There are The following information is intended to present the evidence at hand, both pro and con, so people can make an informed decision for themselves. At times, he was known to bring members of the Kentucky team with him as demonstrators. He feels that because of the strong athletic ties between the two conferences that the few schools which have staunchly segregated athletic programs will have to give in -- possibly not to play Negroes, but to compete regularly against schools which do. For example, Lonnie Lynn, who graduated from Chicago Du Sable High School in 1961 and played collegiately for Wilberforce (OH) then later played in the ABA, claimed in an interview in 1997 that Adolph Rupp recruited him but added Previously I didn't include this type of information on this page because I doubted its authenticity because it was prior to 1963 and found no corroborating evidence, however in light of the above, perhaps this was what was being referred to? Johnny Wilson certainly did remember. Below was the article, which was published in the April 26, 1961 As mentioned, Rupp's next stop the following day was in Birmingham where he was met with a barrage of questions from reporters about the issue of potential integration of the league. Many recognized that integrating sports teams was a quick way to gain acceptance and to bring about integration throughout society.
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The phone rang that day and it was Coach Rupp. - (Frankly, I chalk up the quotes found in this biography on this issue to be more the result of the effect of 40 years time on the accuracy of someone's memory, along with perhaps a natural tendency to exaggerate and sugarcoat one's own role in past events.
First that Rupp 'didn't shake any of our hands' after the game. Hall became head coach and immediately began signing black players with regularity. I knew the Tennessee people would not be happy to see their new superstar splitting town, so Wiley and I figured it would be best if they didn't see us splitting town.
This kid politely said no. There were threats made to Unseld to not attend UK but he claims that didn't influence his college choice. I believe the game was played in Tennessee.
[It's been reported also that UK player To his credit, Haskins has moved past and put away those feelings. While everybody else beamed, Tom showed no emotion. The difference of opinion over Unseld's recruitment by Kentucky is an interesting contrast in perceptions.
Unseld, who was instrumental in leading Seneca to the Kentucky State High School Championship last year, is one of the finest cagers the basketball-strong state has produced in some time.