Be careful Gumboot...Cal's Army likes to state that UK would have won the title that year if it wasn't for COVID. And don't ask me to go and find the posts that said that...because they were all over the place.
Would you have wanted Coach Rupp fired?
- Thread starter EternallyBlu
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I've got to disagree with that. COVID? >>>China.
ALIENS aren't claiming COVID!
Tell the truth. When UK lost to Texas Western that turned a lot of people against Rupp.
You mean when we had Issel, Pratt, Casey. I’ll refrain from giving my opinion on your father’s basketball IQ.
They didn’t “use” anything. He reached mandatory retirement age and had to retire. There was talk of changing the rule for him because he was popular.
Never said it was I just asked how many rupp had? Cal has dug his own grave in other ways. I don’t think rupp did shat like the sharpe saga or coddle players with minor ailments. Rupp didn’t lose regularly to robert Morris peacock Evansville type programs. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Losing like he did 2 years ago was a massive hit to our program. It was a cal special. No other coach at Uk had a season like that except an outgoing cheater.
Could have had something named after him easily. Just has faded down the stretch.
I’m sorry. The records still stand don’t they? That year neither helps his case nor worsens it. Just like everyone else.
Yea. You’re doubling down on this Calipari has had some bad seasons therefore Rupp would feel no pressure thing but not sure how Calipari is even relevant to be honest. Glad to see you’ve posted the same opinion for the 9392nd time though. Think this is the time you sway the fanbase!
There were whispers that the game had passed him by and that his health was failing, the age 70 mandatory retirement issue. I was around for all of that but I didn't want to see him go although the time was close at hand. He built the program and put it first before everything. Cal does not do either of those things. I hope that answers the question
Fans make it up as they go on giving a reason to want cal out.
The truth is rupp would be wanted out today.
Not one person would say " yea let's keep him because he won 3 titles 20 years ago"
4 National Championships...RU. he was the king of CBB and widely proclaimed as goat! Apples to oranges.
If Coach Rupp had shamed our flag and thrown his support behind a bunch of racist communist bastards I’d have dragged my two-year-old ass out of my crib and booted his brown-suited rear out of here myself.
Thankfully he was much more nobly inclined.
Thankfully he was much more nobly inclined.
There was no case. Literally nobody could win the title that year. A literal 0% chance. So using that year in any capacity is disingenuous to say the least.
The year needs to be excluded in any stats this isn’t la la land... we should be talking about things that actually happened
Not sure what kind of silly question this is or what it's purpose is. Cal has not achieved at Rupp's level, not even close. The past 6 seasons he has not coached Kentucky to what is expected. People are going to complain when that happen and it's even possible that coaches will lose their jobs. That's not a problem with the fans that's a failure on the coach.
Besides, you should probably be aware that Rupp didn't just simply retire. He was forced to retire.
Take the comparison that OP was making between Cal and Rupp out of the conversation. Let’s put this in perspective by saying this past year (21-22) was Rupp’s final season at UK (71-72). Here would be some “lasts” for him:
Last Title - 2008
One title in the last 20 years
Last Final Four - 2016
One Final Four in the last 13 years
3 of his titles were won over 20 years ago (98, 99 and 01)
Add in the fact another school had just won 7 of the last 8 titles.
We are a society (and fan base) of “what have you done for me lately?”. There would 100% be a portion of this fan base that would absolutely want him to move on, and I don’t think it would be tiny portion. I think you’d probably see a big disparity based on age.
Last Title - 2008
One title in the last 20 years
Last Final Four - 2016
One Final Four in the last 13 years
3 of his titles were won over 20 years ago (98, 99 and 01)
Add in the fact another school had just won 7 of the last 8 titles.
We are a society (and fan base) of “what have you done for me lately?”. There would 100% be a portion of this fan base that would absolutely want him to move on, and I don’t think it would be tiny portion. I think you’d probably see a big disparity based on age.
I'm nowhere near old enough to have seen Rupp on sidelines...that said, wasn't he getting pressure back then? I think people have said that in past posts on this topic.
Chances are greater we don't win another under Cal, he had multiple title chances fly by.
There is also a chance he wins another, hell he could win two.
Walking away from 15 years at UK with 1 wouldn't be so bad if we weren't so close to him having 2-4.
Cal legit could have been modern Rupp in 10-11 year run...had the chance, didn't close it. '10, '11, '12,'14, '15, '17, '18, '19, '22. All those teams had a good shot for various reasons; one won, others could have. He could easily have 4 right now....smdh.... frustrating as all get out.
I don't know if words can express how frustrating the above is and is probably the antithesis of the majority of our fan base' frustration.
There is also a chance he wins another, hell he could win two.
Walking away from 15 years at UK with 1 wouldn't be so bad if we weren't so close to him having 2-4.
