New Additions to ExploreUK

The following collections and items are now available on ExploreUK.

 Archival collections

·         Archibald and Joseph Logan papers 

·         Sanford Thomas Roach Dunbar High School basketball films 

·         Todd family papers

·         Manjushri V Bhapkar photographs of Cafe LMNOP and Fourth of July parade 

·         Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Elsie Munson letters 

·         Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Oriel C. Jones letters     

         Publications 

Evangeliary, 15th century (one of several medieval manuscripts that will be going online with enhanced description)

The University of Kentucky: Its History and Development, 1956

 Bible Creation vs. Fundamentalists and Modernists Creation 

 Educational Bulletin (Kentucky), March 1933-February 1941 (first batch of a larger digitization project) 

 Contact the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center for more information

Digitized Audio and Film Added to ExploreUK

 The following audiovisual collections have been digitized and are now accessible online via ExploreUK.

Edward T. Ned Breathitt films (films 1.1, 2.1, 3, and 5)

The Edward T. Ned Breathitt films (dated 1963; 3 cubic feet; 22 items) comprise 16mm chemical moving image films that document rallies, speeches and campaign commercials created by and for Edward Breathitt's 1963 campaign for Governor of Kentucky.

Dunbar High School basketball films

The Dunbar High School basketball films (dated 1958-1964; 1 cubic feet; 19 items) comprise game footage of the Dunbar High School boy's basketball team against various opponents primarily on their home court.

The Louisville Free Public Library, WFPL, and WFPK Radio audio recordings

The Louisville Free Public Library, WFPL, and WFPK Radio audio recordings (dated 1954-1997; 21 cubic feet; 21 boxes) consists of audio recordings on 1/4 in. reel-to-reel audiotape and grooved audiodiscs from WFPL and WFPK Radio in Louisville, Ky.

Katherine Peden campaign film

The Katherine Peden campaign film (dated 1968 November; 1 cubic feet; 1 item) consists of a campaign film for Katherine Peden's run for Kentucky United States Senate in 1968.

Russell Rice collection on UK sports now online

The Russell Rice collection on University of Kentucky sports (10.5 cubic feet, 30 boxes; dated 1876-1994 and undated, bulk 1920-1973) is now available on ExploreUK. The collection is comprised of sports-related materials gathered by Russell Rice, which largely focus on University of Kentucky basketball and football but also include materials related to other campus sports. There is extensive coverage of Adolph Rupp, specifically in the areas of correspondence and photographic materials, as well as correspondence related to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts (1968-1991). Rice was the sports information director for the University of Kentucky Athletics Department (1968-1987)

 Above: Adolph Rupp, 1976

 Above: Cedric Jenkins, Kenny Walker, James Blackmon, and Richard Madison, 1986

 Above: 1000th victory celebration, 1969

"Fun? Well Rather" The Diary of Virginia Clay McClure - part of the Sesquicentennial Stories Series

January 20, 1911

Went to the K.S.U vs. T.U. basketball game and saw our team defeated.  It was an awfully close game and I believe we would have won if Gaiser hadn’t gotten hurt.  The score was 23 to 18.  We went over to the Patterson contest and saw the awarding of the Crum Medal.  Mr. Uttley won the medal.  I met him after the contest.  He is a junior. Edna, Jessie Milton, and I talked until twelve o’ clock.  Had bananas for breakfast Saturday morning. 

James Edwin "Ed" Weddle Photographic Collection, 1948-1981 now on ExploreUK!

The James Edwin "Ed" Weddle Photographic Collection, 1948-1981, consists of 4744 photographic prints and 6202 negatives representing the freelance news and sports photography archive of Ed Weddle and work done in conjunction with his business, Cross Country Fotos (sic).  The prints have been arranged by subject matter and described on an item level with either their original captions or a descriptive summary written by UK AV Archives.

View the full finding aid here.

