University Dally Kansan
Monday, December 12, 1977
9
Timing adds dramatic note to Rupp's death
Associated Press Writer
By MIKE CLARK
LOUISVILLE--Timing, as much a part of Adolph Rupp's life as the building of a basketball dynasty at the University of Kentucky, added a touch of drama on the night of his death.
Rupp, 76, died late Saturday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington of complications from a heart attack.
Moments before, the Kentucky basketball team that Hupp built into a national power had taken a 75-48 win over
THE GAME was played in the University of Kansas' Allen Field House, a mammoth structure on Naismith Drive. The street is named for James A. Naismith, the inventor of basketball. The arena bears the name of Forrest C. "Plog" Allen, the former Kansas coach who taught Rupp the basics of the game.
Rupp could trace his basketball then, to the game's inception, and it will no doubt be marked in his mind. He has made a move
stature with Naismith and Allen as a pioneer who came from the peach-basket era into modern times.
Impressive proof of Rupp's impact on the college basketball scene stands on a corner in downtown Lexington. It is called Rupp Arena, the 23,000-seat home of Kentucky's basketball Wildcats. It is one of the few places in the country, reflecting Rupp's intense desire to have the biggest of everything for his program.
"IREMEMBER they crucified me," he said.
"They said we spent an awful lot money and never
Rupp recalled recently that he was caged in 1650 for pushing the university to build 1,100-seat
"We filled it that first night, ... and every seat for
every game has been sold ever since."
In one of the first games in the new coliseum, incidentally, Rupp opposed Phog Allen and Kansas for the first time. The Wildcats buried the Jayhawks, 68-39.
"He did so much for basketball—more than most people realize," according to Hank Iba, whose Oklahoma & A M teams stood alongside Kentucky on篮球ball's innacle in the 1940s.
Strip away everything else, and Rupp's career comes down to one basic tenet — play to win.
RUPP'S KENTUCKY teams won 874 games while losing just 190 during a 42-year career that ended with his forced retirement in 1972. Included in those victories were four NCAA titles, a National Invitation Tournament crown and 27 Southeastern Conference championships.
Twenty-two of his players made some kind of All America team, and seven represented the United States in the Olympics. His 1948 team, dubbed "The Fabulous Five," won a national title and performed as a unit for the winning U.S. entry in the 1948 Olympics.
Rupp, born Sept. 2, 1901, in Hairstad, Kan., was a slightly porphyral man of 28 with no college coaching experience when Kentucky hired him away from an Illinois high school in 1830. His first outing was
Rupp, an average player on tremendous Kansas teams of the 1920s, became an avid student of the game. His coaching philosophy was etched in granite by the time he took the Kentucky job.
against Georgetown, Ky. The 67-19 final score was Kentucky's highest total up to that time.
Rupp, a strict disciplinarian of German ancestry, was an autocratic ruler. He refused to change his style for anyone, and players who did not like the way games soon found themselves shifted off to another school.
HE WAS years ahead of his time when he brought the fast break offense to Lexington. His teams ran and, run through the championship years of the 1940s and early 1950s into the years of the 1960s.
People accused Rupp of taking the fun out of the game, but he retaliated that 'my boys' got their fun by playing.
ruppa was the few of the men who stood up successfully to *PaulBear* "Bryant*, who directed Kentucky football from mediocrity to excellence in the 1940s and early 1950s, but who went to Alabama
after tiring of the battle with Rupp over which sport should be No. 1 at Kentucky.
Sports rivalry aside, the two giants remained close friends.
THE "WORD" legend is sometimes thrown around
because of the insults in his legend, 'I' Bryant said
after learning of Rupp's death.
in 47 years, Rupp also tasted bitter defeats. His 1966 club, a rugamagun unit called "Rump's Hunk" because no starter was taller than 6-feet 5, shocked the team and led to losing to Texas Western in the NCAA final.
His worst moments came during the early 1950s, when several of his players were implicated in a massive point-shaving scandal that shook college basketball to its roots.
Rupp openly denied that his players could be influenced by gamblers; when he was forced to eat his words, he gave a grudge against the players—a fact that subdued only in the winning years of his career.
