Did Mark Pope really run out of gas on busy Lexington street? No, but his wife did

New University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope has officially been re-initiated in Lexington with some first-hand experience of the horrors of morning traffic on South Broadway.

Pope got a call from his wife, Lee Anne, early Tuesday that she had run out of gas on the busy road. He jumped in his car, affectionately called “The Pope Mobile” by fans, and raced to help her.

“We’re starting a Zoom compliance meeting at 9 a.m. and I get a phone call at 9:01, and it’s Lee Anne, and she’s just run out of gas on the busiest street in Lexington,” Pope said Tuesday on the Goodman and Hummel Podcast, hosted by reporter Jeff Goodman and former college basketball star Robbie Hummel.

The sight of the 6-foot-10 coach on the side of the road with a disabled car drew attention from passerby. And, as it tends to do with Kentucky basketball, word spread quickly.

“I jump in the car. The police are there. It’s this huge thing. We’re trying to get some gas. People are driving by, honking their horns (saying) ‘Let’s go Cats!’” Pope told the podcasters.

The breakdown temporarily reduced traffic on South Broadway to one lane, according to social media posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.

But no need to worry about getting the Pope family vehicle back up and running.

Fans were quick to offer help, including one X user who offered to “run through a gauntlet 9 months pregnant while hauling my 9 kids via safety leash to get Mark Pope top-grade gasoline.”

University officials confirmed the basic details of the incident on Wednesday.

Pope’s team will host Kentucky Wesleyan University Wednesday night for the team’s first exhibition game of the season.