Interview with Ed Beck, August 22, 2019

Partial Transcript: Well, I'm here today with Ed Beck, starting center on the 1958 national championship basketball team here at Kentucky for Adolph Rupp.

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls growing up in Fort Valley, Georgia, an unusual town for its time, Beck remarks, because its Black population was more educated than its white population due to the presence of Fort Valley State College being in town. Beck says the whole town was quite integrated, and he remembers playing basketball with many of the students at the local Black university. Beck also recalls his early childhood living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Beck recalls living in an area of the city between two very different neighborhoods, the Hebrew and Orthodox Jewish neighborhood and the Black neighborhood. Beck says this diverse upbringing prepared him well for Georgia, as well as gave him many great experiences as a child. Beck says he was reared with two understandings of humanity, the north and the south. Beck recalls reaching 6 feet 7 inches tall as a 14 year old. He says he grew 13 inches in about a year, which amazed his mother and his basketball coach. Beck regards his high school coach very highly, saying not only was he a role model and inspiration to Beck, but also one of his closest friends. Beck says in order to get recognition from colleges in basketball he had to win state championships, which he recalls doing his sophomore and senior year of high school. Because of his tendency towards studying to be in the ministry, Beck remembers Duke University being his first choice in colleges at the time. Because Duke could offer him what no other school really could, which was a wonderful education in theology and a place on the basketball team, Beck had wanted to attend Duke since he was a freshman in high school.

Keywords: Basketball; Childhood; Coaches; Diversity; Early life; Education; Environment; Midwest; Single parents; Sports; Upbringing

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; Childhood; Coach and athlete; Coach-athlete relationships.; Diversity; Duke University; Education.; Fort Valley (Ga.); Sports.

Partial Transcript: So, I took a recruiting trip to Duke, and, um, I had never been on a plane before.

Segment Synopsis: Beck remembers taking a recruiting trip to Duke University, his dream school since he was a freshman in high school. Beck remembers the feeling of pure awe as he took his first plane ride from Georgia to North Carolina, saying it felt unreal to him. However, once he arrived at the university, things took a turn. Beck says everything about Duke was wonderful, the coach, professors, campus, even the other prospective teammates, but after attending a very formal basketball banquet, Beck says he knew he didn't belong there, especially being from such a modest family and being surrounded by very wealthy people. Beck calls Duke a rich person's school, and he realized he would never fit in there. After returning from the Duke recruiting trip, Beck came back to his high school only to meet the men's basketball head coach for the University of Kentucky, Adolph Rupp. Rupp offered him a chance to come up to Lexington, Kentucky and see the campus and visit for a while, to which Beck reluctantly agreed. Beck says his first impressions of UK blew away the impressions he had at Duke. Beck recalls one of the things that impressed him the most from UK was the assistant head coach, Harry Lancaster. Beck says the atmosphere he saw at UK was unlike the other universities, being that at UK everyone was more laid back and there were no deadlines when it came to making a decision to be on the team, unlike other colleges who had only given him a couple days. Beck remarks he has a very difficult time making decisions under pressure, and so when Kentucky took that pressure away it was just another reason for him to join the team there.

Keywords: College athletes; College basketball; College basketball today; College choice; College environment; Kentucky; Recruiting; Recruitment; Wealth

Subjects: Athletes; Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Duke University; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball

Partial Transcript: And when I got here Adolph had been here for 25 years. Harry had been with him almost 10 at the time.

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls the church in his day and time as an important fixture of every community, then remarking that today it is not that same fixture. Beck also says that in his hometown of Fort Valley, almost everyone had a connection to the church, and he was recognized early on as a person with potential to become a minister. Beck says he found his closest community through the church, and was never let down by them. By becoming a youth leader of his local church, Beck was able to somewhat set a foundation of his ministerial work before heading to college.

Keywords: Church members; Churches; Community; Lutherans; Methodists; Ministers; Ministry; Protestants; Spirituality; Youth ministry

Subjects: Childhood; Church.; Clergy.; Community; Fort Valley (Ga.); Methodist; Ministry and Christian union.; Spirituality.

Partial Transcript: Well, your--let's come--let's do your fre--you come into UK, okay, and freshman are ineligible to play.

