Since we @UK_AAAS called for the removal of Rupp's name from the b-ball arena. Folks have for days told how wrong I am. I have seen the solid research produced by Dick Gabriel and others. It's fine if one is operating under a simplistic and cartoonish definition of racism.

Many are operating under the assumption that Rupp's proximity to Black players as a high school coach & Olympic coach means he couldn't be racist. This is absurd. Racist whites regularly claimed fondness to blacks.

Strom Thurmond, an admitted racist and segregationist, assaulted his black maid but was a supportive, but distant father his black daughter Essie Mae Washington-Williams. In the case of Rupp, his actions as a high school & Olympic coach speak the complexities of race in America.

However, as folks keep using it as evidence that he wasn't racist, it's tantamount to saying some of my best friends are black. The system of segregation was a racist structure to limit the black folks' opportunities.

But as Earl Lewis reminds us, Black folks turned segregation into congregation. This brings us the early 1960s when UK had the opportunity to desegregate college basketball in the South with one of the greatest coaches of the era and failed.

Beginning in 1963, UK had support from the Gov. Breathitt, & UK President Oswald in supporting integration. The SEC not so much. In growing opposition, the SEC increased the requirements for a grant in aid to a B average in high school or a 750 SAT score.

These new admission requirements, although non-racial, were designed to keep black students out of southern colleges. (See R. Scott Baker's "Paradoxes of Desegregation"). So the SEC is a stumbling block or any UK plan absent of leaving the conference.

But 1964, UK has gotten the ok from the conference. Now the have to find the "right type" of black player. Rupp hones in on Wes Unseld. One of the best players in the country.

This is where we in @UK_AAAS see Rupp's commitment to segregation fully emerge. Rupp offers Unseld a scholarship but does it in bad faith. The conditions are right for him to recruit a black player. The Gov. and UK Pres. both trekked to Louisville to convince Unseld.

Rupp, who relied on his assistants for recruiting, sent one to Louisville. Despite the governor and president going, Rupp eventually goes reluctantly, and a "miscommunication" occurs and Unseld had an event that evening. Unseld had informed the coach, but he came anyway.

Unseld has said that Rupp told reporters that he did want to meet with him. The star player took that as a sign he was really wanted. Another sign of bad faith on Rupp's part was the fact he didn't offer any other black players that year.

Coaches realized quickly that success in desegregated teams in the south required 2 or more players. This helped with the logistics of lodging a home and on the road. Provided a support system. By not offering anyone besides Unseld this becomes apparent.

In 1965, UK offers Butch Beard. Like Unseld, Beard was Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. The Gov and UK president pull out all of the stops. Rupp even invites Beard for a campus visit. According to Beard, Rupp told him & his family that he didn't if he could protect him.

If he wanted Beard, it seems reasonable that they would have outlined a plan that could have provided comfort. Beard, like Unseld, signed with Louisville. But he had second thoughts and said he wanted to go to UK. The letter to UL was binding.

In 1966, Rupp invites Perry Wallace, who was the 1st black black basketball player in the SEC @VandyMBB. In @trublu24 excellent biography, he says that Rupp didn't even meet with him on his visit to Lexington. This is operating under bad faith that ultimately keeps segregation

Rupp failed until 1969 when UK signed Tom Payne. Black folks in Lexington and across the state called out Rupp's segregated teams. In response, Rupp revealed that he had been operating under a racist double-standard.

He wrote in an op-ed to Herald-Leader that "A black athlete here must start. We don't sign anyone with any other idea in mind. We don't sign boys to sit on the end of the bench." Dick Gabriel see this as a resistance to tokenism. But actually, it's a racist double standard.

Rupp signed offered and signed numerous white players that sat on the end of the bench. The only in-state Black players that Rupp offered between 1964-1969 were Mr. Basketball. The best player in the state of KY.

Another way to see Rupp's racist double standard is to look at the other black players that 1st team all state in KY in those years.

In 1964, Unseld Male's Dallas Thorton and Lex. Dunbar's George Wilson, Butch Beard. Thorton went to KY Wesleyan where he was a 1900 point scorer. Jim LeMaster all-state went to UK and scored 186 points. Wilson went to KY and played under John McLendon.

In 1965, Beard, Lex. Dunbar's Bobby Washington, Male's Ted Rose (Jr.) & Jim Rose (so.) Hazard. Washington was apart of a trio that desegregated Eastern KY. Washington scored 1200 points at EKU & played for Bullets & Cavs. But not good enough for an offer.

In 1966, Male's Ted Rose, Harrison Co. Toke Coleman, Hazard Chester Rose, Westport's Tyrone Bedford, Thomas Jeff's Ron Gathright, Lex. Dunbar's Joe Hamilton, Allen Co. Jim McDaniels (jr.). Ted Rose went Northern Michigan scoring 1900+ pts. Coleman 850+points & drafted by Rockets.

Chester Rose went to EKU. Bedford went to Purdue. Gathright played football and basketball at Morehead St. all-ovc in both sports. Hamilton went to Jr. College where he was a 2-time all-American and went to North Texas State where he was 2 time all-conference & played 5 yrs NBA

In comparison, Bill Busey 1966 all state from Shelby County gets scholarship to KY. Scores 42 points total in career.

In 1967, McDaniels, Jim Rose, Male's Henry Bacon (jr.), Frankfort's Bobby Jones, Owensboro's Felix Thurston, Manuel's Jerome Perry. McDaniels went to Western KY, where he scored 2200+ pts & 1118 rebounds. 2nd rd pick in NBA played for 7 years.

McDaniels was offered by UK but chose WKU. Thurston went to Trinity College (TX) scored 1500+ pts. Perry went to WKU scored 900 pts.,

In 1968, Bacon, Glasgow's Jerry Dunn, Thomas Jeff.'s Ron Thomas, Tom Payne (1st Black player Rup signed), Seneca's Roy Simpson. Bacon went to UL, scored 900 pts., played in ABA. Dunn went to WKU & avg. 17/game. Thomas went to UL avg. 14/game & played 5 yrs in the ABA.

Simpson went to Furman and avg. 17/game.

Most of these in-state black players didn't receive offers from Rupp. Most had success college careers. Some made the NBA/ABA. Rupp didn't even live up to his own expectations that black players had to start. Black folks know that many of these men could have started for Rupp.

And before everyone says that WKU or Purdue were not in the same class as KY. Well, look at the Final Fours in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

1967- UCLA, Dayton, Houston, UNC; 1968- UCLA, UNC, Houston, OSU; 1969-UCLA, Purdue, Drake, UNC; 1970-UCLA, Jacksonville, New Mexico, St. Bonaventure; 1971- UCLA, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Kansas

Western Kentucky went to the 1971 Final Four with 5 black starting players all from Kentucky.

Rupp had the power and support from the governor and the school president but held black players to a standard that only a few met. They clearly saw that he wasn't going to support Black players. His racial stubbornest, racial double standards, kept his team white. This is racism