Mark Pope is thrilled to have Pat Riley and his Rupp's Runts teammates coming to Rupp Arena tonight. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky will honor its 1966 NCAA runner-up team at halftime of Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs. The list of returnees will include Pat Riley, the SEC Player of the Year during the 1965-66 season.
“I did get a chance to speak with him a couple months ago and he’s just like the most … he’s iconic,” Pope said. “We know (him) here at Kentucky as one of the all time greats at Kentucky, but (also) in the history of basketball as a whole — in the NBA life he is iconic, right? Pat Riley is, is, is a name that reverberates. Everybody knows what that means.
“Everybody sees the Showtime Lakers. Everybody sees the gritty, the New York Knicks teams and the flashy Miami teams, right? And what he’s done now as a general manager and a president, owner and whatever position he has there right now. His impact on basketball has been so incredible.”
Behind Riley and Louie Dampier, the Wildcats finished 27-2 that year and lost to Texas Western in the 1966 national finals. Kentucky won its first 23 games that season before falling to Tennessee 69-62 in Knoxville.
Longtime broadcaster Larry Conley, also a member of that squad, said the setback was “one of those things you measure in life.”
“There are things in life you are happy about, things you would like to change,” said Conley, who enjoyed a 46-year career in television broadcasting following his basketball career. “Maybe the only thing in my life I wish I could change is that game.”
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Gametracker: Mississippi State at Kentucky, 8:30 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: SECN, UK Radio Network.
8 Responses
Sign them up
Rupp’s Runts, The Unforgettables –
Kentucky Legends
Several other great teams.
The character of the playera on these teams carried a weighty memorable picture of genuine UK players!
UK now has too many carefree individuals to leave anything worthwhile to be remembered.
Thanks to the great UK teams. I was so fortunate to every Rupps Runts home game (or nearly so) with my Dad when I was a Senior in HS. What a memory! Got to see the Unforgettables at UGA & Auburn. Can’t recall the others.
Trivia question:
How many National Titlea does UK have without at least one key player being a native Kentuckian?
A: ZERO
Darius Miller was on the last Champion & wqs REGIONAL MVP that year. He is the only player to be KY Mr BB, win KY HS State Tourney & win a UK National Title.
Let me pose this question to all of you and get you're opinion.
Pre N.i.l. days and pre portal craziness.
Would Pope have done better as UK Coach in those days?
It just seems like the addition of this extra crap like the n.i.l. and portal has created way more issues.. And as I understand it UK basketball doesn't have a g.m. .. Perhaps that would alleviate the peripheral issues and the coach can concentrate solely on basketball.
I believe a GM was Matt Steins first hire granted Football has way more people to deal with. And it's only fair to say Coach Pope and assistants make a nice living to figure this stuff out. Tell me what you think
Yea, Grant. All of the side issues along with the NIL & other craziness has wrecked college BB as we once knew it. It’s a train wreck and recovery is way out of sight.
A lot of coaches are disgusted, many cannot handle this routine and it now includes the need to handle a kindergarten group of kids with too many who have with zero motivation and low character.
LB can you imagine as a coach knowing full well you may have to re recruit everyone? Or not , but find a replacement. For me it's a huge disconnect to the player's. It's hard to buy in as a fan knowing for the most part their is a good chance they may not be here next year. I feel no connection. So out of whack. The precious senior day is not gone but means less now.. Watching a frosh play or stay through a senior year was an emotional day..
I agree, Grant. The 1 & done pushed by the fraud began to limit my deep interest & connection with UK. It was no longer the program I stood in line for many hours to get a prime seat in Memorial Coliseum.
Now that mediocre, immature, money grabbing playera pop in and out of a school like a jack-in-thr-box, my interest is the lowest since the first time I listened to a game on the radio in the early 1950’s.
Moreno plays like a true Kentuckian. Noah would if not benched for unknown reasons. Transfers are typically not interested in UK.
Salute to you're years as a big blue fan..
Thanks, Grant! However many you have, you’re one of the tries & true Big Blue !!!
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