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls joining the UK men's basketball team with 11 other freshman, who at the time were not allowed to play simply because they were freshman. Beck says to become a part of the team and guarantee a spot for yourself on the sophomore team, you had to prove yourself your freshman year. Beck says many times players drop out of college, or stop playing basketball because they realize it isn't for them. Beck says even he himself was close to leaving the team after a battle with a terrible infection. After thinking about leaving the team, and then ultimately deciding to stay, Beck says Rupp was very consoling the whole time, remarking that they would support him if he decided to join another team, however they would not hesitate to win against him. After this, Beck knew he would have no choice but to stay at the University of Kentucky.

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; Basketball seasons; Coaches; Coaching; Colleges; Health; Infections; Kentucky; Memorial Coliseum; Sports; Teams

Subjects: Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; Coach and athlete; Coach-athlete relationships.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Infection; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Well you, uh--last thing kind of on the basketball front here. Who, who did come in with you as freshmen?

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls that in his freshman year, UK recruited a total of 11 players into the program. Two players dropped out of the program, which left about 4 good players, according to Beck when he listed off their names. Beck lists off Bob Burrow especially, mentioning several times how remarkable of a player he was. Beck recalls the time Burrow scored over 50 points in a single game, and probably has a rebounding record for the school as well.

Keywords: Athletes; Bob Burrow; Bonds; Friendships; Teammates; Teams

Subjects: Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Friends; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Let's, uh, let's go into your relationship with Billie, your--I guess you would say your high school sweetheart. And, so when you left to come to Kentucky, um, she stayed in Fort Valley.

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls his freshman year outside of basketball, which mostly consisted of a growing relationship with his future first wife, Billie. Beck remembers the two of them being very busy so a date couldn't be arranged for quite a while, but when it did happen Beck recalls how interesting it was. Because Billie was training to be a nurse at the time, she was always caring for someone or talking about her work, and this date was no exception. Beck says Billie was a midwife for much of the local Black community, and would go out and assist Black births because they would not be treated by any of the other white doctors. Because of their prior commitments, Billie and Beck were rarely able to spend time with one another, but their relationship continued to remain strong. Eventually, the couple began to talk about the future, as it appeared to both of them that they could see themselves spending their futures together. Around this time however, Beck mentions Billie's diagnoses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Because of this diagnosis, the two got married, and Billie became a staple member of the Wildcat basketball family, as she was loved by all the coaches and treated as the queen bee, according to Beck. During Beck's sophomore year the UK men's basketball team saw success, making it to the NCAA tournament once again.

Keywords: Billie Beck; Cancer; Chronic diseases; Dates; Dating; Diseases; Girlfriends; High school sweethearts; Illnesses; Long distance relationships; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); Relationships; Wife

Subjects: Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Cancer.; Chronic disease; Coach and athlete; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Relationships.; Romance.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Well let's, let's talk just briefly--well, not briefly, as long as you'd like to, to do it--but I think it's a good opportunity to speak about Adolph.

Segment Synopsis: Beck describes Adolph Rupp and Harry Lancaster as always working as a team, utilizing their own personal coaching methods to incite the players. For Rupp, this was a more in-your-face approach, with lots of yelling, trash talking, and hyping up. For Lancaster, the method was a more by-the-book, teacher, planner type approach, with far less yelling involved. While the coaches did take into account a lot of the athletic ability of their players, they also very frequently met and discussed the psychological profile of each player. Beck recalls not knowing this until after graduating, saying that not many of the players, and practically none of the fans, knew this side of the coaches. When Beck found this out, he remembers making so many connections to events he witnessed during practices and games. Recalling a time where one of the star players, Vernon Hatton, refused to practice. Beck knows if anyone else had pulled that kind of stunt it would not have gone the way it did with Hatton. Beck remembers that Rupp would speak to a particular player sometimes, and it would seem as though he was picking on the player, when in reality he was picking on the entire team. Whatever Rupp said to one player, he was saying through that player into the whole team. Beck realized that each player was treated completely differently by the coaches, meaning each player had a customized discipline from each coach. At the end of the day, Rupp was always the emotional coach, while Lancaster was the realistic coach. He gives examples of the speeches Rupp would give to the players when he was mad at their performance. Beck says he knows both the coaches used psychological tactics to get the players to do what was right, and to get them to the highest peaks so they would fight harder for the win.

