A strong media campaign funded by his personal fortune allowed him to win the Democratic primary and go on to defeat former Republican governor Louie B. Nunn in the general election.

He briefly competed for the U.S. Senate after his gubernatorial term in the 1984 election but withdrew from the race after only six weeks, citing health issues.

[3][4] A 1979 People magazine article recounts that the elder Brown's nine unsuccessful political races – for either governor or the U.S. Senate – took a toll on his family and left his mother resentful of all the money spent on campaigns.

[9] He got his wife involved in managing a barbecue restaurant; upon seeing its success, he became convinced of the financial potential of the fast food industry.

[14] Using some of the profits from the KFC sale, Brown and some associates bought the Miami-based Lum's chain of restaurants from its founders, Stuart and Clifford S. Perlman, for $4 million.

Concurrent with his post-KFC business ventures, Brown purchased an ownership stake in several professional basketball teams.

[20] In 1970, Wendell Cherry assembled a group that included Brown to buy the American Basketball Association's (ABA) Kentucky Colonels.

[31] He re-signed All Star guard Randy Smith, who had threatened to leave as a free agent, then traded the club's first-round draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Swen Nater.

In the first, he swapped reigning Rookie of the Year Adrian Dantley for the Indiana Pacers' Billy Knight, who was second in the league in scoring the previous season.

[31] Four hours later, he acquired Nate "Tiny" Archibald from the New York Nets for George Johnson and a first-round draft pick in 1979.

[33] Boston sent Freeman Williams, Kevin Kunnert, and Kermit Washington to the Braves for "Tiny" Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes.

[45] Within a month of moving into the Governor's Mansion, Brown noticed significant deterioration in the wiring and ordered a full inspection.

[47] Upon receiving the report, Brown immediately moved his family out of the mansion and back to Cave Hill, his estate in Lexington.

[48] In March 1980, the General Assembly created a committee to study whether it would be more feasible to construct a new governor's mansion or repair the old one.

[49] Ultimately, they decided to renovate the existing mansion, and Brown's wife Phyllis was given liberal input into the decision making.

[49] First lady Phyllis Brown organized a group called "Save the Mansion" to raise private funds to offset the repair costs.

[52] McAnulty resigned his post as secretary of the state's Justice Cabinet within one month, saying the position would keep him from spending enough time with his family.

[53] Brown re-appointed McAnulty to his former position as a judge with the Jefferson County District Court and replaced him with another African American, George W.

[50] Brown appointed a group of insurance experts to study the state's policies and put them out for bid, ultimately saving $2 million.

[55] Among his other accomplishments as governor were the implementation of competitive bidding for government contracts and passage of a weight-distance tax on trucks.

[6] For example, he did not attempt to influence the choice of legislative leadership, while most previous governors had practically hand-selected the presiding officers in each house.

[6] Among his failed proposals were a multi-county banking law, a flat rate income tax, professional negotiations for teachers, and a constitutional amendment to allow a governor to be elected to successive terms.

[42] During his term, Brown served as co-chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission and chair of the Southern States' Energy Board.

[37] While recovering from the surgery, Brown suffered a rare pulmonary disease, keeping him hospitalized for weeks, during part of which time he was comatose.

[60] Phone records also showed calls from the governor's mansion to several individuals eventually convicted of drug charges in connection with the investigation.

[18] The founding of Kenny Rogers Roasters was part of a larger movement in the restaurant industry toward healthier, take-home offerings.

[67] In December 1992, Clucker's, a smaller player in the roasted chicken market, sued Kenny Rogers Roasters, claiming the chain had copied its recipes and menus.

[68] Brown then took Roasters public and grew it to a chain of more than 1,000 restaurants before selling his interest in the franchise to the Malaysia-based Berjaya Group in 1996.

Referring to the 1987 Democratic gubernatorial primary campaign, Brown continued, "He said things that were not true, like we had raised taxes.

[41] In a press release, the association cited Brown's success at Kentucky Fried Chicken, his political career, and his help in establishing the university's Sanders–Brown Center on Aging as reasons for his induction.