Adolph Rupp

[ghostzapper2006]

A racist and a douche bag was Rupp. Won a lot of basketball games. Big deal. Still a thoroughly lousy human being and a racist.

[TheDrmcvey]

@ghostzapper2006 fuck you you don't know a damn thing about this man. Go shove that glory road film right up your ass before you start talking negative about I guy you never knew!

[HeadlessEye]

Heil, Rupp.

[crosscountrytc]

What's interesting is that I think Halstead High School's gymnasium is also named after Rupp. I've played there : )

[ukhistorian]

Though I am 21 years old, I love Coach Rupp.

[fcast22]

Adolph Rupp was not a racist but his teams played in a part of the country that was.

[Crimmyboy]

1. Rupp was racist.

2. He is one of the best coaches of all time record wise.

3. He ran more than he claimed black players did. Talk about being a hypocrite.

A shame he just couldn't take this loss with sportsmanship and learn from it, or else his legacy would be a little more glorious.

[BigBluemaniac19]

@Crimmyboy have some respect man, you wouldnt of evenknown he was a racist if glory road hadnt of ever been made. he was a old school coach set in his ways. still he was the winingest coach of his time, won 4 national titles, one of the first coaches to utilize the fast break and made uk basketball.

[upinya25]

@Crimmyboy actually, who personally knows if he was racist or not, Glory road is a dumb disney movie, many of his former players were angry that the movie portrayed him as that. But you seem to forget that he gave offers to several black athletes, but the SEC was hardly a non-racist conference. There were no black players in the south. And when he coached the olympic team he selected the first black player to it. You forget that TexasWest. was the first all black lineup, meaning THE ONLY one.

[kentuckyproductions]

at 1:49 thats from glory road

[turbox405]

Adolph Rupp a RACIST, a REDNECK. I hope he learned his lesson in 1966.

[llcontrall]

@turbox405

Team was riddled with flu.

[TheWillie1984]

you forgot to say one of if not the greatest coach of all time

[TheDrmcvey]

@turbox405 Ha you base him off a f#ckin disney movie. That's pretty sad......

[nintendoplaya96]

Rupp wasen't racist. If u say he is, ur an idiot

[EagleLC21]

Racist piece of shit.

[calipariwildcats23]

@ EagleLC21 ur a bitch

[EagleLC21]

@ Calipariwildcats23 Why, because I'm right and you know it?

[calipariwildcats23]

No, because u r ignorant. Who wasn't racist in the south in the 1950's? What about all of the presidents that had slaves? That's the way is was back then. There used to be a thing called segregation.

[jbark61]

why dont everyone just shut up about rupp being racist especially you nthny123 you think because you watch one movie about rupp glory road that you are now some sort of historian well i tell you what your not so just shut up and quit putting down one of the best coaches of all time you was probably not even born when he coached so you are just talking in ignorance

[outrundaylite]

Rupp was absolutely a racist as were many if not most whites during his era and his environment. While coach of UK, he called then-young newspaper clerk Jimmy Breslin and asked him to put asterisks by the names of talented Black basketball players so he wouldn't bother trying to recruit those Black players. Those who try to defend Rupp are those displaying abysmal and abominable ignorance. Period.

[nthny123]

Let Me Tell You Something jbark61 The Jackass...It Is What It Is Rupp Was A Racist And You And Everyone In This Thread Who Thinks Like You Can't Deal With It! You Can Talk That Crap To Someone Who Does Not Know The History Of Sport, I Do You Idiot. Rupp Never Once Ever Recruited A Black Player And Finally When The Times Started To Change And The School Began To Put Pressure On Him, He Stops Coaching. I Don't Know What Types Of Books You Read, But Its Well Documented Idiot. Do Your Research!

[rodney1776]

Rupp was no racist, the portrayal in "Glory Road" was a Hollywood myth. The facts are the Rupp coached black players in high school, wanted to recruit black players in the 60's but the SEC threatened him, added the first black player to the US Olympic team, and was able to recruit the first KY black player in 1972 in Tom Payne ... a 7 footer who could have had a long ABA career but is still in prison on a rape charge stemming from that time. Real racist ... bunk!