 Above: Kentucky All Stars vs. Soviet National Junior Basketball Squad; Mikhail Borisov shoots over Bob Lindsay, 1974

 Above: Ladybird Johnson and children at school, 1964

Above: Rupp is given "The Louie B. Nunn Award"

 

 Above: Paul "Bear" Bryant with wreath and ribbon that reads "Sugar Bowl Champs", 1952

 

 Above: People at the Keeneland track on ORBRAD Oct 22, 1951

 Above: Malone's Service Station; Gas Station Attendant pumping gas for a woman and man

Jack Guthrie Kentucky Kernel Integration of SEC (1963) Scrapbook on ExploreUK

The Jack Guthrie Kentucky Kernel Integration of SEC (1963) scrapbook is now available on ExploreUK. The scrapbook covers civil rights and the racial integration of Southeastern Conference (SEC) and University of Kentucky (UK) Athletics during the university’s spring semester, 1963, and was compiled by Kentucky Kernel editor (1962-1963) Jack Guthrie in about 2002.

Good luck tonight, Cats!

 

1904 University of Kentucky (then Kentucky State College) men’s and women’s basketball teams, University of Kentucky general photographic prints collection

Dunbar High School Basketball

Girl's and Boy's Basketball Teams, 1934 October 19

-Lafayette Studios photographs

2013 Black History Month exhibit by Reinette Jones

Oliver High School Basketball

The Women's and Men's 1922 basketball teams from Oliver High School in Winchester, KY. Both teams were coached by E. J. Hooper.

-Collection on African Americans in Kentucky, 1870-1940

2013 Black History Month exhibit by Reinette Jones

The Kentucky Game

Who won the first Boys State High School Basketball tournament held in 1918?

1955 Ky vs DePaul

A clip from the 1955 DePaul game. This original film was donated by Vernon Hatton and digitized this year by The Media Preserve — a division of Preservation Technologies.

WUKY: Big Blue Sports Archives Preserves Memory Of "The Shot" (2009-11-05)

WUKY: Big Blue Sports Archives Preserves Memory Of "The Shot" (2009-11-05)
On the cusp of another UK basketball season, we visit with the school's archivists and revisit a Memorial Coliseum Magic Moment featuring the 1958 National Championship Team.

Click on the WUKY link above to listen to Doug Boyd and Deirdre Scaggs talk about one of the great moments in UK basketball history.

Hear more stories and learn more about the history of UK at http://exploreuk.uky.edu

To all Kentucky Basketball Fans

HOLD THE DATE – Tuesday, October 13^th for a celebration of the life of legendary broadcaster Claude Sullivan – and benefit for the Big Blue Archives at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington! The evening kicks off with a Reception at 5:30 pm, Dinner at 6:30 pm and the Celebration begins at 7:30 pm. Ralph Hacker will emcee; Coach John Calipari will be speaking.

You won’t want to miss this exciting evening with many other local sports figures in attendance, while helping UK Archives continue to preserve the history of UK athletics dating back to the 1890s.

A reserved table for 10 is $1,000; individual tickets are $115 each. Cocktail attire. For more information, contact Esther Edwards at eedwards@uky.edu or 859-257-1742.

Basketball royalty

Given basketball's place of honor in Kentucky, and the storied tradition of the sport at the University of Kentucky, perhaps it is no wonder that there have been several fathers and sons who have coached or played on the team. In fact, three of the last six UK coaches have coached their own sons on the team.

The "Baron of Basketball," Adolph Rupp coached his son Herky from 1959-1962. Herky was a forward who didn't see a lot of playing time despite being the coach's son. He played in 14 games over those three seasons, and scored a total of 11 points during that time.

Adolph Rupp, 1976 -- 2004ua046_17688_009

Herky Rupp, circa 1959 -- 2004ua046_2020_002

Eddie Sutton's son Sean joined the team just two years after Sutton became coach. Sean played for two years before transferring to Oklahoma State after his father resigned as coach at UK. Sean went on to follow in his father's coaching footsteps, as did his brother Scott.

Eddie Sutton, circa 1988 -- 2009ua017_02_035

Sean Sutton, circa 1988 -- 2007ua023_325_006_05

Tubby Smith's sons G.G. and Saul both played college basketball, but only Saul played at UK. Saul played his entire college career at Kentucky, from 1997-2001. Saul is currently assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, where his father, Tubby, is head coach. Son G.G. (who played for Georgia) is now assistant coach at Loyola.