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; Assistant coaches; Attitudes; Coach and athlete; Coach-athlete relationships.; Coaching; Coaching styles; Discipline; Half time; Harry Lancaster; John Crigler; Locker rooms; Mentors; Mistakes; Motivator; Personalities; Philosophy; Practices; Psychology; Screaming; Speeches; Talent; Teachers; Teaching; Teammates; Teams; Tests; Treatment; Vernon Hatton; Yelling

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Let me ask you one last question on Adolph.

Segment Synopsis: As much as Beck can recall, he never heard Rupp use any racist terms towards anyone they were playing against, or anyone in general. Beck does emphasize this was only his point of view, and his hearing, and not what others may have heard. Beck does recall Coach Rupp was always accommodating to him in terms of his religious beliefs, and highly respected his choice and desire to go into the ministry. Beck makes the point to end the segment by saying that he never once heard Rupp use a racial epithets in a negative way, and he is speaking from both his time as a basketball player and his time knowing Rupp after his basketball career had ended.

Keywords: Allegations; Civil Rights Movement; Coaching; Equality; Mentors; Racial slurs; Racism; Racist; Racist speech; Segregation; Trust

Subjects: African Americans--Segregation; Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Well, we're going to go into your junior year now.

Segment Synopsis: Beck says Bob Burrow soon went from an unheard of player to the focus of the team. Other players also began to show themselves more, and soon enough the team became more cohesive and solidified together. Beck recalls many of the games from that season, saying they would play well one game and fall apart the next, but they learned something from each game even through the win or loss. Beck also recalls when he played against a team and effectively made one of the opposing players an All-American.

Keywords: Athletes; Bob Burrow; College athletes; Family; Gerry Calvert; Jerry Bird; Johnny Cox; Kentucky; Mississippi State University; Philosophy; Schedules; Scouting (Athletics); Shellie Bailey; Sports statistics; Sports stats and stories; Sports stories.; Statistics; Support; Team captains; Team dynamics; Teammates; Teams; Teamwork; UK Invitational Tournament (UKIT); University of Dayton; Vernon Hatton

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports--Scouting; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Well, you all enter the tournament that year.

Segment Synopsis: Beck talks about the NCAA tournament during his junior year. He talks specifically about the game against Michigan State University where, with three minutes left in the game, the opponent's star player fouled out, meaning the opposing team was at great odds with Kentucky. However, Beck and the others let it get to their head and ended up losing a game they should have won. Beck says that it must have been fate because not long after, his cancer-stricken wife passed away, on the same day that Kentucky would have played at Kansas.

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; Assistant coaches; Billie Beck; Cancer; Chronic diseases; Coach and athlete; Coach-athlete relationships.; Coaching; Funerals; Harry Lancaster; Illnesses; John Green; Johnny Green; Losses; Michigan State University; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); Teammates; Wife

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: During that season it had to be a--obviously a tough year for you.

Segment Synopsis: Beck talks about how difficult his junior season was due to flying back and forth from Georgia to Kentucky to visit his wife, who was very ill. He talks about his teammates and coaches accommodated his situation, and how the press agreed not to write about her during the season. Beck emphasizes that after the death of his first wife Billie from cancer, his whole outlook towards Kentucky changed. He recalls people walking up to him on the street admiring him and treating him like a celebrity. Not only did Beck gain support from his fellow Kentuckians, but people the world over began to send him letters, telling him how they are unable to see him play in person, but they knew when he played and they were rooting for him. Beck remarks that the state of Kentucky is remarkable in the fact that they are truly devoted to University of Kentucky basketball. Beck says he was never a superstar player who really stood out, but people all over the state hold him up and talk to him as if he was. One of the many factors that pushed Beck towards coming to the University of Kentucky was the sheer amount of support he received from fans and alumni of the university. He recalls never receiving anything like letters of admiration from alumni at Duke University, or Vanderbilt University, or any other college he toured for that matter.

