 Rupp in 1954 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1901-09-02)September 2, 1901 Halstead, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 1977(1977-12-10) (aged 76) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1920–1923 | Kansas |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1926–1930 | Freeport HS |
| 1930–1972 | Kentucky |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 876–190 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| As a coach: 4NCAA tournament (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958) 6NCAA regional—Final Four (1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966) NIT (1946) SoCon regular season (1932) 13SEC tournament (1933, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944–1950, 1952) 27SEC regular season (1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944–1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968–1972) As a player: 2Helms National (1922, 1923) | |
| Awards | |
| 5× National Coach of the Year (1950, 1954, 1959, 1966, 1970) 7× SEC Coach of the Year (1964, 1966, 1968–1972) | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1969 (profile) | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an Americancollege basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached theUniversity of Kentucky Wildcats to fourNCAA championships, oneNIT championship, 27Southeastern Conference championships, and 13SEC tournament championships. In his 41 years of coaching at Kentucky, he won 876 games, retiring with the most total victories by a men'sNCAA Division I college coach at the time; he has since been surpassed by six coaches and ranks seventh. Rupp is second among all men's college coaches in all-time winning percentage (.822) and third in NCAA championships. In 1948, he coached the US Olympic Team to a gold medal in London.
Rupp was enshrined in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 13, 1969. Rupp played college basketball atKansas underPhog Allen.
Rupp was born September 2, 1901, inHalstead, Kansas, to Heinrich Rupp, a German immigrant,[1] and Anna Lichti, aPalatinate (Quirnheim, Germany) immigrant. The fourth of six children, Rupp grew up on a 163-acre farm that his parents had homesteaded. He began playing basketball as a young child, with the help of his mother, who made a ball for him by stuffing rags into a gunnysack. "Mother sewed it up and somehow made it round," he recalled in 1977. "You couldn't dribble it. You couldn't bounce it either."[2]
Rupp was a star for theHalstead High School basketball team, one of the first in the area to play with a real basketball. He averaged 19 points a game. Former teammates described Rupp as the team's unofficial coach.[1][3]
After high school, Rupp attended theUniversity of Kansas from 1919 to 1923. He worked part-time at the student Jayhawk Cafe to help pay his college expenses. In 1922, Adolph pledged and was initiated into the Iota chapter of International Fraternity ofDelta Sigma Pi. Later in 1966, he was named Deltasig of the Year by the fraternity. He was a reserve on the basketball team under Hall of Fame coachPhog Allen from 1919 to 1923. Assisting Allen during that time was his former coach and inventor of the game of basketball,James Naismith, whom Rupp also got to know well during his time in Lawrence.[4]
In Rupp's junior and senior college seasons (1921–22 and 1922–23), Kansas (KU) had outstanding basketball squads. Later, both of these standout Kansas teams would be awarded the Helms National Championship, recognizing the Jayhawks as the top team in the nation during those seasons.
He received an MA fromTeachers College, Columbia University.[5][6]
Rupp began his career in coaching by accepting a teaching job at Burr Oak High School, Kansas. After a one-year stay, Rupp moved on toMarshalltown, Iowa, where he coached wrestling, a sport he knew nothing about at the time and learned from a book. He led theMarshalltown team to a state wrestling title in 1926.[7]
In 1926–30, Rupp accepted the basketball head coaching position atFreeport High School, (Freeport, Illinois) where he also taught history and economics. During his four years at Freeport, Rupp compiled a record of 66–21 and guided his team to a third-place finish in the 1929 state tournament.[8] While at Freeport High School Rupp started William "Mose" Mosely, the first African-American to play basketball at Freeport and the second to graduate from the school.[citation needed]
University of Illinois head basketball coachCraig Ruby was invited to speak at the team banquet following the 1929–30 season. Ruby informed Rupp of the Kentucky head coaching job and followed up by recommending him for the job.[9]
During his time in Freeport, Rupp met his future wife, Esther Schmidt.
Rupp coached theUniversity of Kentuckymen's basketball team from 1930 to 1972. There, he gained the nicknames, "Baron of the Bluegrass", and "The Man in the Brown Suit". Rupp was inducted intoOmicron Delta Kappa at Kentucky in 1937. Rupp's Wildcat teams won fourNCAA championships (1948,1949,1951,1958), oneNational Invitation Tournament title in 1946, appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments, had six NCAAFinal Four appearances, captured 27Southeastern Conference regular season titles, and won 13Southeastern Conference tournaments. Rupp's Kentucky teams also finished ranked #1 on six occasions in the finalAssociated Press college basketball poll and four times in theUnited Press International (Coaches) poll. In addition, Rupp's 1966 Kentucky squad—nicknamed "Rupp's Runts"— finished runner-up in theNCAA tournament and Rupp's 1947 Wildcats finished runner-up in theNational Invitation Tournament. Rupp's 1933 and 1954 Kentucky squads were also retroactively named national champions by theHelms Athletic Foundation; his1934,1947, and1948 teams were retroactively named the national champion by thePremo-Porretta Power Poll.[10]
In his 41 seasons as UK coach, Rupp coached 32 All-Americans, chosen 50 times, 52 All-SEC players, chosen 91 times, 44 NBA Draft Picks, 2 National Players-of-the-Year, 7 Olympic Gold Medalists, and 4Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members. He was a 5-time National Coach-of-the-Year award winner, and a 7-time Conference Coach-of-the-Year award winner. Rupp was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,College Basketball Hall of Fame, Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, Kansas Athletic Hall of Fame, University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, andHelms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame. Further, since 1972, theAdolph Rupp Trophy, considered one of the nation's premier basketball awards, has been given by the Commonwealth Athletic Club to the top men's college basketball player. In addition, the University of Kentucky retired a jersey in his honor in the rafters ofRupp Arena, a 23,500-seat arena named after him, dedicated in 1976.[11]
Rupp was forced into retirement in March 1972, at the age of 70. At the time, this was the mandatory retirement age for all University of Kentucky employees.
