A Little St. John's - Kentucky History

NYCRedmen

NYCRedmen

Well-known member
Before I go any further let me point out that I was not at this game, I was not even born. LOL. I am just someone who appreciates history, especially when it comes to St. John's.

Some 60 years ago on December 17, 1951 to be exact, the #2 ranked St. John's Redmen traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to take on the Wildcats who were ranked #1 and were the defending National Champions. History was made before a point was ever scored as Solly Walker of St. John's became the first ever visiting African-American player to take the floor against Kentucky, defying existing Jim Crow laws. Kentucky would crush St. John's 81-40. Walker was injured and had to be taken out of the game, after a Kentucky player took him out on a layup attempt. The two teams would meet again on March 22, 1952 in the NCAA East Regional Final. The Redmen exacted their revenge beating the top ranked Wildcats 64-57 and securing St. John's first NCAA Final Four. Many St. John's fans to this day consider this one of the greatest wins in school history.

Yes it may be a stretch but here's to hoping that if we lose Thursday night, that history will repeat itself ; )
 
I've read that, at halftime of that NCAA Tournament game, then-St. John's coach Frank Macguire didn't say a single word to his players. Instead, he let them listen through the wall (because you could do that in those rickety old gyms) at then-Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp ripping his players a new one. 
 
My Freshman year in high school, I still remember the story in the New York Times. The customer on my paper route got their paper a little late that Sunday. The win probably contributed more to my attending SJU then I realized at the time, I enrolled.

My favorite SJU victory and I didn't even see the game!
 
I am told that the Kentucky fans had a tradition of gathering at a point that overlooked the tunnel where the visiting players entered and exited the court and spit on the African American players as they passed. That tradition lasted through much of the 1960s.
 
ST JOHNS ALSO LOST AT KENTUCKY BIG TIME IN LATE 70's....BUT ALL EASTERN TEAMS GOT THE STUFFING BEATEN OUT OF THEM,INCL: IONA WITH JEFF RULAND,AND VILLANOVA(TOP 5,PRESEASON) WITH HANK SEMONTHOWSKI 
 
ST JOHNS ALSO LOST AT KENTUCKY BIG TIME IN LATE 70's....BUT ALL EASTERN TEAMS GOT THE STUFFING BEATEN OUT OF THEM,INCL: IONA WITH JEFF RULAND,AND VILLANOVA(TOP 5,PRESEASON) WITH HANK SEMONTHOWSKI 
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Please stop typing in all caps.

Thanks in advance.
 
ST JOHNS ALSO LOST AT KENTUCKY BIG TIME IN LATE 70's....BUT ALL EASTERN TEAMS GOT THE STUFFING BEATEN OUT OF THEM,INCL: IONA WITH JEFF RULAND,AND VILLANOVA(TOP 5,PRESEASON) WITH HANK SEMONTHOWSKI 
Click to expand...
 

Please stop typing in all caps.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
 

Cut him some slack, mkras. Bob Barker's been around for decades: Truth or Consequences, The Price is Right, Happy Gilmore, etc. B)
 
It is nice to hear that St. John's had a role in the history of integration in college sports. We should be proud that we did so.

Is it true that Solly Walker could not stay in the same "white" hotel with the rest of the team, and so St. John's all left the hotel and stayed where African Americans were welcome? 
 
No surprise that the narrative is different. Solly himself tells quite a different story. The man was and continues to be a class act. On a somewhat related note, I had the pleasure of meeting Floyd Layne of the 1950 NCAA Champion CCNY  team 2 years ago. For those who may not be aware, that year CCNY played Kentucky at the Garden and one of the Kentucky players refused to shake Floyd's hand during the pre-game warmups. CCNY went on to crush the Wildcats and thoroughly embarrass Adolph Rupp's boys. In speaking with Floyd about that game he said to me "yeah, those fellas weren't very nice". Unbelievable that Kentucky has a building named after such a known racist.
 
Respectfully speaking, you need to do some exact research on Adolph Rupp. Try looking up Don Barksdale, the first African-American Olympian who was best friends with Rupp during the London Olympics. Look up Rupps HS days where he coached a multi-racial team. Try looking up Jim Tucker, an African-American from Paris, Kentucky for whom coach Rupp helped arrange a scholarship to Duquesne University in the 1950’s.

If you investigate, you will find out that Rupp spent the night at Wes Unseld's house but guarantee Wes's safety in the volitile south. At the UK Basketball Museum, you can still witness letters penned by Rupp to the SEC suggesting intergration. You'll also find testimonies from Red Auerbach, Pat Riley and other respected men, who claim none of the claims during Rupp's years were consistent. Pat Riley (who was on the 1966 UK team) said the movie Glory Road was highly fictional.

Again, do your own reseach and you'll find things you won't want to find - unless you're just wanting to paint the man a racist. Please remind the media that all-white Duke played UK in the final four in 66, wonder if they would've been branded had they beaten UK and faced Texas Western? UK was the first public SEC school to recruit and sign black football and basketball players. UK was the only Southern school that traveled to Chicago, NYC and other northern cities to play in intergrated cities - so again, all the facts.

Most of UK's athletes, the past 40 years, have been black as have several head coaches in multiple sports - including basketball, football etc. Live in the present and the future.
  
 
 You mean like this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/sports/basketball/27bassett.html?

The first time Bassett and the Bulldogs played Kentucky was a home game on Jan. 17, 1972. Georgia won that game, 85-73. Bassett had 27 points and 13 rebounds. After the game, the legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp approached Bassett.

“He said I didn’t belong in the Southeast Conference, and he said, ‘We’ll get you back when you come to Lexington,’ ” Bassett said.

When the Bulldogs went to Lexington a month later, they entered the gym to find Bassett hanging in effigy from the ceiling. Stunned, Bassett’s teammates offered not to play the game if Bassett were too uncomfortable there. A motivated Bassett played anyway and had 17 points and 17 rebounds, but Georgia lost, 87-63.

After the game, Bassett wanted to let Rupp know just how he felt about Rupp’s allowing the effigy in Kentucky’s gym. He went searching for Rupp’s office but was stopped before he could get there.

“I just wanted to let him know that I was a man, and I was just trying to figure why he felt it was O.K. to disrespect anybody in that way,” Bassett said. “What was his mind-set? This is a leader of men, you know, all these years, and for him to allow that, it just didn’t make sense.”
 
 I've done my research John. Rupp was a racist. UK didnt have a black player until the early 70s (I believe it was Tom Payne). Never forget the past.
 
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