Glory Road

I just got back from seeing Glory Road. This is a great film and had it been released prior to the end of the 2005 calendar year, it would seriously be my choice for Best Picture.

This comes from someone who is a die-hard Kentucky Wildcats fan and watches every game that I am able to (or listens to Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, and Dave Baker) when they aren't televised. When we lost to Marquette in the 2nd round in 2003-04 of the NCAA, I was listening via my computer. Believe this or not, nobody on the floor of the dorm I was living in knew why I was screaming. Nobody. That shows how many people there care about college basketball (I've worked in athletics for two of my three years of college so far).

Back to the movie, there have been concerns that the late Kentucky Wildcat basketball coach Adolph Rupp was portrayed as a racist. I don't see that in the movie. It should be noted that Pat Riley took a job as a consultant to protect the late coach. It took until 1969 for UK to sign the first African-American, a guy named Tom Payne.

After the movie ends, while the credits are rolling, there are interviews with former Wildcats and Miners that played in the 1966 NCAA game, which was named as one of the NCAA's 25 defining moments. Haskins is interviewed as well.

Don Haskins cameos as a gas station attendent.

Here's a take on reaction of Rupp's Runts of Pat Riley, Larry Conley, Louie Dampier, Thad Jaracz, Tommy Kron.

Adolph's son has no intentions to see the movie.

If you aren't interested in seeing the movie, and I give it four stars even though the Wildcats lose in it, then check out Adolph Rupp: Myth, Legend and Fact, a documentary that was produced by WKYT's Dick Gabriel. You can order the DVD for $19.95 plus $5.00 in shipping from HostProducts.net.

Here is one of the most definitive articles I have read so far. It comes from Billy Reed who personally knew the late Coach. Check out his review of the movie as well.

All in all, go see this movie.