ADVERTISEMENT

New Series Southern Hoops (Part 1 Rupp) Tonight

Right now it's talking about how Rupp looked out for Barksdale when they went to London for Olympics. Also how he helped Jim Tucker get a scholly.
Good.

My point was going to be that if they mention that he had all white teams until late in his career and the Texas western game…that’s fine…. But it’s complete bias nonsense if they don’t also mention him trying to help black athletes…telling them that he couldn’t be taking them to Mississippi etc for their own safety…and that he took his team north tk scrimmage black teams before it was accepted and unsegregated in the rest of the SEC.
 
I watched it and Rupp/Kentucky was treated pretty fairly. Although, I don't get why they included comments from anyone who didn't have first hand knowledge of the man (former players, journalists, etc). There were some subtle hints at him being a possible closet bigot or racist But, it wasn't overt.
However, I am afraid the next episode may not be as even-handed. It will include the '66 UK vs. Texas Western game. And we all know how that story goes.
@JPScott any thoughts?
 
Rupp was a man of his times and his views on race reflect that.

Was he a virulent bigot; Wallace at the courthouse steps? No of course not.

Did he have now outdated views on race that reflect the world in which he lived and probably very slow moving to integrate (which wasn’t entirely his fault and I can expand on this further if anyone wants) than a lot of people in hindsight would have liked? Yes.
 
Rupp was a man of his times and his views on race reflect that.

Was he a virulent bigot; Wallace at the courthouse steps? No of course not.

Did he have now outdated views on race that reflect the world in which he lived and probably very slow moving to integrate (which wasn’t entirely his fault and I can expand on this further if anyone wants) than a lot of people in hindsight would have liked? Yes.
Except the problem with this is that Rupp actually was in many ways a pioneer. He did a number of things to push integration and improve race relations that he didn't have to do, but he did them anyway. And he doesn't get credit for it in most cases.

He was a very complicated man with a ton of contradictions. None of these superficial documentaries are able to adequately contextualize this, especially when they interview people like Alexander Wolff who (I'd be willing to bet) didn't know him at all.
 
I am not saying that makes it right, it doesn't. But by today's standards, I would venture to guess (I was not around back then) 99% of adults had some type of racist tendencies in the 50's and 60's, probably including Rupp. But from what I've read from JP Scott and others that have put in the time to research it, or give first hand accounts, Rupp was a man of his times in that regard but did do things to try and improve them. I think the one thing I remember reading was that he did not think it safe (for the young man) to take a black athlete to Oxford, to Tuscolussa, and such. And we all have read that he did try to recruit Unseld in the early 60's, I imagine probably a few others. Maybe he was selective in that regard, understandably so, because as we saw with Jackie Robinson that first guy, had better be both really good and think skinned.
 
Rupp was a basketball coach and he always knew that Black boys could play basketball as well or better than the white boys. But he was at a school in the SEC. As Jon Scott says, he did some things to try to get those color barriers broken. He could not in good conscience sign Black players that he knew would be unable to play in SEC road games. When he finally signed Tom Payne he was mercilessly heckled and got death threats all over the South. He also wanted Wes Unseld very badly; and Unseld wanted to play for him but decided not to be the guy to break the barrier in the SEC.

It’s just BS revisionist history to say that Rupp should have signed Black players in the 1950s and early 1960s and he didn’t do it because he was a racist.
 
I watched last night until it became apparent that it was just a run of the mill production. The Fab Five propaganda piece from a few years back was a better production than this Southern Hoops - and that thing was mostly fiction being portrayed as the truth.
 
The broad view of episode 1 of this series is that it has no flow and bounces around to include a few flash in the pan success stories. It relies too much on comments from people that had no first hand knowledge of the events of the time. Should have left the professors and bow-tie clad commentators on the cutting room floor. Nash, Issel and Pettit were far more interesting IMO.
And who was the narrator? Why not find a better, more recognizable voice?
Also, I am afraid that the wheels are going to come off whatever good historical qualities the first entry might have had going for it in Episode 2.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rideordiewildcat
Not sure I care to watch a show that will likely refer non-stop to Rupp and Kentuckians as racists.

