Adolph Rupp, nicknamed "Baron of the Bluegrass," served as head basketball coach for the University of Kentucky for 41 years. MSU professor of history, Dr. Duane Bolin, visits Sounds Good to discuss his upcoming biography of Rupp, which details his successful -- and sometimes scandalous -- life.
Adolph Rupp led the UK basketball team to victory 876 times during his career spanning from 1930 to 1972. His success earned him a spot as the 5th highest ranking basketball coach in NCAA Division I history. Rupp's career did not come without infamy though, as suggested by his nickname, and Rupp was often remembered for the 1951 Points Shaving scandal, racism (Rupp was head coach of UK while basketball was in the process of integrating), and his temper.
Beyond the negative perspective, Rupp is also remembered as an innovator of the sport and a catalyst to the growth of college basketball across the country. Dr. Duane Bolin, professor of history at MSU, visited Sounds Good to discuss his upcoming biography of Adolph Rupp. Bolin speaks with Tracy Ross about the career of the "Man in the Brown Suit," how the research for the book came to be, and the impact Rupp has left on the college basketball world.
