Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp (1901-1977)
Teams coached: Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky record: 876-190 (.822)
Overall record: 876-190 (.822)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 4 (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 20 (1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 14 (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 6 (1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966)
- NIT Championships: 1 (1946)
- NIT Appearances: 4 (1944, 1946, 1947, 1950)
- SEC Regular Season Champion: 27 (1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
- SEC Tournament Champion: 13 (1933, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952)
- SoCon Regular Season Champion: 1 (1932)
- Premo-Porretta National Championships: 3 (1934, 1947, 1948)
- Helms Foundation National Championships: 6 (1933, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1958)
Awards:
- NABC Coach of the Year: 1 (1966)
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: 2 (1966, 1970)
- Henry Iba Award: 1 (1966)
- UPI Coach of the Year: 2 (1959, 1966)
- SEC Coach of the Year: 7 (1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1969)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1930-1972 | Kentucky |
Adolph Rupp Facts
- Adolph Frederick Rupp
- Born September 2, 1901
- Died December 10, 1977
- Hometown: Halstead, Kansas
- Alma Mater: University of Kansas (BS, 1923) / Columbia University (MA, 1926)
- Star basketball player at Halstead HS and then played for legendary head coach Phog Allen at Kansas from 1919-1923
- Became head coach at Freeport HS in Freeport, IL in 1926, where he was also a teacher
- Took over as head coach at Kentucky in 1930, a position he would hold for 41 seasons
- At Kentucky, Rupp won 27 SEC titles, went to the Final Four six times and won four NCAA National Championships
- Kentucky was forced to miss the 1952-53 due to a point shaving scandal involving four Wildcats players and a 1949 NIT game vs Loyola (IL); the players were arrested for their roles in 1951
- The sanctions are sometimes considered to be the first so-called “death penalty” ever handed down by the NCAA
- Retired in March 1972 at the age of 70; at the time all University of Kentucky employees were required to retire at 70
- At Kentucky, Rupp won 27 SEC titles, went to the Final Four six times and won four NCAA National Championships
- Rupp is the fourth winningest coach in Division I history and is one of just three coaches to have won at least four NCAA titles
- In addition to the Naismith and College Basketball HOF inductions listed above, Rupp is in the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the University named the basketball stadium – Rupp Arena – after him when it opened in 1976
Adolph Rupp Coaching Tree
- Bob Brannum (Brandeis, Kenyon, Norwich)
- Gale Catlett (West Virginia, Cincinnati)
- Alex Groza (San Diego Conquistadors, Kentucky Colonels, Bellarmine)
- Joe B. Hall (Kentucky)
- Cliff Hagan (Dallas Chaparrals)
- Dan Issel (Denver Nuggets)
- Ellis T. Johnson (Marshall, Morehead State)
- Paul McBrayer (Eastern Kentucky)
- T. L. Plain (Utah State)
- Mike Pratt (Charlotte)
- Frank Ramsay (Kentucky Colonels)
- Pat Riley (Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers)
- Larry Steele (Portland)
- Guy Strong (Oklahoma State, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky Wesleyan)
- Bob Tallent (George Washington)