Kentucky doesn 't need to get out of the SEC
'Cats just need to do whatever other teams do
Would the University of Kentucky's athletic teams be better off out of the Southeastern Conference?
Callers to talk shows have been in favor of that lately, but they mainly are football fans and are
Earl Cox
Cats' Pause Columnist
thinkly only of the gridiron. When it comes to UK football and the SEC, the Wildcats have not fared well. Since the conference was formed with 13 teams in 1933, Kentucky has won the football championship just twice, in 1950 outright under Paul "Bear" Bryant and in 1976 when Fran Curd's Cats tied with Georgia for the title.
University of the South (Sewanee), Tulane and Georgia Tech were origina1 members of the SEC. Georgia Tech realized almost immediately that it had made a mistake and Bryant, by then reigning at Alabama, promised his friend, Georgia Tech coach and director of athletics Bobby Dodd, that he would get Tech back as a conference member. But the SEC presidents over-ruled the Bear. Since then Tech has been a member of the Metro and (now) the Atlantic Coast
My argument with people who favor pulling out of the SEC because the UK football team can't compete is that Kentucky must start doing what the upper division SEC teams do. No, I don't advocate cheating. I don't know that Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee cheat But I do know that they win and that UK doesn't compete year in and year out with them.
Five SEC teams will play in bowls; that's usual; and as usual UKs share will be about $1 million. As an independent UK would receive nothing.
Tradition and scheduling play the biggest parts in staying in the SEC. When a Georgia comes to Lexington, I think not only of the current Bulldogs, but of Harry Gilmer (who once passed UK silly at Louisville's duPont Manual Stadium), of Charlie Trippi, Frankie Sinkwich and Herschel Walker. I think of a game at old Stoll Field in 1947 when a rabbit held up the game. A Bulldog finally put the frightened bunny out of its misery with his helmet He was booed lustily, but the game did go on. Oh, UK whipped Georgia 26-0. Naturally, the Bear was in command.
And when the Cats play LSU, it's the same. I think mainly of Billy Cannon. It's Tennessee and Doug Atkins and all those great tailbacks and that dreaded single wing. Ole Miss and Archie Manning. The same great teams year after year is what builds tradition.
Do you get the point? It isn't like that when your team is an independent
What's that? You think the Cats should be in the Big Ten? Well, don't laugh. That almost came about during the presidency of Dr. Otis Singletary. The plan was for Northwestern to drop out of Big Ten and for UK to replace the Evans ton, ID., school. Wildcats for Wildcats. How would you have liked that?
Speaking of Dr. Singletary, the distinguished educator has been elected national president of Phi Beta Kappa, and he has another nice honor coming up
that I can't announce quite yet.
BIG FOUR - Louisville and Lexington should get regular turns once each four years as hosts of the Big Four Classic. Why should Indianapolis hotels, merchants and restaurants hog all the business?
Tickets are $25 each in Indianapolis. I don't think many people would object to paying $35 when the Classic is played at either Freedom Hall or Rupp Arena.
JOE BILLY - Among the 26 people who will be inducted into the Dawahares-Kentucky High School Athletic Association on March 14 at the Marriott in Lexington will be Joe Billy Mansfield. Joe Billy was a great player (All-State Tournament for Horse Cave) who went on to coach and serve as the KH.S As second commissioner.
He was a very special person. Consider this story from Dero Downing, retired president of Western Kentucky University.
"I was behind Joe Billy at Horse Cave High when he was the big hero,' remembered Downing. "One day I was watching the varsity baseball team practice. I didn't have a glove, but Joe Billy had a brand-new one. He flipped it to me when the varsity finished and
said, Bring it back tomorrow.' You can't imagine how good that made a kid feel," said Downing.
MR GRUNER - The Male-Manual game lost its No. 1 fan when William R. Gruner died Nov. 22. He never missed an Old Rivalry game from the rime he was 13 until he died at 86.
Three of his sons were Manual stars and all three had their numbers retired. They were Bunky, one of Kentucky's all-time top running backs; Bill and Doug. Brunky briefly attended UK, but he didn't take kindly to Bryant's brand of football.