Cal legit could have been modern Rupp in 10-11 year run...had the chance, didn't close it. '10, '11, '12,'14, '15, '17, '18, '19, '22. All those teams had a good shot for various reasons; one won, others could have. He could easily have 4 right now....smdh.... frustrating as all get out.
I don't know if words can express how frustrating the above is and is probably the antithesis of the majority of our fan base' frustration.
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Meh...if you want Cal gone and he has 2-4 titles now, I don't know what to tell you. It is always about wins and losses at UK, plain and simple.
Anything other than that is a you problem IMHO and I mean no disrespect. The man is paid to win games, not appease the masses on how he does it. Hence the reason there is pressure now...if he has a title or two more it is crickets.
STOP IT
You are comparing a genius to a snake oil salesman.
Rupp was a man who loved the University of Kentucky and its fans and you are comparing him to a man who loves only the face in his mirror. Rupp was a man who demanded the players play for the team and each other and had nothing to do with a prima donna, selfish player. He knew his team represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the University of Kentucky and every fan. Not the draft value of some hot shot 18 or 19 year old kid.
The last five years of Rupp's career the UK Wildcats won 5 regular season SEC Titles. There was not an SEC tournament or he would have won that too.
Only at Kentucky would fans disrespect a man who made the program and built it from the ground up on solid rock. I find it interesting Rupp does not have any honor from the University and the current administration is looking for any excuse to erase him from UK history books. Only at Kentucky.
Yea, let's fire the coach who won 4 titles and retired as the winningest coach of all time. Cal OTOH has 4 F4's on the books and 1 title. And all the F4's happened between 2011 and 2015. Since 2015 he's sub .500 against the top 25. Plus, he's totally missed the tournament twice in 13 years.
NOT EVEN IN THE SAME STRATOSPHERE.
NOT EVEN IN THE SAME STRATOSPHERE.
Not old enough to have ever had the pleasure of watching Rupp coach. But I feel fairly safe in saying that there is no way in Hades he would have let a healthy player sit on the bench on scholarship and refuse to play because it might hurt his draft stock.
Rupp was way before my time, so I don’t have any insight into how fans felt about him in that moment. Strictly looking at the historical data, I do think you could make a good faith argument that he held on a little too long at the end, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some felt it was time for him to retire in your hypothetical.
However, if your actual question is why Cal seems to have run out of goodwill so much faster, the simple answer is that his lifetime achievements aren’t remotely comparable to Rupp. Rupp pretty much singlehandedly built the program into something nationally prominent, won 4 national titles, and retired as college basketball’s all-time leader in wins. Cal’s 1 championship is nice, but it just doesn’t carry the same weight in giving him a lifetime pass, especially since a lot of the complaints about him lately deal with his philosophy hurting the foundation of the program rather than strengthening it.
However, if your actual question is why Cal seems to have run out of goodwill so much faster, the simple answer is that his lifetime achievements aren’t remotely comparable to Rupp. Rupp pretty much singlehandedly built the program into something nationally prominent, won 4 national titles, and retired as college basketball’s all-time leader in wins. Cal’s 1 championship is nice, but it just doesn’t carry the same weight in giving him a lifetime pass, especially since a lot of the complaints about him lately deal with his philosophy hurting the foundation of the program rather than strengthening it.
This is a reasonable take and one I actually agree with. However a large chunk of posters keep saying post 2015 has been hell for the program which means 17, 18, 19 and 22 are part of that. They act like each year was like the 2020-2021 season.
Well in fairness all of the seasons since 2016 have been the most frustrating in Cal era at least in my view. Skal flop year, Rooferee 2.0 EE, Wide open bracket choke to KSU, choke to Auburn EE, COVID cancellation, losing season, loss to a 15 seed.
It has been pretty brutal. Toss in the blowout loss to Duke, UT eating our lunch, Evansville game...I get it, really do.
Unlike John Calipari, coach Rupp had 4 national championships on his coaching resume. Coach Rupp built the UK basketball program. Rupp didn't have the luxury of having Black players on his teams because of the way that the south was back then You put Wes Unseld on the 66 team, that's another national championship. You put 7'0" Jim McDaniels on the 1970 team that's another national championship. Coach Rupp would have had at least 6 national championships if things were different during the 1960's...... After Calipari wins his 4th national championship then get back with us.
Stupid comparison for the reasons already mentioned but I'll add my two cents. For one, Rupp CREATED THE PROGRAM. He was the most dominant coach before Wooden, winning four national championships including three in a four year span. He ended up with six Final Fours. Winning more than one title makes a world of difference.
But here's the kicker. It was time for Rupp to go as the game did pass him by as it does everyone who chooses to stay too long. Bobby Bowden was one of the college football greats and he stayed about a decade too long. Cal is no longer the right guy for this job as well.
But here's the kicker. It was time for Rupp to go as the game did pass him by as it does everyone who chooses to stay too long. Bobby Bowden was one of the college football greats and he stayed about a decade too long. Cal is no longer the right guy for this job as well.
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