Originally posted by JPScott:
Originally posted by mdlUK.1:
Several years ago during one of the many Coach Rupp threads, I mentioned that I had seen an article stating that Don Haskins had recanted his statement that Coach Rupp had said, no all black team could beat his all white team. I have never seen that article again nor heard anyone else repeat the story.
I think it was you that responded that you had also seen that story but were unable to find it or verify its validity. Have you been able to do so?
Thanks
Yes, I know exactly what you're referring to. Unfortunately I've never been able to locate that particular article, either online or in my files. I BELIEVE that I had printed it out and had a hard copy somewhere but have since lost it. It's one of those things that bothers me that I haven't been able to relocate it.
FWIW, to those who aren't familiar with this story, in an article by Curry Kirkpatrick in 1991, he stated that Don Haskins had heard that Rupp boasted something along the lines of 'no black team could beat my team', afterwards Haskins informed his team of this remark.
This led to an explosion of stories throughout the 1990's repeating this claim, and making various claims like Rupp had told Haskins directly, that Rupp had said it in a press conference, that Rupp had said it on the radio etc. CBS in a 2002 documentary on the game even tried to suggest it happened in a press conference and showed footage of a press conference, but no audio. (as a way to subliminally support the claim, even though news reports of the press conference don't mention this at all.) The only problem being that no one could actually find any reference of Rupp actually saying this, or of there being any mention whatsoever in the news media about Rupp making such a claim.
I know that people who had interviewed Don Haskins have asked him about this, and he never said that he heard it from Rupp. Ben Roberts interviewed Haskins and he told him that others had told him that, but he didn't believe Rupp had said it.
There was also the article you refer to where Haskins basically admitted that he made it up, but it was soon after that he stopped talking to the media about the issue altogether.
There was another newspaper writer who had made an earlier claim which I challenged, and he went back to Haskins to ask him about it but by that time Haskins would no longer talk about the issue.
I think that Haskins' last information about the supposed incident can be found in Dan Wetzel's book on Haskins where Haskins said "
I also have to admit that I may have used race as a motivating factor. By this point the media was talking about it anyway and there was no way it hadn't entered my guys' thinking. Beside I was told Rupp had told some people privately that there was no way a black team would beat him. It got back to me that he was tellin' a joke, 'What does TWC stand for ? Two white coaches.' I was a little pissed off about that. I didn't know if that was true, but during one of my meetings with the team on the afternoon of the day of the championship game, I mentioned to the players I had heard some rumors that Rupp had said that he 'ain't losin' to a team of black players.' I was trying to fire up their asses."
To me this is Haskins' way of admitting that at that time in his career he was guilty of using the race card.
Whether Rupp actually made any of these comments privately, I don't know. But I am pretty certain that Rupp didn't say any such thing in a public forum, despite what sportswriters in the 1990s and 2000s have tried to claim.
From interviews with his players, Haskins definitely did relay this information (whether it was true or not) and thus used the information to try and gain an advantage.
Is it morally right for Haskins to play he race card in order to gain an advantage in a basketball game? Not IMO, but I can certainly understand a young coach in the biggest game of his career using it.