[nthny123]

A Great Number Of Whites In America Believe In Rewarding Racist Like Rupp, By Naming Things After Them.....Rupp Area. Thats A Slap In The Face To Anyone Who Has Fight Long And Hard In The Struggle To Free A People. I Have Read Of Of These Comments That Other Racist Have Left And It Doesn't Suprise Me One Bit! He Had Future NBA Stars Within His City And State And He Never Wanted To Recruit Them.  The Players That He Had Play For UK Would Have Never Started On Any Team With Black Players Period!

[ukcat54]

Your argument is asinine. He recruited both Wes Unsled and Butch Beard. Check your facts before you spout your garbage.

[outrundaylite]

YOUR comment is total garbage and it fact, it's a damned lie because anytime you tell a half-truth, you've told a damned lie. Rupp recruited those 2 players under extreme protest and both Unself and Beard didn't particularly want to play for the racist Rupp. UK's President had pressured Rupp to recruit Black players for years and Rupp fought him every step of the way. He told his asst coach that he was being forced to bring "niggers" into the program. Now THOSE are the facts, not YOUR garbage.

[ukcat54]

You really are clueless. UK's president didn't pressure Rupp to do anything. Rupp wanted to integrate. The SEC threatened to kick UK out of the conference if he integrated. If Beard didn't want to play for the "racist Rupp" then why did he try to get out of his LOI to come to Kentucky? If you can't bring anything better to this argument than what you just brought then don't even respond, because I'm not going to argue with someone so blatant in their ignorance.

[outrundaylite]

Clueless? Fool, I'm referencing SOURCED MATERIAL. Unlike you, I"m not making up alibis for the racist. You can't argue because you HAVE NO ARGUMENT. Then UK President J. W. Oswald had for years, pressured Rupp to recruit Black players. This account is in the memoirs of Rupp's own asst coach at that time Harry Lancaster. Now you can shove your suppositions up your stupid ass because they're all you've got. Don't call me clueless when you've got nothing, idiot.

[ukcat54]

I've got more than you'll ever know jackass. Beard has said with his own mouth that he tried to come to Kentucky. Oswald only wanted black players so he could get federal aid which amounted to around eleven million dollars. Rupp even brought him a list of names for Oswald to try and recruit because Rupp said he nor Bernie Shively could get them. Doesn't sound like much pressure to me. Now, are we done or do I get to hand your ass to you some more?

[outrundaylite]

I know more than you ever will shit-for-brains. Regardless of Oswald's reasoning for wanting Black players, the point is he asked Rupp to recruit Black players and Rupp resisted and didn't dress a recruited Black player until the early 70's. He told Lancaster that Oswald was trying to force him to bring niggers into his program. The very concept of Blacks on his team disgusted the racist Rupp. Get your head out of your ignorant ass before you presume to hand anyone else their own. Stupid fool.

[ukcat54]

If the idea of black players discusted Rupp then why did he have black players on his high school teams in Illinois you fucking idiot. Also, why was Rupp one of the driving forces for Don Barksdale making the US Olympic team?

[outrundaylite]

Did you not read my previous post or is your white racism whitewashing the common sense you probably DON'T have in the first damned place. The idea of Black players disgusted Rupp because according to his own asst coach at that time - Harry Lancaster - he said that Oswald was pressuring him to bring "niggers" into his program. Now what is it about the use of that word by a known racist that you don't understand? You surely are a waste of time to be sure.

[outrundaylite]

Other SEC schools were recruting Black players before Rupp made a serious effort to do so, dipshit. Vanderbilt was the first SEC school to recruit a Black player. Kentucky was a slave-holding border state which sided with the Union. Tennessee was a Confederate state. UK had the perfect opportunity to be the first SEC to break the color barrier, but a university of a former Confederate state beat racist Rupp to the punch, not that he tried to throw any in regards to recruting Blacks. dumb ass.

[outrundaylite]

Rupp routinely used the words coon and nigger when speaking of Blacks and Black players. This "joke" was also attributed to Rupp: "What does TWC mean?" While most people might have responded "Texas Western College", something of that sort, Rupp's punchline was this: "Two White Coaches". Clearly in reference to Texas Western's WEALTH of talented Black players, the same Black players who would humble his "Runts" for all the world to see.