Rupp was the head coach at Kentucky during thepoint shaving scandal of 1951. On October 20, 1951, former Kentucky playersAlex Groza,Bill Spivey,Ralph Beard, and Dale Barnstable were arrested for taking bribes from gamblers toshave points during theNational Invitation Tournament game against theLoyola Ramblers in the1948–49 season.[12] This game occurred during the same year that Kentucky won their second straight NCAA title under Rupp.[13] Rupp and the university were criticized by the presiding judge, Saul Streit, for creating an atmosphere for the violations to occur and for "failing in his duty to observe the amateur rules, to build character, and to protect the morals and health of his charges".[14] Rupp denied any knowledge of the point shaving and no evidence was ever brought against him to show he was connected to the incident in any way.[15]
A subsequent NCAA investigation found that Kentucky had committed several rule violations, including giving illegal spending money to players on several occasions, and also allowing some ineligible athletes to compete.[15] As a result, theSoutheastern Conference voted to ban Kentucky from competing for a year and the NCAA requested all other basketball-playing members not to schedule Kentucky, with eventually none doing so.[16] Because of these actions, Kentucky was forced to cancel the entire 1952–53 basketball season. Years later,Walter Byers, the first executive director of the NCAA, unofficially referred to this punishment as the first de factoNCAA death penalty, despite the current rule only coming into effect in 1985.[17][18] The NCAA's website similarly stated "In effect, it was the Association's first "death penalty," though its enforcement was binding only through constitutional language that required members to compete against only those schools that were compliant with NCAA rules. Despite fears that it would resist, Kentucky accepted the penalty ..."[19]
A pivotal game in Rupp's career and for college basketball in general was the1966 NCAA championship game atCole Field House againstTexas Western, coached byDon Haskins. It featuredKentucky's all-white team againstTexas Western's all-black starting five, and took place at the height of theCivil Rights Movement. The game, which Texas Western won 72–65, helped accelerate the ongoing integration movement in college basketball, as well as the overall recruiting approach of theSEC,ACC, andSWC conferences.[citation needed]
Rupp was an early innovator of the fast break and set offense. His offense consisted of 10–15 set plays (with variations for each), complete with extensive offensive movement and screening. Early basketball innovations such as the "guard around" play and inside screen were first developed by Rupp in the 1930s. Likewise, he was an early proponent of the fast break, which his Kentucky teams used at every opportunity throughout his career. For most of his coaching career he preferred only a tight man-to-man defense, but during the 1963–64 season, he became one of the first coaches to begin experimenting with the trapping 1–3–1 zone defense, and his Kentucky teams used this defense at times for the remainder of his career.[citation needed] Throughout his time at Kentucky, Rupp's recruiting focused largely on local and regional talent; over 80% of Rupp's Kentucky players came from the state of Kentucky.[20][21][22]
Rupp strongly emphasized the fundamentals of basketball, both on offense and defense, and overall discipline. He believed that excellence was achieved only through repetition, and his practices stressed individual instruction, precision, and continuity. Rupp was very demanding of his players, constantly putting extreme pressure on them in practice, and mercilessly berating them for any mistakes.[22][23][24]
Rupp, a very superstitious man, was known to carry a "lucky" buckeye in his pocket. His favorite sign of good luck was finding a pin, especially a bobby pin, particularly on a game day. The depth of his superstitious nature was revealed while he was coaching at Freeport, when he had bought a new blue suit to replace his old brown one. He wore his new suit to a game, and his team got beaten badly. Rupp never again wore anything but a brown suit to games.[25]
Rupp hired assistant coach Neil Reed in 1960 to help recruit African-American players and once asked the UK president to leave the SEC so he could recruit black players.[citation needed] Rupp recruitedWes Unseld (the first black player to which Rupp extended a formal scholarship offer) andButch Beard before both pickedLouisville; the amount of effort Rupp put into their recruitments is disputed.[26][27] Rupp signed his first black player, troubled 7'2" centerTom Payne, who played in the 1971 season. After his lone varsity season, Payne, who was on the verge of flunking out of school,[citation needed] joined the NBA's first-ever supplemental draft. Adolph Rupp's views on racial issues and interest in signing black players remains a subject of dispute, with Rupp denying accusations of racism during his tenure at Kentucky.[26][27][28][29]
