wife, Doris, his rock and best friend; a man of strong faith; and a humble leader who loved playing golf, telling stories, singing songs in the car and who lived each day to the fullest, just like he taught his three children to do.
Hundreds of guests and speakers — including Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Star Jones, the TV personality and lawyer — gathered Saturday at Southeast Christian Church to honor those and more traits of Bridgeman, who died March 11 at the age of 71.
During the public memorial service, the riveting St. Stephens Choir sang gospel songs, including a solo of the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” on a stage with a photo of Bridgeman and his wife at the center, along with an image of the basketball legend towering over a basket while wearing a No. 10 Cardinals jersey.
“He was truly an icon to me and so many others,” David Novak, executive chairman of Yum! Brands, said during his remarks. “He personified every characteristic you can think of being a great man. In fact, Junior Bridgman was the definition of a truly great man.”
Novak spoke about Bridgeman’s desire to bring a “wow” factor to Valhalla Golf Club, which the two men bought in 2022 along with two other partners.
“As I think about it, there's no doubt in my mind that Junior’s life was a wow from beginning to end,” Novak said.
Bridgeman’s older brother, Samuel, shared a few stories about the business giant's beginning, when the siblings grew up playing sports together, helping their father with janitorial jobs and learning formidable lessons, such as to “treat everybody right.”
Paul Thompson, Bridgeman’s business partner of 37 years, attested his friend continued to live and do business that way, as Bridgeman would often clean toilets and flip burgers at the Wendy's stores he purchased on his way to building a fast-food empire.
Thompson recalled his last phone conversation with Bridgeman a week before his passing.
“It was the greatest conversation, and it was about nothing,” Thompson said.
“He’s up there smiling right now,” he added. “We’re all going to miss him because he loved us. And we love him.”
But Thompson said he had a hunch that Bridgeman always “loved us just a little bit more.”
Coach Billups said he was “devastated” that he’ll no longer get a phone call from his greatest mentor.
“He became my moral compass,” Billups said, adding he often makes decisions by asking himself, “How would Junior handle this?”
Jones, a longtime friend of Bridgeman, described talking at the memorial service as one of the hardest moments of her life.
“Junior Bridgeman was more than a legend,” she said. “He was a living example of what excellence looks like.”
A recording of the service will be available on the church's website through Monday.
Reach reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.