Staff Photo by RANDY OLSON
Hang time
A capacity crowd at Allen Field House watches as KU guard John Douglas sails above the outstretched hand of Kentucky forward Dwayne Casey in Saturday's basketball game. Douglas could find the range on only five of 15 attempts from the field and finished the game with 11 points.
Powerful Mustangs upend KU swimmers
Powerful Southern Methodist University handed the Kansas men's swim team its first loss of the season Saturday, 80-35, and broke carex仁 Robinson pool records.
RU had set the pool record in that event last week during the Big Eight Relays when a team of Ruck Jenkam, Steve Gravas, David Estefan Brent Bremens captured the event in 3:35.1.
The Mustangs, ranked 12th in the country, won all 13 events in the dual meet. SMU began its streak to victory in the first event, and was selected for medley relay in a pool record time of 3:33.7.
Freestyle Andy Veras was responsible for two more records. Veras won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:40.4 and the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.7.
THE OTHER records came in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke. David Hall won the individual breaststroke. Day took first in the breaststroke in 2:11.6.
Mustin Tomlin came up with the second
Marketing time of the 1,000-day freestyle
mastime at 9:44.0.
"I thought we swim better," KU coach Bill Spahn said. "I guess I did a bad job preparing them. We got off to a bad start and just never got it going. We're a better team than that. I'm glad it happened now in the season. I think we learned from it."
Spain had let the KU swimmers ease off a little after the Relays because the squad had
"It was a mistake of mine," Spahn said. "If you're going to rest you should either take two days or two weeks. We got caught on the day, and it's more my fault than anyone else."
"JENKINS IS a nationally ranked diver." Spahn said. "He placed in the NCAA last year. I thought our divers did very well considering that."
been working very hard. He wanted them to be as rested as possible against the threat.
The KU divers were defeated for the first time this year in the one-meter and three-meter diving. Justin Steve Jenkins won second time as well and his KU's Antimel was second each time.
Two freshmen, Bill Crampton and Craig Penzer, drew special praise. Penzer lost the 200-yard butterfly to SMU's Hall by a judge's decision. Penzer finished third in the 200-yard freestyle and took fourth in the 500-vard freestyle.
Spahn did see some bright spots in the loss.
The Kansas swimmers will continue to work out through final exams but not with as much intensity. Spahn will ask the swimmers to return to KU Dec. 27, when they will begin working out four hours a day until classes start next semester.
Co-captain Jedi Blankenship finished second the 200-yard breaststroke, only two seconds behind.
By BILL NEWSOME
Kentuckv downs peskv Javhawks
The Jayhawks 'next meet is Jan. 20, when they are host in Minnesota.
Adolph Rupp would have been proud.
Rupp, the Kansas native who became the greatest coach in college basketball history at Kentucky after playing on two national championships teams at Kansas in the 1920s, died only minutes after Kansas and Kentucky finished playing Saturday night. If you would have been able to see the game, would have been played of the way that his two schools played.
"KENTUCKY Is a fine basketball team, but we could have won," KU coach Ted Owens said. "The game was won at the free throw line."
The Jayhawks, plagued by poor shooting all evening, fell to No. 1-ranked Kentucky, 73-66, before a sellout crowd of 1,520 in Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks, ranked 15th in the country by United Press International and 19th by the Associated Press, had their chances at upsetting the Wildcats. But 50 per cent free throw shooting and 38 percent field goal shooting kept them from doing it. In fact, the final blow to their chances was struck at the free throw line.
KU, playing catch-up to Kentucky for the entire second half, had closed a nine-point deficit to two points with 1:36 minutes left in the game.
KU'S HOPES to avoid its first loss of the season went down the drain on the Jayhawks' next trip up the floor, when John Douglas was called for charging with 1:03 left. The Wildcats put the game on ice with five free throws during the final minute.
The missed opportunity was KU's first half, and half to either tie the game or take the lead.
Koen Kenegis, Kansas' best free throw shooter last year, went to the foul line for two shots that could have tied the game at 66-66. But Kenegis missed both, and Kentucky gave him a team at a 86-66 seconds later when he hit both shots a one-and-one attempt.