[outrundaylite]

Here is the EXACT QUOTE of Rupp's words to Lancaster: "Harry, that son of a bitch is ordering me to get some niggers in here. What am I going to do ? He's the boss." So that doesn't sound much like pressure to you? Slink out of here while you've go the chance to do so. Otherwise I'm gonna really light your dumb ass up. Don't you EVER call me ignorant again without first having proper knowledge of the facts yourself. You're dissed and dismissed.

[ukcat54]

Lancaster's account doesn't match up. Rupp SUPPORTED Dr. Frank Dickey's viewpoint on integration. Furthermore, Oswald only wanted a black player for federal help. He didn't care if the black guy could play or not. Now you tell me, would you go out and sign a player if he couldn't play? Hell no you wouldn't. His first obligation was as coach, not a social leader. Am I denying that he said nigger? No I'm not. It was the 60's, and no I'm not using that as an exuse. It's just a fact.

[outrundaylite]

Doesn't match up? Rupp spoke those very words directly to the man and he repeated those words verbatim. It doesn't matter WHY Oswald wanted a Black player. The facts are that Oswald wanted Rupp to recruit Black players and Rupp the racist REFUSED TO DO IT BECAUSE OF HIS BENT BELIEFS. You said Rupp wasn't racist. I proved he was! You said Rupp was the first coach in the SEC to recruit a Black player. I proved that Roy Skinner of Vanderbilt was the first SEC coach to do so. Bring facts or get lost

[ukcat54]

Where did I ever say that Rupp was the first SEC coach to recruit black players? And just because Rupp said nigger that makes him racist?

[outrundaylite]

It appears you may not have said Rupp was the first - in this forum at any rate. I get you Rupp-racist apologists mixed up at times. You may not have been so stupid as to claim Rupp was the first, but your stupidity shines through in other ways. Rupp's use of racial epithet in conjunction with his outright and well-documented refusal to recruit Black athletes makes him racist.

[ukcat54]

HE RECRUITED WES UNSELD AND BUTCH BEARD! That is a documented fact. Frank Deford wrote an article praising Butch Beard as the first black player at Kentucky. It was viewed as "done deal" that Butch would go to Kentucky. Although that didn't happen.

[outrundaylite]

Rupp did NOT WANT BLACK ATHLETES IN HIS PROGRAM. His asst. coach Harry Lancaster confirms this. Rupp's recruitment of Unseld and Beard were half-assed at best. Unseld himself wasn't interested in UK and Unseld's father was suspicious of Rupp's motives as he'd never attempted to recruit a Black athlete before.

[outrundaylite]

Beard's own words on the subject: "In 1964 he tried to get Wes Unseld. In 1965 he tried to get me," said Butch Beard, former NBA player and New Jersey Nets head coach. "I don't know how hard or how badly he may have wanted a black player at that time in the '60s.

"I know that a lot of the boosters wanted to see change," said Beard, who rejected Kentucky in favor of state rival Louisville. History would show U of L benefitted greatly from Black athletes in their program.

[outrundaylite]

Adolph Rupp called the New York Journal-American and asked Jimmy Breslin - then a clerk in the paper's sports dept - if the paper would "kindly" indicate "colored high school players" with ASTERISKS so Rupp would know where NOT TO BOTHER SENDING HIS RECRUITERS. There is NO QUESTION in the minds of the SENSIBLE people out there that Adolph Rupp did NOT want Black athletes in his basketball program and had a low regard for Black people in general.

[ukcat54]

There must be some question, otherwise this debate wouldn't be happening. Pat Riley must not be sensible, as he says the stories printed that came out after Rupp's death are erroneous. I just can't take the stories as fact, since the majority came out after his death. Especially considering he supported Frank Ramsey when it came to integration, and even had death threats hurled his way. Anyway, I'm done talking about this. It's obvious both of our minds are made concerning this issue.

[outrundaylite]

This has been no debate. This has been ME beating down your attempts at historical revisionist nonsense. You say Frank DeFord wrote an article praising Beard as the 1st Black UK recruit. DeFord wrote another article. DeFord was invited by Rupp to observe his halftime locker room. DeFord said he was stunned and many UK players embarrassed by Rupp's RACIST halftime rant in which he repeatedly used the word coon to describe the opposing Black athletes. You were done before you ever started.