PARTY POOPERS - One last jab at UK officials who couldn't wait to fire Cliff Hagan: Why couldn't you wait just one more week? The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was all set to honor him And his friend from their championship days with the St. Louis Hawks, Bob Pettit was this year's featured Hall of Famer. Needless to say, Hagan took off for parts unknown and skipped the ceremonies.
REX NO. 1? - If Rex Champman had played four years at UK, would he have finished as the Cats' all-time leading scorer? Probably .He was well on his way.
THE 1,000-POINT CLUB:
UK's ALL-TIME LEADING SCORERS
Player (Pos.)                    Years played Pts. G Ppg.
1. Dan Issel (C)...........................3 (1968-70) 2,138 83 25.7
2. Kenny Walker (F)....................4 (1983-86) 2,080 132 15.8
3. Jack Givens (F)........................4 (1975-78) 2,038 123 16.6
4. Kevin Grevey (F).....................3 (1973-75) 1,801 84 21.4
5. Cotton Nash (C-F)...................3 (1962-64) 1,770 *78 22.7
6. Alex Groza (C)........................4 (1945, 46-49) 1,744 120 14.4
7. Ed Davender (G).....................4 (1985-88) 1,637 129 12.7
8. Louie Dampier (G)..................3 (1962-64) 1,575 80 19.7
9. Mike Casey (G).......................3 (1968-69, '71) 1,535 82 18.7
10. Ralph Beard (G)......................4 (1946-49) 1,517 139 10.8
11. Melvin Turpin (C)...................4 (1981-84) 1,509 123 12.3
12. Cliff Hagan (C).......................3 (1951-52/54) 1,475 77 19.2
13. Pat Riley (F)............................3 (1965-67) 1,464 80 18.3
14. Johnny Cox (F)........................3 (1957-59) 1,461 77 19.2
15. Kyle Macy (G)........................3 (1978-80) 1,411 98 14.4
16. Winston Bennett (F)................4 (1984-86, '88) 1,399 133 10.5
17. Rick Robey (C-F).....................4 (1975-78) 1,395 105 13.3
18. Mike Phillips (Q.....................4 (1975-78) 1,367 120 11.4
19. Mike Pratt (F)..........................3 (1968-70) 1,359 81 16.8
20. Frank Ramsey (G)...................3 (1951-2/54) 1,344 91 14.7
21. Jim Andrews (C)......................3 (1971-73) 1,320 80 16.5
22. Sam Bowie (F-C).....................3 (1980-81/84) 1,285 94 13.4
23. Jim Master (G)........................4 (1981-84) 1,283 121 10.6
24. Tom Parker (F)........................3 (1970-72) 1,238 80 15.5
25. Derrick Hord (F).....................4 (1980-83) 1,220 124 9.8
26 Bill Spivey (C).........................2 (1950-51) 1,213 63 19.2
27. Vernon Hatton (G)..................3 (1956-58) 1,154 76 15.1
28. Wallace Jones (F)....................4 (1946-49) 1,151 t98 -
29. Billy Ray Licked (F-G).............3 (1959-61) 1,076 73 14.7
30. Rex Chapman (G)...................2 (1987-88) 1,073 61 17.6
31. Dirk Minniefield (G)...............4 (1980-83) 1,069 123 8.7
32. Jim Line (F).............................4 (1947-50) 1,041 t100 -
33. Bob Burrow (Q.......................2 (1955-56) 41,023 51 20.0
34. Jimmy Dan Conner (G)...........3 (1973-75) 1,009 85 11.9
35. Bobby Watson (G)..................3 (1950-52) 1,001 96 10.4
Achieved membership in dub earliest ol any Wildcat, hitting 1,000 points in 19th game ol his junior year.
tNo record ol number ot games played in 1947.
tUK totals only. 2.191 junior college points not included.
Chapman, who finished his two-year UK career in 30th place on the list, would have probably been the Wildcats' top scorer had he stayed for two more seasons.