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[quote="fun" post=276496][quote="redken" post=276440]As possibly the most popular and influential man in Kentucky in the early and mid-1960s, Rupp could've easily been a ground-breaker for the good. Instead he clung to his racist beliefs for as long as he could[/quote]
I agree. I would not describe Rupp - who according to the venerable Frank Deford was "a virulent racist" who "hated black people" - as a "good person" who "did immeasurable service to the community." On the contrary - and you'd think you wouldn't have to say this is the 21st century but evidently you do to certain ignorant St John's fans - racists are bad people who do immeasurable harm to the community. And in fact Rupp only recruited African American athletes because UK president John Oswald ordered him to. In Rupp's words, according to his long time assistant coach Harry Lancaster: "that son of a bitch is ordering me to get some n*gg*rs in here. What am I going to do ? He's the boss."
When several of Rupp's players were implicated in a point shaving scandal - the scandal that eventually led to the assassination of Jack Molinas by the mafia in Las Vegas - Rupp was described by the presiding judge as having failed "in his duty to observe the amateur rules, to build character, and to protect the morals and health of his charges". Again I agree: Rupp was not a "good person" who "did immeasurable service to the community." And quite the opposite.[/quote]
Rupp did do immeasurable service in Kentucky if you really read all the revised history by UK supporters. Much of the revisionist bullshit is to justify the great Kentucky basketball tradition and the continued use of his name in their sacred temple to him. The man in the brown suit ate, slept and shit Kentucky basketball but his immeasurable service was to the white Kentuckians to whom he was a deity. Jim Calhoun's record speaks for itself because he did what we didn't and that was win the Big games in the Big show but he was not a warm and fuzzy guy and back then I knew Uconn people that knew him well. Charity work aside he was a dick.
I agree. I would not describe Rupp - who according to the venerable Frank Deford was "a virulent racist" who "hated black people" - as a "good person" who "did immeasurable service to the community." On the contrary - and you'd think you wouldn't have to say this is the 21st century but evidently you do to certain ignorant St John's fans - racists are bad people who do immeasurable harm to the community. And in fact Rupp only recruited African American athletes because UK president John Oswald ordered him to. In Rupp's words, according to his long time assistant coach Harry Lancaster: "that son of a bitch is ordering me to get some n*gg*rs in here. What am I going to do ? He's the boss."
When several of Rupp's players were implicated in a point shaving scandal - the scandal that eventually led to the assassination of Jack Molinas by the mafia in Las Vegas - Rupp was described by the presiding judge as having failed "in his duty to observe the amateur rules, to build character, and to protect the morals and health of his charges". Again I agree: Rupp was not a "good person" who "did immeasurable service to the community." And quite the opposite.[/quote]
Rupp did do immeasurable service in Kentucky if you really read all the revised history by UK supporters. Much of the revisionist bullshit is to justify the great Kentucky basketball tradition and the continued use of his name in their sacred temple to him. The man in the brown suit ate, slept and shit Kentucky basketball but his immeasurable service was to the white Kentuckians to whom he was a deity. Jim Calhoun's record speaks for itself because he did what we didn't and that was win the Big games in the Big show but he was not a warm and fuzzy guy and back then I knew Uconn people that knew him well. Charity work aside he was a dick.
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