Tubby Smith (left) -- 2007ua023_127_039

Saul Smith, 1997 -- 1997 Men's Basketball Media Guide

Father and son players have been rarer than coach and player, but there are at least two fathers who have passed down the UK basketball genes to their sons. Allen Feldhaus was a forward-center at UK from 1959-1962, playing a total of 72 games with 299 total points. Twenty-five years later, his son Deron played as a forward in 124 games with a total of 1232 points.

Allen Feldhaus -- 2007ua023_156_080a

Deron Feldhaus -- 2007ua023_079_006_05

Joe and Joey Holland are another father and son team. Joe Sr. played forward from 1945-1948, playing in 105 games with 504 total points. Son Joey was a guard from 1974-1976, playing in 17 games with 14 total points.

Joe Holland -- 2006ua056_01_111

Joey Holland -- 2007ua023_228_018_02

They don't make them like they used to

We have all heard the line they just don't make them like they used to. Well it certainly applies to former University of Kentucky Men's Basketball player Vernon Hatton. During the 1956-57 season Hatton overcame considerable adversity to help UK win the Sugar Bowl Tournament. The adversity was an inflamed appendicitis, which was misdiagnosed before the final two games of the tournament. Despite feeling ill Hatton added 12 points against a troublesome Virginia Tech and 17 points against Houston in the Championship game.

Upon returning to Lexington following the tournament "the attacks began anew and an immediate operation was ordered to remove his appendix, which doctors said was acutely inflamed and in a condition that should have prevented him from seeing action for at least a week previously," reported Ken Kuhn of the Sports Publicity Office on July 2, 1957.

Hatton returned to action a month after his surgery helping prevent an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Mississippi. A reporter was so impressed with Hatton's performance that he wrote, "It may become standard procedure for Rupp players to have appendix operations in mid-season." Vernon scored 14 points in less than twelve minutes for the Cats that day.

What's wrong with this picture?

UK vs. Georgia Tech, 3/6/48 - Cliff Barker, Jim Line, Ken Rollins, Alex Groza. University of Kentucky basketball and football negatives: 2006ua56

Harold Ross Hickman, 1955. Mack Hughes negatives: 2006ua052

Sometimes you look at a photo and recognize that something is wrong, but you just can't put your finger on it.
Spotted it yet?
At least twice during UK basketball history, the name "Kentucky" was misspelled on the uniforms. In the 1948 photo, you can clearly see from Jim Line's (25) and Cliff Barker's (23) jerseys that the "c" and "k" in Kentucky are transposed. Another misspelling occurred in 1955, seen in Harold Ross Hickman's jersey which inexplicably includes the letter "t" in Kentucky. Hickman was most likely a freshman, so perhaps the misspelled jerseys were relegated to freshmen that year while the varsity uniforms were correct?
Theories welcome.

Women's basketball tradition at UK

University of Kentucky's (then Kentucky State College) first women's basketball team, 1903. University of Kentucky general photograph collection, 2001ua025.


University of Kentucky women's basketball team with trophy, circa 1920s. Louis Edward Nollau photographic print collection, 1998ua002.

The University of Kentucky women's basketball program was established in 1902 - one year earlier than the men's basketball team. The first women's game was played on February 21, 1903. For the first few years of its existence on UK's campus, the women's basketball team mostly played interclass scrimmages, only playing one or two intercollegiate games per season. All games were carefully monitored by Florence Offutt Stout, the women's physical education director and first Dean of Women, and no spectators were allowed. Stout was a proponent of "medical gymnastics," a more gentle form of physical exercise targeted at promoting physical health and eliminating obesity, and considered competitive sports at odds with this program.

In 1909, the women's basketball team complained via a petition to the faculty senate stating that Stout did not support the development of the sport and asked that the athletic association take over the management of the team. This started a power struggle which stretched over almost two decades between Stout, women students in favor of the sport, and the athletic association. In 1924, bolstered by the support of Sarah Blanding -- the new Dean of Women -- Stout finally convinced the University Senate and UK President Frank McVey that basketball was "too strenuous for girls." McVey cited this "strenuousity" and the claim that road trips for the team were prohibitively expensive due to "the necessity of proper chaperonage" as reasons for banning women's basketball. This was in spite of the fact that the 1923-1924 women's team had won the Southern Intercollegiate Championship after an undefeated 10-0 season. All women's intercollegiate varsity sports were discontinued on November 13, 1924. Ironically, the 1924-1925 season marked the first season of men's basketball play in Alumni Gym and a rise of popularity in the game on campus.