Midway through the final half, the Jayhawks had again closed a nine-point Kentucky lead to one point before sliding up the floor to take the lead. Then with three and one-half minutes
Track team set for first meet
Twenty-two lettermen are scheduled to compete in the annual meet, which is free to the public. KU is aiming for its second consecutive outdoor championship. 12th consecutive outdoor championship.
An intrasquad meet will launch the KU track team's bid to retain its 1977 Big Eight indoor and outdoor titles at 6:30 tonight at Allen Field House.
Among those returning for the Jayhawks will be senior world-record-holder Cliff Wiley. Wiley ran on the record-setting U.S. 400-meter relay team in last fall's World Cup meet and also is the conference's defending indoor 300-yard dash champion.
After a meeting Saturday, the fivemember search committee presented three names—Notre Dame assistant Mervin Johnson, Washington State head coach Warren McCormick, Oregon coach Woody Widenhoff—to Herbert W. Scholling, Columbia college chancellor.
Also returning will be defending Big Eight 60-yard dash champion Kevin Newell, although he will miss the meet with an injury; and indoor champions Steve Rainbolt in the high jump and Tad Scales in the pole vault.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)—A decision is expected today or tomorrow on a new head football coach at the University of Missouri at Tulsa and was narrowed to three over the weekend.
"If we could have ever gotten the lead we could have gained control." Owens said. "But when were behind, we were at their mercy."
left in the game, Kansas center Paul Moore shot that they had the game at 41, which they had the game at 41.
THE JAYHAWKS probably would have taken a lead into the dressing room at halftime if it had not been for the dreadful first-half free throw shooting.
Decision near on MU coach
Jonnson, a captain of Missouri's 1968 squad and Powers were considered prime candidates early in the selection process. WidenHoffen, 34, in his fifth year as a linebacker coach for Steelers and a defensive tackle that has emerged as something of a dark horse.
Schooling to be make the final decision on a replacement, Al Onfriofta, who was fired
The committee interviewed 14 candidates, including San Diego State coach Claude Gilbert and Oklahoma assistant Larry Lacewell.
They made only three of nine attempts at the line, while Kentucky hit 10 of 11. Despite being behind for most of the half, the Wildcats took a 36-33 intermission lead.
RU had taken an early 10-4 lead in the opening minutes and was ahead, 26-22, with five minutes to go in the half. Then Kenny caught fire. The Wildcats ran in 10 straight points in the next 98 seconds, and rebuilt the lead the rest of the game.
Kentucky's surge came at about the time the Wildcats changed defenses.
THEY SWITCHED from a man-to-man defense to a 1-3-1 zone that gave the Jahyhaws trouble. The zone effectively kept KU from getting the ball to Douglas, its top scoring team, and its three frontliners - Koemies, Mokeski and Denny Van Moore.
"We were very impatient on offense," Owens said. "We just didn't make their zone
For the first time this season, the Jayhaws were hurt by bouts. Koenigs had three fouls in the first five minutes of the game, and Mokesi and Darnell Valentine also collected three fouls in the first half. Valentine and Douglas out of the
move. We passed the ball guard-to-guard too much."
But KU gave Kentucky all it wanted, and there were some bright spots for the backhawks.
KANAS DID a good job of shutting down Kentucky's forward duo of All-America candidates Jack Givens and Rick Robey. Givens, who entered the game with a 29-point average, held to 10, and Robey, with an average of eight each, had only two points at half-time.
KU's full-court press also gave the Wildcats problems, forcing them into 22
Kentucky coach Joe Hall said the Jayhawks were much improved over last year when his team dealt them a 90-63 thrashing.
"The biggest difference is in their spirit," Hall, who replaced Rupp as the Wildcat coach in 1872 after Rupp had coached there for 41 years, said. "They're aggressive, alive, alert. And that's all their players, not just one."
The Jayhawks, now 5-1, do not play again until Saturday night, when they host St.
VALENTINE PACED the Kansas scoring attack with a game-high 17 points. Mokeski and Von Moore scored 12 each, and Douglas had 11.
