I am admittedly ashamed to do this.
Normally we would all be discussing the tournament.
But I wrote some remarks that I knew would be buried at the end of long message board threads.
With your indulgence (and a lot of reluctance from me), I am going to post them here.
(It is easier to read if you go to the link.)
If you are bored, please move along.
March 19, 1966 Worst loss in UK history?
https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/march-19-1966-worst-loss-in-uk-history.319808/page-2
Normally we would all be discussing the tournament.
But I wrote some remarks that I knew would be buried at the end of long message board threads.
With your indulgence (and a lot of reluctance from me), I am going to post them here.
(It is easier to read if you go to the link.)
If you are bored, please move along.
March 19, 1966 Worst loss in UK history?
https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/threads/march-19-1966-worst-loss-in-uk-history.319808/page-2
- Been following the Cats since 1953.
Easily the most painful loss ever. My first two games to see the Cats in person were the two before that in the Mid-East regional in Iowa City. Paid $3 for tickets.
Next would be ‘75 to UCLA
Then ‘92 Duke
Maybe Wisky after those followed by Zona in ‘97 and UConn in ‘14
Look no further than 11/12/19 for the worst L in UK history.
UK ranked #1 in the country playing in Rupp v a piss poor Evansville squad.
I disagree.
My guess is you are not very knowledgeable about Kentucky basketball history.
Do you know who the Crispin brothers are? At one time Kentucky fans were humiliated by them.
A few years later, younger fans (and others) thought Gardner-Webb was the biggest nightmare.
Yes, we freaked out about the Evansville loss. But that game will be lost in time. We recovered and had a successful season.
The Texas Western game is still talked about today and has helped to cement Coach Rupp's reputation to many as a racist.
There have been books written about that game. A feature film.
Just this week (and right now) -- on the NCAA site -- "How Texas Western's 1966 championship changed college sports forever."
They even show the entire game on the front page. (Perhaps they will display the Evansville game soon.)
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketbal...s-westerns-1966-national-championship-changed
Do you really think there will be books and films about the Evansville game?
- I was born in 1964. Worst losses I can remember. ‘92 Duke, ‘84 GTown, ‘14 UConn, ‘15 Wisconsin.
46 rick64, Saturday at 5:18 PM
Report
Like + Quote Reply - Following is what I remember about the 1966 Texas Western game. I was just a boy. This is just my recollection; there may be some inaccuracies. It was only 54 years ago.
********
It is perhaps unfathomable to many that in 1966:
No internet
Almost no sports news on TV. It was NOT common for "ordinary" games to be telecast -- only big games or a Game of the Week.
My family lived halfway between Louisville and Nashville. The TV reception from Nashville was clear -- not so for Louisville. No cable then.
On Sunday we would watch the (Coach) Roy Skinner Show. The Paducah native was Vanderbilt's successful coach.
There MIGHT be a sports page or two in local newspapers.
In depth sports stories were in magazines. By this time Sports Illustrated (a weekly) was the big one. Sport was monthly. I think that The Sporting News was weekly, but it focused primarily on baseball (and boxing).
So...we did not get big sports news every day.
********
The NCAA championship game was held on Saturday. The semi-finals were on Friday.
********
I did not see the championship game (on TV) live. I was just a wee lad. On March 19, 1966 my parents took my older brother and me to see (live) the Kentucky High School championship game between Shelby County (with Mike Casey) and Louisville Male at Freedom Hall.
Shelby County won.
********
After the heart-breaking loss to Texas Western, Sports Illustrated came out.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/03/28/gogo-with-bobby-joe
Decades later Frank Deford said he could hear (through the locker room door) an angry Coach Rupp at halftime shouting at his team. "We can't lose to this bunch of (racial epithets)."
This was at a time when much of the national media was piling on to "Kentucky's Shame."
The article that he wrote is linked above. No mention in the article.