[nthny123]

Rupp Never Recruited Any Black Ball Players You Idiot The University Saw The Landscape was Changing And they Could No Longer Win Games With Those Sorry Stuff Geekers So They Wanted Him To Recruit Black Players. That Racist Stepped Down Before He Could Coach Any Black Players. Butch Beard And Wes Unseld Even Said Themselves That They Were Never Recruit By Rupp. Cut The Crap! Both Of These Men Were Right In The State And He Over Looked Them. Outrundaylite They Hate To Hear The Truth.

[ukcat54]

He coached Tom Payne in Payne's only season at UK. outrundaylite and I may disagree, but at least he brings some substance when he disagrees.

[outrundaylite]

Rupp reputedly claimed before the '66 Championship that no 5 Black players would or could ever beat his UK team. Don Haskins himself was a source of Rupp's making the statement. Rupp believed his team to be superior from an intelligence and discipline standpoint, two principles undergirding the concept of white supremacy. Rupp coached a UK team which was trounced by a CCNY team starting 3 Black players in the 1950 NIT. Those losses to Black players stung Rupp and made him even more bitter.

[outrundaylite]

Former Rupp ballplayer and UK Athletic Director C.M. Newton lauded Rupp as "the FATHER of SEC Basketball". SEC coaches disliked Rupp's recruiting practices. Otherwise, Rupp was highly-regarded. He could have challenged the SEC's racist recruiting policies against Black athletes but CHOSE NOT TO DO SO, leaving that responsibility to Roy Skinner and Vanderbilt U. UK had Black athletes in their Track&Field programs before Rupp would have Blacks in his basketball program. Rupp didn't want Blacks.

[KaeWhy09]

nthny123 and thats why he won 4 national titles and did more with his life then you ever will? GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE.

[outrundaylite]

Great comments, nthny123. Where there's smoke, there's usually a fire. There's lots of racist smoke circulating around the legacy of Rupp. Not suprising, as the man was a flaming racist but had the luxury of being a polite and urbane racist in the security of whites who adored his racist ass. Today's UK team would have been Rupp's worst nightmare. Calipari who has had recent success fielding ALL BLACK TEAMS now has one at UK. Rupp saw this day coming back in the late 50's and he HATED IT.

[nthny123]

Outrundaylite These Racist People in Here Don't Want To Hear the Truth....You Have Brought Out Some Awesome Points Thats Why I Told Them To Do Their Research, Because That was Going To Be My Next Move To Get Rupp's Quotes And Quote's From Other Black Ball Players In The Area At That Time. Rupp Is Rolling In His Racist Grave Now That UK Is All Black....Lol! They Knew At UK That The Hand Writing Was On The Wall. SI Even Accused Coach Haskins Of Cheating As Well!

[outrundaylite]

There are many, including Adolph Rupp's son, attempting to paint Rupp in a more sympathetic light. The picture they're trying to paint is more abstract than anything Picasso ever painted. It's been suggested that Rupp would have wanted any athlete - Black or white - IF that athlete could play basketball. That suggestion is utterly false. Rupp had the chance to recruit Connie Hawkins, the best high school player of 1960. Rupp discovered Hawkins was Black and refused to recruit him... Says it all.

[kentuckyproductions]

@nthny123 like him or not he was a good coach

[kentuckyproductions]

@nthny123 haskins didn't cheat he just won that simple so he was a racist so was 2 poc and ice cube all 3 were good at what they did not doubt about it he was the best coach of all time that simple

[nthny123]

He Was Very Much A Racist! He Never Wanted To Recruit Black Players. He Had The Chance To Recuit A Great Number Of Black Players Even In His Own Back Yard And Wouldn't Do It. Stop Glorifying A Men Who Thought He Could Continue To Live In The Dark Ages!

[Sahmommi]

IN your dreams(dean smith was)

[ukhistorian]

"I know I made some enemies but I rather be the most hated winning coach then the most popular losing one."

