Adolph Rupp’s bronze plaque outside the University of Kentucky’s former basketball arena lauds him for capturing four national titles, for retiring as college basketball’s winningest coach and for never enduring a losing season.
Left unmentioned is a less flattering aspect of Rupp’s legacy that some Kentucky professors say merits further scrutiny.
The faculty members in Kentucky’s African American and Africana Studies department have asked university president Eli Capilouto to change the name of Rupp Arena. In a letter sent to Capilouto on Thursday, faculty members said that Rupp’s name “has come to stand for racism and exclusion" and "alienates Black students, fans, and attendees.