[For what it's worth: When I moved to Atlanta in 1989, I went to the Fulton County Public Library in downtown Atlanta (for work research) -- no internet yet.] I went to the bound periodicals section. I was excited to see the article again. It had been removed (likely cut out by a reader).
********
From what I remembered Conley had the flu. Riley was excited because it was St. Patrick's Day week. (Each were of Irish descent.) Pat Riley's birthday is March 20.
******
Many writers (and some in this thread) state that it was a huge upset.
Rupp had his worst UK season (15-10) in 1965...and little was expected in the 1966 season.
UK began the season un-ranked.
But after we crushed Indiana (by 35) in the UKIT championship, we jumped to #10.
Then we started rolling.
As mentioned previously in this thread, the Runts went into the finale of the regular season undefeated and #1 in the nation when we were upset at Knoxville.
(Don't know why, but Dampier only scored 5 points against UT.)
Anyway, Texas Western was ranked #3. We UK fans knew about them during the second half of the season.
********
There is another amusing story. But this post is long enough.
- ↑
Following is what I remember about the 1966 Texas Western game. I was just a boy. This is just my recollection; there may be some inaccuracies. It was only 54 years ago.
********
It is perhaps unfathomable to many that in 1966:
No internet
Almost no sports news on TV. It was NOT common for "ordinary" games to be telecast -- only big games or a Game of the Week.
My family lived halfway between Louisville and Nashville. The TV reception from Nashville was clear -- not so for Louisville. No cable then.
On Sunday we would watch the (Coach) Roy Skinner Show. The Paducah native was Vanderbilt's successful coach.
There MIGHT be a sports page or two in local newspapers.
In depth sports stories were in magazines. By this time Sports Illustrated (a weekly) was the big one. Sport was monthly. I think that The Sporting News was weekly, but it focused primarily on baseball (and boxing).
So...we did not get big sports news every day.
********
The NCAA championship game was held on Saturday. The semi-finals were on Friday.
********
I did not see the championship game (on TV) live. I was just a wee lad. On March 19, 1966 my parents took my older brother and me to see (live) the Kentucky High School championship game between Shelby County (with Mike Casey) and Louisville Male at Freedom Hall.
Shelby County won.
********
After the heart-breaking loss to Texas Western, Sports Illustrated came out.
https://vault.si.com/vault/1966/03/28/gogo-with-bobby-joe
Decades later Frank Deford said he could hear (through the locker room door) an angry Coach Rupp at halftime shouting at his team. "We can't lost to this bunch of (racial epithets)."
This was at a time when much of the national media was piling on to "Kentucky's Shame."
The article that he wrote is linked above. No mention in the article.
[For what it's worth: When I moved to Atlanta in 1989, I went to the Fulton County Public Library in downtown Atlanta (for work research) -- no internet yet.] I went to the bound periodicals section. I was excited to see the article again. It had been removed (likely cut out by a reader).
********
From what I remembered Conley had the flu. Riley was excited because it was St. Patrick's Day week. (Each were of Irish descent.) Pat Riley's birthday is March 20.
******
Many writers (and some in this thread) state that it was a huge upset.
Rupp had his worst UK season (15-10) in 1965...and little was expected in the 1966 season.
UK began the season un-ranked.
But after we crushed Indiana (by 35) in the UKIT championship, we jumped to #10.
Then we started rolling.
As mentioned previously in this thread, the Runts went into the finale of the regular season when we were upset at Knoxville.
(Don't know why, but Dampier only scored 5 points against UT.)
Anyway, Texas Western was ranked #3. We UK fans knew about them during the second half of the season.
********
There is another amusing story. But this post is long enough.
Your post is dead on correct. I was 19 yrs. old waiting to go to basic training in April and I cried like a little baby after the loss. Your correct about the flu also, but Conley wasn't the only one that had the flu. All these young whipper snappers can argue but that game historically had more impact than any game in history. The 60's were a different time and I don't expect younger generation to understand how much basketball meant back then, much more than today.
48 Cobb4uk, Yesterday at 5:51 PM
