Your UK Mount Rushmore

[Sticeman]

I was listening to the sports mob on the way to work the other day. They were having callers make beleve that they were building their own Mount Rushmore what faces would be on your mountain. This does not just limit you to Basketball any star or alumni that has ties to UK. I figured I would pose the question to the board. Here is my Mount Rushmore

1. Adolf Rupp
2. Caywood Ledford
3. Jamal Mashburn
4. Ashley Judd (just cause she is so darn hot)
5. Bill Kheightly

[PitinoLooksBetterInRed]

I was listening to the sports mob on the way to work the other day. They were having callers make beleve that they were building their own Mount Rushmore what faces would be on your mountain. This does not just limit you to Basketball any star or alumni that has ties to UK. I figured I would pose the question to the board. Here is my Mount Rushmore

1. Adolf Rupp
2. Caywood Ledford
3. Jamal Mashburn
4. Ashley Judd (just cause she is so darn hot)
5. Bill Kheightly

Arent there just 4 faces on mount rushmore?

[BigBlue75]

Arent there just 4 faces on mount rushmore?

Hey, go carve up your own mountain. (JUST KIDDING...lighten up!):p

[Sticeman]

There are but your building your own and I decided to add another face I couldnt leave Ashley out.

[PitinoLooksBetterInRed]

There are but your building your own and I decided to add another face I couldnt leave Ashley out.

I completly understand

[BlueheartMattB]

1. Adolf Rupp
2. Caywood
3. Kheightly
4. AB Happy Chandler

The first 3 are basketball, but Chandler did so much for baseball, the state of Kentucky and UK that I couldn't leave him off.

[KY Blue in Carolina]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Bill Keightley
Mel McCane

[BlueheartMattB]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Bill Keightley
Mel McCane

Adding a 5th to mine after seeing this:

Mel

[teamchemistry09]

I say Tim Couch would have a spot on there and go ahead and get started on Gillispies neck

[Sticeman]

I say Tim Couch would have a spot on there and go ahead and get started on Gillispies neck

I wanted to put Couch up there he is my all time favorite Uk athlete period just didnt think he should go over the other Four.

[Josh]

I'd have four Steve Masiello's.

[Littlemeyer]

There are all kinds of possibilities with this. Great thread idea, btw! :thumbup:

Just to be a bit different, I'll say:

John Pelphrey
Richie Farmer
Deron Feldhaus
Sean Woods

[bluecat406]

Steve Masiello
Ravi Moss
Cameron Mills
Todd Svaboda

.....Hal Mumme

[Blue4ever]

I was listening to the sports mob on the way to work the other day. They were having callers make beleve that they were building their own Mount Rushmore what faces would be on your mountain. This does not just limit you to Basketball any star or alumni that has ties to UK. I figured I would pose the question to the board. Here is my Mount Rushmore

1. Adolf Rupp
2. Caywood Ledford
3. Jamal Mashburn
4. Ashley Judd (just cause she is so darn hot)
5. Bill Kheightly

How could anyone leave Harry Lancaster off? He was Adolph's right arm.

My UK/Mt Rushmore would be
Rupp
Lancaster
Groza
Beard
Wah Wah

The Fabulous Five started all of this. They were the Super Stars of that generation. A buddy of mine whose father grew up in Pennsylvania and doesn't follow much sports anymore still talks of the Fabulous Five when I'm around.

[ShelbyvilleCathead]

1. Adolph Rupp
2. Bill Keightley
3. Wah Wah Jones.. (Obviously I did not personally get to see him play, but if you can be an All American under Rupp and Bear, surely you deserve to have your face on a hypothetical mountain)
4. Cawood Ledford

[CATHEAD]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Chuck Hayes
Bill Keightley

Honorable mention: Jamal Mashburn, Ashley Judd, Reggie Hanson, Cotton Nash

[DCWildcat]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Chuck Hayes
Bill Keightley

Honorable mention: Jamal Mashburn, Ashley Judd, Reggie Hanson, Cotton Nash

I like that one a lot

[UKSam]

I am keeping mine blank. I think the best is yet to come.

[Caveman Catfan]

Todd Svoboda
Chris Gettlefinger
Leroy Byrd
Ashley Judd

[BigBlueLuke]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Wah Wah Jones
Rick Pitino

I had to put Pitino because I felt like he brought us back from the dead, and it's no coincidence I have two Harlan natives on there. :icon_smile:

[UKcat]

Gotta have room for Dan Issel up there somewhere:cool:

[DCWildcat]

Gotta have room for Dan Issel up there somewhere:cool:

Whoops! You're right.

Rupp is obvious, and it doesn't seem fair to keep Keightley or Cawood off the list. So those will be my four.