In April 1972, Rupp was named team president of theMemphis Pros, soon to become theMemphis Tams, of theAmerican Basketball Association.[30][31] Rupp was used mostly as a figurehead by Finley, who sent him to travel to games and sit by the press table so others could see him. In June 1973 Rupp quit as Tams president, calling the ABA "bush league" and saying it "would never survive". According to Ron Grinker, an attorney for players, Rupp (who had apparently drank several Kentucky bourbons) once stated in conversation that the problem with the league was "that there are too many n----r boys in it now."[32]
In September 1973, Rupp was hired as Vice President of the Board of theKentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association.[33][34]
Rupp died of spinal cancer at age 76 inLexington, Kentucky, on December 10, 1977,[35] on a night when Kentucky defeated his alma mater, Kansas, atAllen Fieldhouse inLawrence, Kansas.[36] The game that night was promoted as "Adolph Rupp Night".[37] He is buried inLexington Cemetery.Rupp Arena, the current home of the Kentucky men's basketball team, is named in his honor.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wildcats(Southern Conference)(1930–1932) | |||||||||
| 1930–31 | Kentucky | 15–3 | 8–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1931–32 | Kentucky | 15–2 | 9–1 | T–1st | |||||
| Kentucky: | 30–5 | 17–3 | |||||||
| Kentucky Wildcats(Southeastern Conference)(1932–1972) | |||||||||
| 1932–33 | Kentucky | 21–3 | 8–0 | 1st | Helms National Champion | ||||
| 1933–34 | Kentucky | 16–1 | 11–0 | 1st | Premo-Porretta National Champion | ||||
| 1934–35 | Kentucky | 19–2 | 11–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1935–36 | Kentucky | 15–6 | 6–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1936–37 | Kentucky | 17–5 | 5–3 | T–5th | |||||
| 1937–38 | Kentucky | 13–5 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1938–39 | Kentucky | 16–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1939–40 | Kentucky | 15–6 | 4–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1940–41 | Kentucky | 17–8 | 8–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1941–42 | Kentucky | 19–6 | 6–2 | 3rd | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1942–43 | Kentucky | 17–6 | 8–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1943–44 | Kentucky | 19–2 | NIT Third Place | ||||||
| 1944–45 | Kentucky | 22–4 | 4–1 | T-1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1945–46 | Kentucky | 28–2 | 6–0 | T-1st | NIT champion | ||||
| 1946–47 | Kentucky | 34–3 | 11–0 | 1st | NIT Runner-up, Premo-Porretta National Champion | ||||
| 1947–48 | Kentucky | 36–3 | 9–0 | 1st | NCAA champion, Premo-Porretta National Champion | ||||
| 1948–49 | Kentucky | 32–2 | 13–0 | 1st | NCAA champion,NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1949–50 | Kentucky | 25–5 | 11–2 | 1st | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1950–51 | Kentucky | 32–2 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA champion | ||||
| 1951–52 | Kentucky | 29–3 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1952–53 | No team* | ||||||||
| 1953–54 | Kentucky | 25–0 | 15–0** | T–1st | Helms National Champion | ||||
| 1954–55 | Kentucky | 23–3 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1955–56 | Kentucky | 20–6 | 12–2 | 2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1956–57 | Kentucky | 23–5 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA University Division Elite Eight | ||||
| 1957–58 | Kentucky | 23–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA University Division champion | ||||
| 1958–59 | Kentucky | 24–3 | 12–2 | T–2nd | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1959–60 | Kentucky | 18–7 | 10–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1960–61 | Kentucky | 19–9 | 11–4** | T–2nd | NCAA University Division Elite Eight | ||||
| 1961–62 | Kentucky | 23–3 | 13–1 | T–1st | NCAA University Division Elite Eight | ||||
| 1962–63 | Kentucky | 16–9 | 8–6 | 5th | |||||
| 1963–64 | Kentucky | 21–6 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1964–65 | Kentucky | 15–10 | 10–6 | 5th | |||||
| 1965–66 | Kentucky | 27–2 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA University Division Runner-up | ||||
| 1966–67 | Kentucky | 13–13 | 8–10 | T–5th | |||||
| 1967–68 | Kentucky | 22–5 | 15–3 | 1st | NCAA University Division Elite Eight | ||||
| 1968–69 | Kentucky | 23–5 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1969–70 | Kentucky | 26–2 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA University Division Elite 8 | ||||
| 1970–71 | Kentucky | 22–6 | 16–2 | 1st | NCAA University Division Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1971–72 | Kentucky | 21–7 | 14–4 | T–1st | NCAA University Division Elite Eight | ||||
| Kentucky: | 876–190 | 399–75 | |||||||
| Total: | 876–190 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