[Imarooneyfan]

rupp is not racist he is a great coach

[outrundaylite]

Rupp was as racist as he could be. Rupp realized the black athlete had an advantage in agility, quickness, speed and power over the white athlete. He felt that his all-white Kentucky team had just enough athletic elements to "hang in there" with the Miners, but definitely believed his all-white Wildcats were superior "mentally". Rupp was wrong on both and ALL counts. He received his proper comeuppance.

[mastermomma]

Rupp is still the best

[kentuckywildcatsgirl]

when tubby smith came to kentucky scott padgeet left and said it was because of a white and black thing

[ukhistorian]

RIP Coach Rupp.

[hazaratkhan]

Unless you grew up falling asleep in the bleechers of Rupp Arena - you can truly never understand what it means to KY.

[hazaratkhan]

as a kid that is :)

[hazaratkhan]

google and read the history of KY B-Ball in 1960's:

google this title:

The Integration of UK Basketball in the 1960's - A Sea Of Blue

[pjpinol]

FUCK ADOLF RACIST RUPP

[gash53]

yeah he was really racist when they tried to kick him out of the SEC b/c he wanted black athletes. do some research!

[eaztsideboi]

then why did he make racist comments???

[ukhistorian]

Have you heard him say racist comments?

[matadormike1970]

yes in 1966

[kentuckywildcatsgirl]

just because he had an all white team doesnt mean hes racist . so your telling me the all black college is racist too

[ukhistorian]

Also Dean Smith didn't have a black guy playing until 1970 something. I don't hear the media giving him crap.

[jared6931]

you dont know shit you clueless fucker

[abu48b]

guys, let him rest in peace and lookforward, enough of the past . we all made mistakes in our life so we should not be talking about the past. take today as the sun rises and the future as the sun sets. Rupp was a great coach so as Haskins. lets talk about our common pleasure and values for once...peace

[terricarrier]

Thanks for posting this! He was my grandfather's first cousin, but I never met the man!

[GLHS592]

My dad is a life long UK fan and never heard any "Rupp is a racist" stuff until years later. People that weren't even there have called him a racist. Morons believe it. It is a fact that Rupp pushed the SEC to allow black players long before the 1966 Nat. Championship game. He recruited blacks throughout the 1960's. I don't blame them for not playing for Rupp when you'd have to play in Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

[chinamanlad]

GREATEST

COACH

EVER

sorry knight

dean too

and you cant argue with that, he was coached by the inventor of basketball himself.

[xXMachickenXx808E]

what about haskins fooo?

[chinamanlad]

uhh..what about him?

[xXMachickenXx808E]

haskins schooled rupps ass in the game where he played all his black players and made history.

so why isnt he one of the greatest college coaches?

[ukcat54]

If Rupp was so racist then why did he select the first black player for the US olympic team?

[ghostzapper2006]

@ukcat54 because the racist had no choice Sparky, lol

[ukhistorian]

Glory Road is a inaccurate movie I mean one thing is that Texas Western face Utah in Semifinal game before Kentucky not Kansas. Other Rupp congratulated Haskins after the game. And also he started coaching in Texas Western in 1961. On the movie he got the job in late 1965.

[ThailandKyle]

Good points. I researched and found out the Kansas game was a regional final. Do you know if he only played black players for the entire game like he said he would (in the movie atleast)? I know he started 5 black players. But not sure if he stuck to that promise like in the movie. Maybe that was a stretch also, seeing there were a few inacuracies?

[matadormike1970]

TWC faces Kansas int he Regional Finals and Jerry Chambers and Utah in the semi They changed players in the 2nd half on Chambers and shut him down

I hated the movie it was 100% inaccuarte Haskins did start in 1961 and was 25-3 in 1964 with Jim Barnes

[outrundaylite]

Adolph Rupp once showed his all-white Kentucky basketball team the NCAA basketball standings as they were at the time he coached during the advent and emergence of the black athlete in the college game. The top 5 or 6 teams were all white followed by those who were racially mixed. Rupp was said to have told his team to look closely at those rankings because it would be one of the last times all white teams would ever enjoy such lofty rankings. Clearly, Rupp was not at all happy about this.