[catman4life]

Hey Luke, how old are you and what part of Harlan are you from? You have a fellow "Harlan-ite" on here. I don't live there anymore, though.

[dj4cats]

Rupp
Issel
Givens
Delk

only 1 coah, players must stay 4 years to be on mountain.

[BigBlueLuke]

Hey Luke, how old are you and what part of Harlan are you from? You have a fellow "Harlan-ite" on here. I don't live there anymore, though.

You got a PM Catman4life.

[blueheretic]

Not only was Wah Wah Jones a great UK Sports star, he is one hell of a great guy as well. If you ever get the chance to sit down and chat with this guy, he's super nice and will talk about the Glory Road. He's an awesome Cat.

Adolph Rupp -- No Explanation necessary

Babe Parilli -- Football All America


Vito "Babe" Parilli is considered one of Kentucky's top 50 sports figures of the last century. As an All-American starting quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Babe Parilli led his team in back-to-back victories in the Sugar Bowl, over number one ranked Oklahoma, and the Cotton Bowl. He played 6 years in the NFL, and then went to the American Football League, where he was one of only 20 players to play the entire 10 years, culminating in a Super Bowl ring with the 1969 New York Jets.


Basil Hayden -- first UK All America and lead UK to the first Southern Collegiate Championship which was possibly the first Collegiate Basketball Tournament. He wasn't a very good coach but as a player he started the UK tradition.

Sam Bowie -- This guy is what made me a UK Fan for life. He and Kenny "Sky" Walker. As a kid, I loved Sam Bowie. He was my hero.


__________________________________________________ __________
I felt that Football needed a face on the mountain.

So those would be my four.


I almost want to put Paul "Bear" Bryant up there. Man oh man, what might have been. In those days, we had a coaching combo much like Florida has in Donovan and Urban Meyer.

Wah Wah is in a class of his own. I almost wanted to change him out for Bowie or Hayden.

Hard to not include Pat Riley and the rest of Rupps Runts or the Fabulous Five. Issel is another that is hard to leave out. As well as Kyle Macy and The Golden Goose.

Pitino earned his exclusion with his choice to go to UL. Incredible achievements as the Coach of UK. Poor decision (no matter his reasoning/logic) to go to UL. Legacy disrupter.

Wow, the history and tradition of UK is incredible.

[RaleighCat]

UK's Mount Rushmore should be basketball related. We can honor football in the foothills.

My Kentucky Basketball Mount Rushmore would be named Mount Ledford:
Adolph Rupp
Dan Issel
Jamal Mashburn
Rick Pitino

[blueheretic]

Here's a BUMP for all of those who keep mistaking the "negative" thread for this one.

Don't say I never did nuttin' for you guys.

[blueheretic]

UK's Mount Rushmore should be basketball related. We can honor football in the foothills.

My Kentucky Basketball Mount Rushmore would be named Mount Ledford:
Adolph Rupp
Dan Issel
Jamal Mashburn
Rick Pitino

They put Pitino up there, I'll dynamite it off myself like the Taliban and the Bamian Buddha.

[UKhoov]

What has to be the criteria for the UK Mt. Rushmore? The people put up there are very debateable. So what exactly would the rules be to have you face carved in stone?

I like the fact a player would have to have been here for four years and I think we all could agree on Rupp being there, but outside of that what else does it take?:widcat: :shrug1:

[CATHEAD]

They put Pitino up there, I'll dynamite it off myself like the Taliban and the Bamian Buddha.

I'll help you light the fuse. No way should Little Ricky be up there. Yeah, he did great things for UK, but there are some lines you don't cross.

[Littlemeyer]

I'll help you light the fuse. No way should Little Ricky be up there. Yeah, he did great things for UK, but there are some lines you don't cross.

Agreed. George Washington would not be on Mount Rushmore if he had become President (:)) of Great Britain after being the U.S.A.'s first President.

Right?

So no Pitino. :cool:

[RaleighCat]

They put Pitino up there, I'll dynamite it off myself like the Taliban and the Bamian Buddha.

In all seriousness, I struggled with that one. But who else affected our resurgence more than Rick Pitino? Mashburn is the player who bridged the gap between the Unforgettables and the Untouchables.
It's also not fair to only have one coach since we've had four win titles. Only Rupp on the mountain doesn't do our overall coaching success justice.
Issel and Rupp are no-brainers. Mashburn wins by a nose over Sky Walker or Goose. Pitino gets the honor for what he did on the Kentucky sideline. What's happened since then doesn't diminish his legacy in my book.

(and for what it's worth, I'd vote Pete Rose in the HOF. Same argument with Pitino on this mountain)

[Sticeman]

What has to be the criteria for the UK Mt. Rushmore? The people put up there are very debateable. So what exactly would the rules be to have you face carved in stone?

