ADOLPH FREDERICK RUPP
"Nation's Winningest Basketball Coach"
31 Years  Won 645, Lost 122  84%
For three decades, the sports world has watched an amazing record being forged with near perfection out of meager raw material by a colorful figure in the Blue Grass country of Kentucky known familiarly to hundreds of thousands as the "Man in the Brown Suit."
He is Adolph Rupp of Kentucky and when the sport of basketball is mentioned today, a direct chain of thought brings out the name of this maker of champions who holds undisputed rank as the "Nation's Winningest Basketball Coach." The name of Rupp, feared and respected in opponents' hearts and beloved by the millions who have witnessed the remarkable success of his Wildcat cage teams, has become synonymous with the game of basketball.
Such unprecedented recognition for the fabulous mentor is only natural since his success in the past 31 years as head man of the fabled Kentucky cage thoroughbreds has been nothing short of phenomenal. It would take a book longer than his own technical bestseller, "Championship Basketball," to recite the record completely. Briefly, however, that record includes:
An amazing 645 victories out of 767 starts for an unparalleled winning percentage of better than 84 percent against major competition.
Certification by the NCAA Service Bureau as the nation's most
successful collegiate basketball coach, both for the past 10 years
and at the 20 year level. One  of only  three  still-active  collegiate  cage  coaches with
"membership" in the exclusive 600 club in which the dues are
600 victories.
Selection as the national "Coach of the Year" in 1959 for the second time in his career.
An unprecedented honor roll of four NCAA Tournament championships picked up by his Wildcats who hold the all-time record of 12 appearances in the national classic and can claim more victories in NCAA play (22) than any other team.
A nominal world's championship as co-coach of the successful USA entry in the 1948 Olympic Games which included members of Kentucky's NCAA champions.
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