Texas Western was just the better team that night. I've watched the footage. (I think most of the game is in segments on YouTube) UK did not shoot well at all and the Miners lived at the FT stripe.

 

The long forgotten part of the Texas Western story by many fans and media is that the Miners were a great team. They were 28-1 with their lone loss on the road at Seattle, a team that was very good during the 1960s. Texas Western was ranked as high as #2 in the country for a few weeks and was the #3 ranked team in the NCAA Tournament. Certainly Kentucky was the favorite, but the implication has always been that Texas Western was some poor bunch of saps lucky to have made it that far and that just isn't true.

The long forgotten part of the Texas Western story by many fans and media is that the Miners were a great team. They were 28-1 with their lone loss on the road at Seattle, a team that was very good during the 1960s. Texas Western was ranked as high as #2 in the country for a few weeks and was the #3 ranked team in the NCAA Tournament. Certainly Kentucky was the favorite, but the implication has always been that Texas Western was some poor bunch of saps lucky to have made it that far and that just isn't true.

 

People forget that TW beat Kansas with Jo Jo White and Cincinnati in their Regional. It was lightning in the bottle for that one season for them.

 

On the other side, I think revisionists created the "racist UK" beaten by the Miners thing. At the time it was talked of in African-American circles but it was not a National Story to much, much later. Probably because Cincy had many AA players as did Loyola in previous tourneys. The key was the SEC in my mind.

 

Rupp did recruit Wes Unseld and made overtures at a WKU star but few wanted to be "ground breakers" in the SEC. Let's face it. Miss State turned down NCAA bids to avoid playing vs. African-American players and had to sneak away to play in '63 or so. What do you think their response would have been if UK came to Starkville or Tuscaloosa or Oxford or Auburn?

 

My biggest gripe is that Rupp did not uses his clout to take the initiative in de-segregation. What's ironic is that UK de-segregated the SEC in football.

People forget that TW beat Kansas with Jo Jo White and Cincinnati in their Regional. It was lightning in the bottle for that one season for them.

 

On the other side, I think revisionists created the "racist UK" beaten by the Miners thing. At the time it was talked of in African-American circles but it was not a National Story to much, much later. Probably because Cincy had many AA players as did Loyola in previous tourneys. The key was the SEC in my mind.

 

Rupp did recruit Wes Unseld and made overtures at a WKU star but few wanted to be "ground breakers" in the SEC. Let's face it. Miss State turned down NCAA bids to avoid playing vs. African-American players and had to sneak away to play in '63 or so. What do you think their response would have been if UK came to Starkville or Tuscaloosa or Oxford or Auburn?

 

My biggest gripe is that Rupp did not uses his clout to take the initiative in de-segregation. What's ironic is that UK de-segregated the SEC in football.

True he maybe could have done more, but he was attempting to recruit black players as early as 63/64. Rupp said that his biggest problem with recruiting blacks was taking them on the road in the south and what they would have to endure. Tom Payne's one year of varsity Basketball at UK is a testament to those fears as he was harangued and persecuted at nearly every school in the SEC on road trips. Rupp did have Clout but it was somewhat diminished through the south, other schools at that time didn't care what was going on around the country. Only option really for UK at the time would have been to leave the conference.

Larry Conley had the flu. Others were getting over strept from the week before in Iowa when the Cats played Michigan and Cazzie Russell in the Regionals.

 

Texas Western was just the better team that night. I've watched the footage. (I think most of the game is in segments on YouTube) UK did not shoot well at all and the Miners lived at the FT stripe.

Also, didn't Riley have some back pain that hampered his play. It was either that or a sore foot.

Seems like he wasn't 100%. And as mentioned, several had the flu or were recovering from it.

The UK angle was just heightened because of Rupp and the state itself seen as being full of racist rednecks.

 

In the 1960's, wouldn't North Carolina have been seen just as racist redneck as KY?

 

I would assume the media could have made a field day about a predominately white, private, exclusive University is racist North Carolina losing to TEX Western.