Keywords: Basketball; Billie Beck; Cancer; Chronic diseases; College athletes; Diseases; Family; Grief; Illnesses; Kentucky; Media; Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); Press; Sports; Support; Teammates; Teams; Wife

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Grief.; Kentucky; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports.; Support systems, Social; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Okay, so we're going to go into your championship season here--

Segment Synopsis: Beck agrees that the team was incredibly close-knit the year of the 1958 NCAA championship win, and attributes that to the struggles he went through with his wife Billie, who had passed away from cancer the year prior. Because of the tightness of the team, Beck remembers a lot about his teammates personalities and recollects what they were like in college. Beck remembers many of his teammates experiencing great success after college, saying that they only got better with time. Beck does agree with the interviewer that everyone on the team at the time maybe weren't star players on their own, but when they came together as a team, things changed and they truly became a force to be reckoned with. Beck also remarks that during the championship game there was not one single player that won the game for the team; it was a group of players that were able to support one another through teamwork and understanding of the game and of each other. Beck also explains the role each player had, whether it be supportive, offensive, driving, or defensive.

Keywords: College basketball today; NCAA tournament; National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); National championships; Southeastern Conference (SEC); Sports statistics; Sports stories; Statistics

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Y-you know, talk a little bit about the start of the season. You just talked about the Temple game--

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls one of the most iconic baskets ever scored at a UK game: one where a simple throw back from an out of bounds play resulted in a basket that won the whole game. Beck remembers Memorial Coliseum absolutely erupting with cheers and excitement after it had looked as though the game had been lost. Beck remembers fans streaming back in after leaving to go back to their cars, and the whole atmosphere of the stadium just completely changed. Beck remembers feeling the honor of playing in Memorial Coliseum, which at the time was the largest basketball stadium in the nation, college or NBA. Beck remembers being constantly amazed by the fact that the dressing rooms were so nice, the practice uniforms were always clean, and everything about the stadium was always clean and prim and proper, which at the time Beck says was absolutely unheard of. Beck says the atmosphere of Memorial Coliseum changed the way games were done. Rupp would have everything timed out perfectly so that the game was always on time. There was standing room only for fans at the time, meaning the stadium held anywhere from 12,000 to 14,000 at its maximum capacity. Beck makes the point that Jerry West was the best player he had ever gone up against, saying he was all talent, extremely smart, and a force to go up against.

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; College athletes; College basketball; Kentucky basketball; Memorial Coliseum; Memories; Sports; Sports stories

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports; Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Alright, so now we're going to go into the NCAA tournament.

Segment Synopsis: Beck says the game against Miami University was an unbelievable night, saying that UK had control over the boards and offensively everyone was working. He says even he scored despite being a defensive player. Each weekend, UK played a great game, and their spirits only increased; Beck remarks that their progress was fast. Beck recalls the tournament being unlike the regular season in that the atmosphere with the coaches and fans and stadiums was so much more different. Coach Rupp would give simpler, quicker speeches than in the regular season, fans were showing up in larger numbers and travelling further distances, etc. In the second game against Temple University, the first during the regular season, the UK team knew this would be a tough game as when they had played them at Memorial Coliseum a few weeks prior they went into triple overtime, barely winning the game. The result of the tournament game in Louisville, only winning by one point, further solidified the idea that UK and Temple were extremely evenly matched. According to Beck, both wins against Temple happened in a sort of fluke way. Beck points out many of the similarities between the teams, saying it was like playing a mirror team. Beck says when it came down to it, Temple fumbled the ball, which allowed Kentucky to take possession and score. After this fluke, Beck says the next game they had to play was the final game, which was only the next day, so there was no time to recover in between. After watching the Seattle versus Kansas game, Kentucky knew they would have to go up against one of the best defensive players they had seen thus far on Seattle's team. After the game, Rupp told them the player they were all so afraid of was actually the weakest player in the entire nation. Before the final game, Rupp and Lancaster had already devised a plan to eliminate the threat of Seattle's best defensive player. Beck says after the first 30 seconds of the game they knew they had it won; they could take out the other team's best player without sacrificing any of their own.

Keywords: Coach and athlete; Coach-athlete relationships.; College athletes; College basketball; College basketball championships; Miami University; NCAA tournament; National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); National championships; Seattle University; Southeastern Conference (SEC); Sports stories; Temple University; Tournaments

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports; Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Y--y--uh--we talked about this a little bit but one of the things I read was Freedom Hall, 19,000, packed out--

Segment Synopsis: Immediately following the game, Beck says the atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable, even being considered by many publications and news outlets to be one of the most electric atmospheres in college basketball history. Beck says people were so overjoyed that they stayed in the stadium for what felt like forever, and when the team finally left the court all of the fans were still there, cheering everyone on. Beck says after the game, when the team entered the dressing room, it was a very strange atmosphere, everything was quiet, and weirdest of all, there were no sports writers waiting to document everything and interview Coach Adolph Rupp and the players. Although the team had won, Rupp made it clear that that game was the last time the team would spend time together as the "1957-1958 UK men's basketball team." It was a somber feeling, but not necessarily sad. Beck said he was asked to pray for the team one last time; he recalls just thanking God for giving him such a good experience with the team and allowing them to make such a victory together. Beck attributes the win to the great minds of both Rupp and Harry Lancaster for picking out the weak points in the other team, and using the UK players' individual talents and teamwork abilities to exploit those weaknesses.

