I don't remember when I began taking an interest in Kentucky Basketball, but as soon as I was old enough to know what the game was all about, I fell under the same spell that countless others have over the years. From the very beginning I was mesmerized by the stories of the great teams and players of the "Golden Age of Kentucky Basketball"; teams from the "Glory Years" like the Fabulous Five. For some reason I have always had a fascination with the period from the mid 1920's through the 1940's, not just UK Basketball, but with that entire period of time. So it goes without saying that I have been most interested in the Kentucky Basketball teams of the same age.

         For some time I have toyed with the idea of researching the decade of the '40's. To me it was those teams that created the mystic of Kentucky Basketball to what it is today. I don't think it was strictly because of the national titles during those years, but more for all of the talented players and colorful personalities that passed through Alumni Gym. I don't think any school will ever see the same amount of highly talented players in such a short period of time ever again. So what I have here is the beginning of a look back at the decade. This is going to be a long project and I will be adding this to my page in parts, so please bear with me, it is an ambitious undertaking for me. Since it will be a work in progress I am sure there will be changes made to parts that I have already published from time to time and also as the other parts come together.

         I know this probably isn't going to make much sense, but I have started in the middle, so to speak. I got the idea from George Lucas; he did pretty good using it with Star Wars. The real reason it is getting started this way is that I had originally intended to do a piece on each championship year, but then after getting underway I had a change of mind. So I'm starting in the middle and will end up going back I suppose to the beginning, so if at times you feel like you walked into the middle of a movie, in a way you have, but we'll see what happens.

        As I go through the accounts of these games I am fascinated at the difference in the terms and styles used by the writers of the day. Lay-ups are hardly ever mentioned instead they are referred to as "crip" shots. The term field goal is used far more than it is today and free throws were more often than not referred to as "charity tosses". Another thing I had never heard before I began this project is the team was many times called the "Ruppmen". As I go along I am going to try to use some of the terms and colorful phrases these writers employed 60 years ago. Keep in mind as you read you will see a few sentences or phrases in Italics, these are some of those phrases taken verbatim from the newspaper article.

        I realize there have been many very good historical accounts of UK Basketball and I am sure I cannot add anything new or different in that regard. So what I have decided to do instead is basically review some of the seasons of this decade game by game. I hope I can provide at least a basic idea of the atmosphere of the era or for some bring back a memory. As I said, it is a work in progress and I hope to do it justice. I welcome any comments, ideas, suggestions or information that may be helpful. If you have anecdotes or photos that you would like to share feel free to contact me. If anyone sees errors please bring them to my attention by all means. I have decided to call it The Fabulous Forties, I hope you find it interesting. Begin the journey below.
 

        A large portion of the accounts of the games were obtained from microfilm of the Lexington Herald & the Louisville Courier & Journal by way of Interlibrary Loan provided by Purdue University.

        Big Blue Machine by Russell Rice

        The Winning Tradition by Bert & Steve Nelli

        Six Roads to Glory by Cawood Ledford

        The Rupp Years by Tev Laudeman

        Various issues of The Cats Pause yearbooks were utilized.

        1999-2000 UK Media Guide

        The University of Kentucky Athletic Department

       The UK Library Department

       The University of Virginia Library Archives

        Georgia State University Archives

       Indiana University Archives

       University of Tennessee Athletic Department

       Vanderbilt University Archives

       University of Alabama Athletic Department & Library Archives

       Purdue University Library Department

        The New York Times

        Ken Stokes provided several rare photos of the Wildcats and some of the rival players UK faced during this period of time.

        Finally and by no means least important, a very big thanks to Jon Scott for not only information from his comprehensive web site, but also for allowing me to link to his statistic pages. I hope to utilize them throughout the project.
 

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