Kentucky Basketball: 10 Most Iconic Moments in Wildcat Basketball History

Kentucky Wildcat basketball is not just a legendary program...they are the winningest college basketball program of all time.

Currently, Kentucky's overall record is 2052-647 (76 percent).

The Wildcats lead all D1 colleges in total NCAA appearances (51), are tied with North Carolina in NCAA tournament wins (105), and ranks second to UCLA in NCAA championships (seven).

It would be grueling to chronicle all of Kentucky's great events, but here are the top 10 iconic moments in Wildcat Basketball history.

This list is in chronological order to give a picture of the historical timeline of the program. 

For tons of info go to www.ukathletics.com. Thank you.

The First Win!

On February 18, 1903, State College (Kentucky) recorded its first win, an 11-10 decision over Lexington YMCA.

The first recorded intercollegiate game was a 15-6 loss to Georgetown College.

The Wildcats finished that first "season" with a 1-2 record.

Sometimes, humble beginnings are followed by exceptional results.

Note: The picture is actually the 1920-21 team, nicknamed "The Wonder Team."

The First of Many W's for the Baron of Bluegrass

Fast-forward 28 years.

A history and economics teacher/high school coach from Freeport, Illinois named Adolph Rupp was hired to be the Kentucky basketball coach on March 21, 1930.

The Baron of the Bluegrass coached the Wildcats from 1930 until 1972 when, at the age of 70, Rupp had reached the mandatory retirement age for all University of Kentucky employees. To put that into perspective, if the same standard was in place at Penn State, Joe Paterno would have had to retire at the end of the 1996 season.

Rupp's first win was over Georgetown (KY) College, 67-19...a little Wildcat payback from the 1903 loss?  

Cuttin' Down the Nets for the First National Championship

Adolph Rupp had instant success at the helm of Kentucky Basketball. But it wasn't until his sixteenth season that the Wildcats won their first national championship.

On March 20, 1946, UK beat Rhode Island 46-45 to win the National Invitational Tournament. The Wildcats beat Arizona (77-53) and West Virginia (59-51) en route to the championship game.

Kentucky posted a 28-2 record on the season, winning all six of their Southeastern Conference games.

The First "Fab Five" Wins UK's First NCAA Championship

With having won a national title in '46, the program was off and running.

The following season, the Wildcats played again for the NIT championship, only to fall short by losing to Utah.

But on March 23, 1948, Kentucky's "Fabulous Five" (not to be confused with the group from Ann Arbor) helped the school win its first NCAA Championship, beating Baylor 58-42.

Those five players were Ralph Beard, Alex Groza, Wallace 'Wah Wah' Jones, Cliff Barker and Kenny Rollins.

This team won 36 of their 39 games.

Groza was the 1948 tournaments' top scorer and Most Outstanding Player, dropping in 54 points in the three games.

Ringin' Up a Second NCAA Title

It didn't take Rupp and the Wildcats long to get ahold of their second NCAA championship.

One year later after winning their first, the Wildcats won number two by beating Oklahoma A&M 46-36 in Seattle.

Alex Groza (pictured) was the tournament's leading scorer and most outstanding player again. This time Groza scored 82 points in the three games.  

Kentucky beat Villanova (85-72) and Illinois (76-47) on their way to the championship game.

The NCAA Championships Just Keep on Comin'

The Wildcats' domination continued.

Only two years later, on March 27, 1951, Rupp and the Wildcats won a third NCAA championship, beating Kansas State 68-58 in Minneapolis.

The 1951 tournament was the first to introduce a 16-team field.

The Wildcats' Bill Spivey was selected as the Most Outstanding Player. Unfortunately for Spivey, this would be his last major accomplishment in a Kentucky uniform.

Later that year, Spivey (pictured) gave up his eligibility to play for the Wildcats because of his involvement in a point-shaving scandal.

The Fiddlin' Five Bring Home Number Four

Before the 1957-58 season, Adolph Rupp commented on his team, "They might be pretty good barnyard fiddlers, but we have a Carnegie Hall schedule, and it will take violinists to play that competition”.  

When the Wildcats became notorious for, as Rupp put it, “fiddlin’ around and fiddlin’ around then finally pulling it out at the end,” the team was tagged with the nickname “The Fiddlin’ Five.”

On March 22, 1958, the Wildcats won their fourth NCAA Championship, beating Elgin Baylor (the tournament's top scorer and Most Outstanding Player) and Seattle University 84-72.

Adolph went on to coach through the 1971-72 season, finishing with a 876-190 record (in 41 years), which was the most of any college coach at the time of his retirement.

Rupp is now No. 4 in all-time wins behind Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith.

Beyond the Rupp Era, the Cats Keep Winnin'

Although many people had doubts about what the post-Rupp era (beginning with the 1972-73 season) would be like, Joe B. Hall, a Rupp assistant for seven years, took over as head coach.

In his first five years, Hall posted a record of 105-40, with one NCAA championship runner-up finish, two Elite Eights and one NIT Championship.

In his sixth year, Hall led the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA championship, beating Duke 94-88.

Jack "Goose" Givens (pictured) scored 41 in the title game and was selected as the tournaments' Most Outstanding Player.

Hall ended up his UK coaching career with a 297-100 record.

He won eight SEC regular season championships and one conference tournament championship (1984).

The Untouchables Grab Another Title

After coaching the New York Knicks for two seasons, Rick Pitino was named Kentucky's head coach in 1989.

For his first two seasons in Lexington, Pitino's teams could not play in any post-season games because of being under NCAA probation for infractions in the Eddie Sutton era.

For those two years, the Wildcats posted a pedestrian 36-20 record.

But over the next several years, Kentucky had it in high gear.

Over the next four seasons, the Wildcats went 114-23, winning the SEC regular season title three times and the conference tournament all four years.

In 1995-96, Kentucky was a tough and talented team, known as "The Untouchables" because nine players from this team (Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Nazr Mohammed, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner and Antoine Walker) eventually played in the NBA.

Their run to the championship was one of the most dominant in NCAA tournament history, as the Wildcats won each of their first four games by at least 20 points.

Kentucky won their sixth NCAA championship by beating Syracuse 76-67.

The Comeback Cats Claw Their Way to Number Seven

Following the 1996-97 season, Rick Pitino returned to coaching in the NBA.

His eight-year record at UK was an amazing 219-50 (81.4 winning percentage).

Tubby Smith took on the huge challenge of following behind Pitino as the Wildcats' head coach.

In his first year, Smith led Kentucky to their seventh NCAA Championship by beating Utah 78-69.

Kentucky came back from double-digit deficits in each of its last three games in the tournament, leading to the school's fans dubbing the team the "Comeback Cats".

Jeff Sheppard was selected as the 1998 NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

More Moments Ahead?

John Calipari has been the Wildcats head coach for two seasons, posting a record of 64-12.

In those two years, Kentucky has won the SEC regular season title once and the conference tournament both years.

They advanced to the Elite Eight in 2009-10 and to the Final Four this past season.

With pulling in three outstanding recruiting classes in a row, Calipari has brought the talent to the "Big Blue Nation."

Could 2011-12 be the year where an eighth NCAA championship is brought back to Lexington?

All signs point to that possibility, but we will see in about seven months in New Orleans.