The masterful story-teller is equally renowned on the banquet and coaching clinic circuit and is in constant demand as a speaker in the off season. Last year, he appeared in 17 different states to speak before Bankers Assn. banquets, the Iowa State School of Agriculture banquet, cattlemen's groups, purebred breeders assns. and dozens of other national and state conventions. He has conducted more coaching schools than any other coach in the history of the game.
Internationally recognized for his avocation as a registered Hereford breeder-enthusiast, Rupp is currently in his sixth term as president of the Kentucky Hereford Assn. He maintains one of the finest herds in the South on his many farms surrounding Lexington. Also a grower of Kentucky's famous burley tobacco, he is a director of the Central District Warehousing Corp., world's largest tobacco marketing organization.
The coach is active in Shrine affairs, being chosen in 1950 as one of the 10 outstanding Shriners of the nation and holding honorary memberships in temples throughout the country. He is a Past Potentate of the Oleika (Lexington) Temple and serves as vice-chairman of the board for the Shrine Crippled Children's Hospital in Lexington.
He has his own television and radio shows during the season, produced two film shorts in the past year ("Basketball: Individual Offense" for Coca-Cola Co. and "Parade to National Championship") and written books on virtually every phase of the game.
Born in Halstead, Kansas, Sept. 2, 1901, Rupp attended University of Kansas where he played guard under Phog Allen. Following graduation in 1923, he coached high school ball one year at Marshall-town, Iowa, and then at Freeport, III., four seasons before coming to Kentucky in 1930. His fame as "The Man in the Brown Suit" stems from his superstitious preference of brown as the color of his game-night wardrobe.
SEC CAGE CHAMPIONS BY YEARS
1933 ............ Kentucky
1934 ............ Alabama
1935 .... Ky., L.S.U. (Tie)
1936 .......... Tennessee
1937 ............ Kentucky
1938 ............ Ga. Tech
1939 ............ Kentucky
1940 ............ Kentucky
1941 .......... Tennessee
1942 ............ Kentucky
1943 .......... Tennessee
1944 ............ Kentucky
1945 ............ Kentucky
1946 ............ Kentucky
1947 ............ Kentucky
1948 ............ Kentucky
1949 ............ Kentucky
1950 ............ Kentucky
(Tournament decided champion until 1951. Title determ play starting in 1951. Kentucky did not play a schedule suspension.)
1 1
951 ............ Kentucky
952 ............ Kentucky
953 .................. L.S.U.
954 ............ Kentucky
955 ............ Kentucky
956 ............ Alabama
957 ............ Kentucky
958 ............ Kentucky
ned by regular season in 1953 due to NCAA