In the next decades, women's basketball continued to be played in physical education classes, and later as an intramural sport, but organizing campus dances became the primary focus of the Women's Athletic Association. It was not until 1974 that women's basketball was reinstated as a varsity sport, with Sue Feamster serving as the first coach of a varsity team in fifty years.

Gregory Kent Stanley has written a fuller account of the early years of women's basketball and the campus politics affecting it in his book Before Big Blue. UK Athletics offers a historic timeline of women's basketball achievements on its website under "History and records."

The "Madness" Continues

Even though the Wildcats are out of the running for this year's NCAA Tournament, the University of Kentucky Archives has materials from more than 100 years worth of glory days to revel in! Test your knowledge of UK basketball history with these "fun facts."

1. Scotty Baesler, mayor of Lexington from 1982-1993 and 6th District U.S. Congressman from 1993-1999, is also a former UK basketball player (1959-1963). What was Rupp’s nickname for Baesler?
a. Cab
b. Garbage Collector
c. Frog

2. Which former UK basketball coach toured with the Harlem Globetrotters for a year?
a. Rick Pitino
b. Adolph Rupp
c. Joe B. Hall

3. Who was the first All-American named from the University of Kentucky basketball team?
a. Carey Spicer
b. Basil Hayden
c. Forest “Aggie” Sale

Answers: 1-b; 2-c; 3-b

March Madness

1904 University of Kentucky Men's Basketball Team -- 2001ua025:0023

Head to the Hub in W.T. Young Library to see the exhibit "March Madness: A History of UK Basketball in Images." In addition, other screens in the Hub will be showing historic games in UK Men's Basketball, including the entire 1978 NCAA Championship game against Duke. The exhibit runs through March.

About athletics materials in the University of Kentucky Archives:

Since its creation in the 1930s, the University Archives has endeavored to preserve the history of UK athletics. During these 60 years, the Archives has amassed one of the finest athletics collections in the United States, which now includes over 5000 videotapes, 1500 audiotapes, 1500 films, 3000 photographs, 30 scrapbooks, and 250 boxes of clippings, programs, and media guides. The collection is heavily used by researchers, often requiring reproductions of films, videotapes, and photographs.

Sports are a part of our collective popular culture and also connected to the tradition of excellence at the University of Kentucky. Long after sporting events have faded from recent history the images, the accomplishments, and the records set continue to live in our collective memories. The University Archives has the important role of ensuring that the sights, the sounds, the facts, and goals are more than a memory.

Later this year, Explore UK will launch an amazing online resource for Kentucky basketball fans and researchers including basketball programs, Cats Pause, ephemera, and photographs!

Olympic dreams

As the Summer Olympics gear up in Beijing, here is a look back at the 1948 Summer Olympics held in London, England. That year five University of Kentucky basketball players (that’s Basketball with a capital “B” around here) were members of the U.S. team and U.K. coach Adolph Rupp was the assistant coach. The U.K. players on the Olympic team were the starting five in their “day jobs” as college players: Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Ralph Beard, Alex Groza, Cliff Barker, and Kenny Rollins.

The above photograph originated with the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1948. The caption reads: “Two points for Kentucky – Speedy Ralph Beard, Kentucky’s All-American guard, easily outdistanced Kenny Reeves (13), University of Louisville guard, went up and dumped in a layup shot in the UK-UL Olympic trial game at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats poured it on their Bluegrass contemporary to triumph, 91-57, and moved into the semifinals.”

This photograph is from the Russell Rice collection and shows the entire 1948 U.S. Olympic basketball team. U.K. players are marked by their autographs and Adolph Rupp is kneeling on the far right. So how did the team fare? They received a gold medal after defeating France 65-21.

This year, U.K. is sending the most Wildcats to the Olympics since 1948. The five athletes and one coach participating in the 2008 Olympics are: Tayshaun Prince, basketball, U.S.; Jose Avecedo, 200 meter dash, Venezuela; David Freeman, 1500 meter run, Puerto Rico; Mikel Thomas, 110 meter high hurdles, Trinidad and Tobago; Elvis Burrows, 50 meter freestyle, Bahamas; Erin Tucker, guest coach for sprints, Venezuela.