I like the fact a player would have to have been here for four years and I think we all could agree on Rupp being there, but outside of that what else does it take?:widcat: :shrug1:

The only criteria was that you had to be an alumnia or be assoitated directly with UK other than that its all up to you

[CatsSaintsFan]

1) Adolph Rupp
2) Bear Bryant
3) Cawood Ledford
4) Rick Pitino

I debated between Rick and Happy Chandler for the fourth spot.

[CatsSaintsFan]

I'll help you light the fuse. No way should Little Ricky be up there. Yeah, he did great things for UK, but there are some lines you don't cross.

Like it or not, he brought Kentucky Basketball from the dead to a dominance it hadn't experienced since the 50's

[blueheretic]

Like it or not, he brought Kentucky Basketball from the dead to a dominance it hadn't experienced since the 50's

Not entirely true. Look at the run from roughly 74 to 78. Almost identical results.

[CatsSaintsFan]

Not entirely true. Look at the run from roughly 74 to 78. Almost identical results.

You lose the debate when you have to use the word "almost." I experienced those seasons as well. There was an NIT appearance in the middle of that (though it was a Championship).

[blueheretic]

You lose the debate when you have to use the word "almost." I experienced those seasons as well. There was an NIT appearance in the middle of that (though it was a Championship).

The NCAA Field was a lot smaller back then and the NIT did not have the same stigma attached to it as now. It's all in how you see things. Marquette used their NIT run in 76 as momentum to win the NCAA Championship in '77. Al McGuire was quite proud of both Championships.

Like I said. The NCAA field was quite a bit smaller at that time. The NIT teams at that time were better than the 9 though 16 seeds in the Tournament now. Probably equivalent to the 4 though 11 seeds in the Tourney now. Some of those teams have won NCAA Championships.

One NIT Championship, One Final Four, One Championship

Comparable when speaking in relative historical terms.

But thats for you to decide. And in the end, it's your Mount Rushmore. (Just be warned, I've got my dynamite ready. lol)

[abovthecrowd]

Adolph Rupp
Cawood Ledford
Paul "Bear" Bryant
Dan Issel
Lyman T. Johnson


You may have to look one of these up. I thought that at least one should be there for other than sports.

[Blue Heaven]

Rupp
Ledford
Pitino
Issel

[pjquirk]

Rupp (the coach)
- for obvious reasons

Cawood (the messenger, the voice)
- 2nd only to Rupp in terms of making KY Basketball something to love (listen to) across multiple generations.

CM (the ambassador)
- while noteworthy as a 2 sport player and administrator including getting credit for bringing basketball back (kindof like JT) in the 90s I think his greatest benefit to UK is as an ambassador through the incredible number of national and international committees he participated in or chaired bringing recognition and respect to Kentucky far outside of the Commonwealth

Keightley (the common fan)
- The common fan, living out a dream. He is so loved because he does what so many of us would spend our lives doing if he didn't. Humbly sitting on the sideline, working day to day, just doing his job to be a part of the greatest basketball program ever. One face for all the fans.

You may look at my list and say...where are the great players? Well, at the greatest program in history, only contributing in a single way for 2-4 years doesn't make you one of the 4 greatest people in a 100+ year history.

No football? Not compared to these guys. Sure Bear is the Bear, but his impact to Kentucky wasn't what it could have been and his greatest works were done elsewhere.

Ashley, we'd all rather look at her mug than Mr. Keightley's and in terms of being the common fan, she is amazing, but the tenure of Mr. Keightely gets the edge over her looks.

[BigBlueBrian]

1. Rupp
2. Clabourne
3. The Bear
4. The Wildcat

[Coldstream]

I wasn't around when Rupp was coach and I was pretty young when Joe B. Hall was coach so I'll add a twist to this thread. My list is based on players/coaches who influenced me on what UK basketball is about:

The Unforgettables:
Doug Pelphrey
Sean Woods
Richie Farmer
Deron Feldhaus

and for the 5th person (which was harder to pick):
Chuck Hayes (because he embodies what UK player should exhibit)

[BigBlueAngus]

Rupp, Issel, Cawood, Mashburn

I have Mash and Kenny Walker pretty much a draw.

[rudedogky]

There have been a lot of good choices so far, mine are

1. Rupp
2. Ledford
3. Issel
4. Still (the all time leading scorer has to be included, IMO)

[pjquirk]

There have been a lot of good choices so far, mine are

1. Rupp
2. Ledford
3. Issel
4. Still (the all time leading scorer has to be included, IMO)

Don't forget that Still is the all-time leading rebounder in UK Basketball history as well...