Macy, who played a fine floor game, led
Kevin O'Reilly and Center Mike
Hackaday had 14 and Gave it up.
★ ★ ★
Officials: John Overby and Paul Galvan.
Kennedy (10)
Givens 5-11 10 FT REB 9 FEP 10
Robey 5-11 10 FT REB 9 FEP 10
Phillips 5-7 14 FT REB 3 1 14
Macy 5-7 14 FT REB 3 1 14
Claytor 3-7 14 FT REB 3 1 2
Ackman 3-4 12 FT REB 5 4 8
Cauley 1-4 10 FT REB 1 4 8
Williams 0-0 10 FT REB 1 1 0
Shadler 0-0 10 FT REB 1 1 0
Stadtler 27.35 19 12 44 19 73
Kentucky . . . . 36 27 - 73
Kansas . . . . 23 32 - 66
| | PG | PT | REER | PF | PN |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Douglas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Kenoga | 1-2 | 1-4 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Makenki | 6-4 | 0-0 | 8 | 2 | 12 |
| Fierlane | 6-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| Valentine | 6-1 | 0-0 | 8 | 2 | 12 |
| Van Moure | 5-1 | 0-0 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| Johnson | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Johnson | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Johnson | 28-72 | 10-80 | 42 | 9 | 11 |
Sports Writer
inclus.
"Free throws were definitely the dif-
ferent."
Free throws were a big factor in the game. The Jayhawks made one more field goal than Kentucky, but hit only of 20 free throws compared with 19 of 23 for the game.
Hassan Houston tossed his jersey to the center of the Kansas dress room and he said, "I don't have a problem."
KU's spirits stay up despite loss
By JASON NUSS
That sentiment dominated the dressing room after the Jayhawks had dropped a 75-66 decision to top-rated Kentucky Saturday night in Allen Field House.
TRAILING 66/64, KU had a chance to tie the game with 1:36 remaining when Ken Koenigs went to the free throw line for two shots. But Koenigs, who made 84.7 per cent of his free throws last year, missed both attempts. Kentucky then ran off five unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
The Jayhawks, who were tied for 15th in the country with St. John's in the United Press International poll going into the playoffs, had dialects on even terms for most of the game.
ference," Koenigs said. "We shot so poorly from the line."
"FREE THROWS won the game for
these two guys quietly." They hit
them and we missed ours.
Darnell Valentine, who led the Jayhawks in scoring at 17 points despite sitting out much of the game because of foul trouble, agreed with Koenigs.
Though KU lost the game, the Jayhawks felt they had learned something from the loss—that they are as good as the No. 1 team in the country.
"We know what we've got," John Douglas said. "We are just as good as the No. 1 team. If we played them again, the score might be turned around. They didn't play any better than we did him. We knew all of them and took our team, but we proved we do, too."
Dennis Von Moore, who came off the bench to score 12 points and lead the Jawhays in returning with a助 that had bimbings in backcourt. Joey Jones and Mike Phillips were very physical.
"IT WAS physical, but it was a clean
刀" Von Moore said. "They inside me
"It was pretty frustrating when you have four fools, Moksi said. "You just can't get around."
The Jayhawks took the loss well and beat them that had learned something from their team.
"IT'S GOING to make us grow," Clint Johnson said. "Now we know what it's like to play in a close game and what we have to do is keep behind. It's going to make us work harder."
Valentine, who experienced his first loss since the state finals his junior year in high school, said the loss could help the Javhawks.
Mokesi sat out 10 minutes and did not return until there was only 6:58 left, and the server had to close the connection.
"If we can bounce back, it will help us back."
"We need to bounce back."
We just need to bounce back.
We just need to bounce back.
The Jayhawks got into foul trouble for the first time this year. Valentine and Douglas fouled out late in the game, and Paul was in fourth-fourth foul with 16:24 to play in the game.
For the defense
Kansas' freshman guard Wiltmore Fowler applies some pressure defense to Kentucky's Clantry Clanator in Saturday's game at
Staff Photo by GEORGE MILLENER
Allen Field House. Fowker did not have much success offensively, hitting only two of 11 field goal attempts for four points as the Jawhavas lost their first game of the year, 73-66.