True he maybe could have done more, but he was attempting to recruit black players as early as 63/64. Rupp said that his biggest problem with recruiting blacks was taking them on the road in the south and what they would have to endure. Tom Payne's one year of varsity Basketball at UK is a testament to those fears as he was harangued and persecuted at nearly every school in the SEC on road trips. Rupp did have Clout but it was somewhat diminished through the south, other schools at that time didn't care what was going on around the country. Only option really for UK at the time would have been to leave the conference.

 

Was it Tom Payne who when they would travel to away games they often could not find a single hotel that would take a black person?

Also, didn't Riley have some back pain that hampered his play. It was either that or a sore foot.

Seems like he wasn't 100%. And as mentioned, several had the flu or were recovering from it.

 

Rupp stated later that Riley had an infected foot from an injury. Rupp also didn't like to lose to anyone and he didn't mention it right away. I'll have to believe him but would love to hear Riley's version.

 

Riley did mess up his back that summer at Herrington Lake in a ski fall. It ruined his ability and consistency the next season when UK went 13-13. He missed games depending upon his back. :thumb:

Larry Conley had the flu. Others were getting over strept from the week before in Iowa when the Cats played Michigan and Cazzie Russell in the Regionals.

 

Texas Western was just the better team that night. I've watched the footage. (I think most of the game is in segments on YouTube) UK did not shoot well at all and the Miners lived at the FT stripe.

Plus...Bobby Joe Hill stole the ball out front from UK's guards numerous times.

True he maybe could have done more, but he was attempting to recruit black players as early as 63/64. Rupp said that his biggest problem with recruiting blacks was taking them on the road in the south and what they would have to endure. Tom Payne's one year of varsity Basketball at UK is a testament to those fears as he was harangued and persecuted at nearly every school in the SEC on road trips. Rupp did have Clout but it was somewhat diminished through the south, other schools at that time didn't care what was going on around the country. Only option really for UK at the time would have been to leave the conference.

 

If it was truly a big issue on his radar, he should have had UK join a different conference. He had enough of a cult of personality around him that it would have happened had Rupp wanted it to. Or maybe it was just too hard to pass up all those free wins against schools that didn't care about basketball?

 

Maybe he wasn't a racist, per se. Maybe he just did like most everyone else at the time and didn't care enough take a courageous stance?

If it was truly a big issue on his radar, he should have had UK join a different conference. He had enough of a cult of personality around him that it would have happened had Rupp wanted it to. Or maybe it was just too hard to pass up all those free wins against schools that didn't care about basketball?

 

Maybe he wasn't a racist, per se. Maybe he just did like most everyone else at the time and didn't care enough take a courageous stance?

 

That's a lot to put on one person. So Rupp uses his clout and Kentucky joins a different conference. Okay. Suddenly people in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, etc. are no longer racist because Kentucky left their conference and the league's basketball profile dropped, so they realize the errors of their ways?

 

I would say on the flip side, staying in the conference and being proactive about changing things could have been just as, if not more, noble than that. Kentucky IS basketball in the SEC and when you are a leader, you can effect others.

Plus...Bobby Joe Hill stole the ball out front from UK's guards numerous times.

Stole the ball twice, once from Dampier and I believe once from Conley.

If it was truly a big issue on his radar, he should have had UK join a different conference. He had enough of a cult of personality around him that it would have happened had Rupp wanted it to. Or maybe it was just too hard to pass up all those free wins against schools that didn't care about basketball?

 

Maybe he wasn't a racist, per se. Maybe he just did like most everyone else at the time and didn't care enough take a courageous stance?

 

If you go back and look at Rupp's pre-season schedules (the only schedule he had an influence upon), he played top teams all over the country so the bolded doesn't fit the scenario. He also played integrated teams across the country in the 50's and 60's. From Temple to UCLA to USC to St Johns and so on.

 

As to joining another conference, it wasn't heard of in those days. Kentucky was SEC basketball and a founding member. It wasn't as easy as it is today to think of joining another conference. Which begs us to ask, "Which one?" It would have to have been a Northern based conference because even the ACC was not integrated until the late 60's with Charlie Scott at UNC I believe.

Stole the ball twice, once from Dampier and I believe once from Conley.

 

UK had an early lead but those plays turned the tide for the Miners and put them ahead in the footage I saw. Texas Western's defense was the big reason for the Title to reside in El Paso.