Keywords: Adolph Rupp; Championships; College basketball championships; Energy; Fans; Harry Lancaster; Kentucky; NCAA Basketball Tournament; NCAA tournament; National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); National championships; Seattle University

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Basketball--Coaching; Coach-athlete relationships.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977; Sports; Sports stories, American.; Sports stories.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History

Partial Transcript: Well, obviously, you know, a hi--your--the highlight of your athletic experience, you know, winning the NCAA Championships.

Segment Synopsis: Beck recalls his time after leaving UK and being drafted by the New York Knicks at the time, which he says would not have been a smart move financially as NBA players were paid an average of $5,000 to $15,000 a year on their contracts. Not only was there not very much financial gain from joining the NBA in that day and time, but also Beck was told by a role model that in order to make it in the NBA and be happy with his career he would have to love basketball as much as his life. Beck was told he would always be traveling, exhausted, and always thinking about basketball, never having a break. Beck realized his true love did not lie in basketball, but in the ministry. So after going back to school for theology, Beck decided to join the Methodist Church, this time as a minister.

Keywords: Basketball; Careers; Colleges; Graduation; Ministers; Ministry; National Basketball Association (NBA); New York Knicks; Post-graduate; Professional basketball; Theology

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; Church.; Clergy.; Ministry and Christian union.; NCAA Basketball Tournament.; Spirituality.; Sports.

Partial Transcript: Now, when did you remarry?

Segment Synopsis: After the death of his first wife, Billie, Beck eventually was introduced through a mutual friend to his soon to be second wife, Faye. Beck and Faye met through writing papers together, and after Beck graduated college he was able to deepen his relationship with Faye. After realizing his career could not be on the road, Beck began to minister in the inner city of Denver, Colorado. Beck also mentions his role in the development of Warren Village, an apartment complex opened in order to provide housing for single parent families only. Because the building was never funded by the government, Beck says it was able to flourish and the people there could be held accountable for their actions while providing a safe environment for their families. Beck attributes his wonderful quality of life to Faye, calling her his rock and his motivation to be better and continue building a legacy.

Keywords: Billie Beck; Family; Faye Beck; Legacy; Life; Marriage; Post-graduate career; Religion; Single parents; Support; Warren Village; Wife; Wives

Subjects: Church.; Clergy.; Community; Denver (Colo.); Families.; Religion.; Spirituality.

Partial Transcript: Well, let's finish up here with, uh, you know, this year we had your team back for what's hard to believe but a sixty year anniversary--

Segment Synopsis: Beck also recalls the 60 year reunion of the UK men's basketball team from 1958, saying he is grateful he was able to be there and he knew that this could be the last time he would meet with them. Beck also agrees that his team from that year was able to keep their bond through the decades, sharing the love they have for each other until each member's final moments. Beck finishes the interview by stating how he would like to be remembered by the UK fan-base. Beck says that while he was not able to bring raw physical ability to the team, he wants the UK fan-base of then and today to know that he wanted to be able to bring his passion and help the university in whatever way he could. Beck says that although he hopes he helped the university in the basketball arena, he hopes he had a greater role in the spiritual arena.

Keywords: Adrian Smith; Basketball championships; Bill Smith; Billy Ray Cassady; Deaths; Friendships; Jay Atkerson; John Crigler; Legacies; Legacy; Lincoln Collinsworth; NCAA Champions; NCAA Championships; National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); Prayers; Relationships

Subjects: Basketball; Basketball players--Kentucky; Basketball players.; Basketball teams.; College athletes; College sports--Kentucky; College sports.; Kentucky; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team); Sports; Sports stories, American.; Sports.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky--Basketball; University of Kentucky--Sports--History