Hope I’m wrong.
I watched it and they treated Coach Rupp
Very fairly said he was at a rock and hard place because SEC forbid African American
Athletes until 1967
Rupp was a good Christian man his legacy
Is secure Rest In Peace
 
  • Like
Reactions: RogerIndy
Rupp was a basketball coach and he always knew that Black boys could play basketball as well or better than the white boys. But he was at a school in the SEC. As Jon Scott says, he did some things to try to get those color barriers broken. He could not in good conscience sign Black players that he knew would be unable to play in SEC road games. When he finally signed Tom Payne he was mercilessly heckled and got death threats all over the South. He also wanted Wes Unseld very badly; and Unseld wanted to play for him but decided not to be the guy to break the barrier in the SEC.

It’s just BS revisionist history to say that Rupp should have signed Black players in the 1950s and early 1960s and he didn’t do it because he was a racist.
Unseld was a teammate at Seneca
His Mother wanted a guarantee of safety which Rupp could not do
Rupp was my Coach and he was no racist
That’s horse shit you have no proof
 
Last edited:
I watched it and they treated Coach Rupp
Very fairly said he was at a rock and hard place because SEC forbid African American
Athletes until 1967
Rupp was a good Christian man his legacy
Is secure Rest In Peace
Then how do you explain these guys in 1965?

8e5e619a-6bb5-4cef-ac35-0b6dcc9508b8_1140x641.jpg


 
I've never really understood why Rupp and UK became the scapegoats for racism in southern sports from that era. The Mississippi schools wouldn't even play other teams with black players.
Because Kentucky was good. That’s it. Otherwise, I agree. it makes no sense geographically.
 
Last edited:
Because Kentucky was good. That’s it. Otherwise, I agree. it makes no sense geographically.
It was because UK was the bellwether program in the Southern Conference/SEC/ACC footprint. No school in that footprint had African-american players until the 60s. It has been well documented that Rupp did try to recruit. The haters simple ignore the facts on that. Bear Bryant and Coach Rupp pushed for signing African-Americans. It was the majority vote and the politics of the deeper south that blocked it.

While we are talking about breaking the color barrier even though it started with football first, just remember the schools that voted to let UK integrate athletics in the SEC...For: UK, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Tulane, and Georgia Tech. Those that voted to continue the ban: Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and LSU. Kinda funny that the most racist school in the SEC during this whole era, Mississippi State has the highest African-American enrollment of any of the schools.

Lastly it was pointed out in the documentary last night, and many on here that did not live through segregation and Jim Crow, don't seem to understand that Lexington was only a softer version of the other states. Segregation and Jim Crow existed in Lexington...many of the younger BBN on here fail to either realize that or accept that...so things were exactly peachy keen here either of african-americans.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RogerIndy
Will not watch it. It will translate to the same ole idea told over & over. But let others make their opinion. Yeah Right!!!

BTW, I was told I might not want to watch Shark Week anymore, it’s too racist!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigblueinsanity
Unseld was a teammate at Seneca
His Mother wanted a guarantee of safety which Rupp could not do
Rupp was my Coach and he was no racist
That’s horse shit you have no proof
Agree 100%...BTW I knew the younger brother of one of your teammates at Seneca. His younger brother was Randy Phlug and the older brother player with you went on, as you know to play at East Tennessee.
 
Except the problem with this is that Rupp actually was in many ways a pioneer. He did a number of things to push integration and improve race relations that he didn't have to do, but he did them anyway. And he doesn't get credit for it in most cases.

He was a very complicated man with a ton of contradictions. None of these superficial documentaries are able to adequately contextualize this, especially when they interview people like Alexander Wolff who (I'd be willing to bet) didn't know him at all.

I don’t necessarily disagree with you but to act like Rupp didn’t have antiquated views on race as a man of his time is just people not wanting to view an idol in the context of the world at the time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2Adulterers
ADVERTISEMENT