People can deny it till they are blue in the face, but I believe wholeheartedly if Tubby were white he would have been appreciated a lot more than he was, and is now. IMO he is the best in game coach Kentucky has had since Rupp.

 

I really appreciate Tubby. Ask anyone in Lexington who knows what the Tubby Smith Foundation (which still operated after he left) is about if they appreciate him.

 

Kentucky made Tubby Smith the highest paid coach in his profession at one point. As a university, how much more appreciative can you get?

 

Were there people who didn't like him because he was black? Sure. Were there people more people who wouldn't care if he was the anti-Christ if he'd just won more games? Probably.

 

Was a student/grad student for Tubby, BCG, and Cal. The only time I can remember a coach's name being chanted in Rupp, it was "Tubby! Tubby! Tubby!".

 

Tubby's biggest misfortune was Bogans' spraining an ankle late in the game against Wisconsin. The UAB loss as the #1 overall seed following that stung that much worse. Then the recruiting went down hill.

 

At the end of the day, as far as recruiting goes, I think he was too loyal to guys like Scott Rigot and Reggie Hanson and it cost the program, and ultimately, him. Let's be real, the whole Bobby Perry, Sheray Thomas, Lukasz Orbzut, Shagari Alleyne recruiting class was just rough.

 

I'm as much of a UK fan as there'll be, and I love Tubby Smith. I can't make up for ignorant fans who don't like him just because his race, nor can the rest of the fan base that appreciates him for what he did for the program. Tubby ran a clean program, had some memorable years, and brought us a national title.

 

I also can't help but think that the majority of UK fans care about 1 thing: winning.

 

Full disclosure: as a kid I snuck down to press row at the state tournament to get his autograph while he was watching Shawn Field's Lexington Catholic team. I had the day's Lexington Herald and asked him to sign it. He takes it and opens it to the sports section and signs the page that has a game picture, then asks me my name & addresses it to me, so maybe I'm being too easy on him, but 12 year old me thought that was extremely nice.

Edited January 30, 201412 yr by JokersWild24

How many times did they miss making the 2nd round?

Only coach in UK history to never miss the tournament.

 

I know what you're saying, but I'm not exactly sure "making the second round" is a goal of UK when hiring though.

 

Maybe a better question would be what kind of leash everyone thinks winning a national title and making Final Fours gets a coach in "down" years.

Is that how you feel about Matt Jones when he comments daily about happenings in Louisville?

 

Yes I do. I am a U of L fan...expect when they play UK. Heck you should see my house...done in red and black...:lol2: I do go there to get basic info. I usually post "players to watch" for UK's next opponent, think it is something our readers want to know, but take with a grain of salt his quotes.

Joe Hall was white. He won a championship, and he had more Final Four appearances than Tubby. He was not appreciated either. So personally, I think you're wrong.

 

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't recall Coach Hall getting hate mail or death threats.

I never bought the black/white argument & still don't. If Tubby had the record Rick amassed, he would've been praised just as Rick was, prior to his coming to UL. I also think Rick was a better in game coach.

 

Minnesota ran him out of town too, but we don't hear the black & white thing being tossed their way. They recognized what a lot of UK fans did: that his best coaching years were behind him.

 

Tubby will (and should) get a banner in the rafters. He will receive thunderous applause in Rupp Arena when it happens.

 

There was that little detail that Minnesota had had a black coach prior to Tubby...:idunno:

There was that little detail that Minnesota had had a black coach prior to Tubby...:idunno:

 

So because they had a black coach & fired Tubby they're not racists like UK?

 

Like I said, Kentucky fans are not the only ones who saw that Tubby's best years were behind him.

Yes I do. I am a U of L fan...expect when they play UK. Heck you should see my house...done in red and black...:lol2: I do go there to get basic info. I usually post "players to watch" for UK's next opponent, think it is something our readers want to know, but take with a grain of salt his quotes.

That red and black is probably for clark co. Lol

So because they had a black coach & fired Tubby they're not racists like UK?

 

UK will always be labeled as racists. It will never change.

So because they had a black coach & fired Tubby they're not racists like UK?

 

Like I said, Kentucky fans are not the only ones who saw that Tubby's best years were behind him.

 

UK is labeled racist for good reason. The state is still one of the more racist states in the country, the basketball arena is named after a guy widely considered a racist.

 

If you don't think there was a percentage of the fanbase (and not in anyway a majority, mind you) that would've viewed Tubby differently had he been white, I got some ocean-front property for ya in Arizona.

UK will always be labeled as racists. It will never change.

 

I agree that UK fans will always be labeled that way, but I disagree with the labeling itself.

 

I'm well aware that there are pockets of racist fans, but they are nowhere near the majority. Joker nailed it earlier:

 

the majority of UK fans care about 1 thing: winning.

 

UK fans, like a lot of fans, want to win. People can say whatever they want about getting rid of Gillispie because his personality/leadership style wasn't a fit, but if BCG takes UK to a title one of those years he's still here. And UK fans would tolerate his behavior & some would even defend it...so long as he's winning.

 

Tubby inherited an absolutely dominating program & by the time he departed UK was just a good program. He failed to win at the level a lot of UK fans wanted, which is why many of us felt like he needed to go.

 

I've said a thousand times that if Tubby was the coach some people make him out to be, he'd have gone to the Minnesota Timberwolves instead of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. And if he was the coach some people make him out to be, he wouldn't have been cut loose by the Minnesota Golden Gophers either.

 

His best days are behind him. UK fans saw that a long time ago, as Minnesota fans did most recently, yet we get the race card played on us.

So because they had a black coach & fired Tubby they're not racists like UK?

 

Like I said, Kentucky fans are not the only ones who saw that Tubby's best years were behind him.

 

 

I don't think anyone is going to argue that Tubby had failed in the recruiting department the last 3 years or so. The fact remains there are still a majority that never want to give Tubby credit for the great job he did for several years at Kentucky, including not giving Tubby any credit for the 98 Championship. People still want to give Rick credit for that, and the main reason is because Tubby is black. It's sad, but it's true.

UK will always be labeled as racists. It will never change.

Thats why 23000 show up for every game to watch an all black team. lol

So because they had a black coach & fired Tubby they're not racists like UK?

 

Like I said, Kentucky fans are not the only ones who saw that Tubby's best years were behind him.

 

UK was racist because a lot of people hate UK. Just like a lot of people hate Notre Dame. Notre Dame was racist because it fired Ty Willingham. Somehow when Washington fired him it wasn't seen as a racist move. :idunno:

I don't think anyone is going to argue that Tubby had failed in the recruiting department the last 3 years or so. The fact remains there are still a majority that never want to give Tubby credit for the great job he did for several years at Kentucky, including not giving Tubby any credit for the 98 Championship. People still want to give Rick credit for that, and the main reason is because Tubby is black. It's sad, but it's true.

 

I have always disagreed with the "Tubby won with Rick's players" argument because I think that bunch responded to Tubby better than they did Rick. But the argument, in and of itself, is not one without merit. There are non-racist people who really believe that Tubby won with Rick's players, just as there are those who believe that & are racist.

 

Of course there are racists in UK's fan base, but I think with the overwhelming majority of people, it had to do with Tubby not winning to the level we desire.

The 23,000 are cheering for a basketball team. Not individuals. How many of the 23,000 would let their daughters date one of the black players?