[outrundaylite]

Attempts at revisionist history and stupid ineffectual insults notwithstanding, the facts are that Adolph Rupp was indeed very racist. He lamented the fact that the black athlete was capable of playing the game of basketball in a manner capable of overwhelming the "disciplined approach" to the game customary of most white teams.

[EclipsedFox]

YOu said it...GO UK

I don't care what happend that day in the 60's

Look how many NCAA champs and conference champs we have...

[jfloyd82]

pure racist....until of course his racism lost him a national title

[jcaudill6921]

You are a fuckin moron. How pathetic is it that you base this on a Disney movie 'Glory Road?' You speak to anyone that knew Rupp and they would tell how ridiculous that rumor is...

He tried to get black players back in 1961 but the SEC threatened to throw them out of the conference so he didn't do it. You know,Dean Smith didn't have a black player at the time either. Was he a racist?

[ukcatsfan96]

WOW what a great coach.

R.I.P Coach Adolph Rupp, You are truely missed

[ukhistorian]

He wanted to get blacks but his couldn't do to living in the south. Like Alabama and Mississippi. Rupp wanted Butch Beard. He wanted to protect them from like what happend to that one player from Texas Western. Red Aruabech coach of the legendery Boston Celtics and his life long friend said he didn't want blacks whites purple and blue people who couldn't play.

[unsuspendpac]

perry wallace played durring his time the first african american sec schlor ship athlete who played at vanderbilt. shutup he was a open racist and an evil man. i don't care how many games he won he was an all a round bad person and don't gie me nice quotes or charity crap he hated black people.

[2kittle]

he did not hate black people and he was an anti segregationalist and coached a black player in freeport illinois

[unsuspendpac]

1 black player

anti segregationalist=rascist

[jcaudill6921]

Texas Western shot 21 extra free throws and Kentucky had multiple starters with the flu. No one ever likes to talk about that though.

I wish Kentucky would have lost in the semis to Duke so that Duke can be labeled the 'evil white team with a bigot coach.' You people didn't know Rupp. I would suggest you do some research yourself instead of depending on dramatisized MOVIES to educate you.

[outrundaylite]

TW shot 21 extra free throws because UK were committing the fouls on the quicker TW players as they penetrated to the basket defeating UK's slower and inadequate so-called "disciplined" defense. Oh and they had the flu. Oh boo hoo. The only other excuse you haven't yet pulled out is the black athlete being naturally superior whine.

Adolph Rupp wasn't "labeled" anything. Adolph Rupp was ACCURATELY IDENTIFIED AS A RACIST WHO WRONGLY BELIEVER ANY DISCIPLINED WHITE TEAM SUPERIOR TO A BLACK TEAM.

[matadormike1970]

I am from El paso nothing bad happened to anyplayer for TWC only in the movie No one got mugged in Seattle that was hollywood it did not happen Adolph Rupp was a raqcist he didnt like blacks and didnt want them on his team and told a lot of lies to SI about TWC which they were sued and lost butcost Don Haskins recruits for 5 years because of Rupps lies what a loser

[jcaudill6921]

You are dumb as dirt. It amazes me how many people get this opinion due to the media and outsiders with an agenda. Rupp coached several black players while he was a high school coach in Kansas. He also,tried to get black players in 1961 but the SEC threatened to throw them out so he didn't do it. Dean Smith didn't have any black players at the time either but why isn't he considered a racist or the Duke team,that Kentucky beat in the semis? They were all white. Typical garbage spewed by idiots.

[ukhistorian]

Yeah. Rupp had a High School Black player and if he was racist he would've cut him but he didn't. He let him play Basketball.

[eaztsideboi]

nope i havnt heard him google has.

[kycats06]

Wish you were still here Rupp. We miss you and will never forget you. Go Big Blue!!!

[pokemonking3]

This is a good coach i like him b/c i am from kentucky

[rollin92gt]

I'm glad he was smart enough to leave the state of Kansas. :)

[ukhistorian]

876 wins 4 NCAAs 1 NIT(It was a big deal back then) most SEC wins most SEC Tournements '69 Hall of Famer this guy is awesome. God Bless him and UK Basketball

[ukhistorian]

I Love this man. If it weren't for him we would'nt have almost 2,000 Wins.