WILDCAT MADNESS

Great Eras in Kentucky Basketball

by Wilton Sharpe

Kentucky coaching legend Adolph Rupp once said, "We feel that every boy who puts on a Kentucky uniform just plays a little better than he would in one of another color." Nothing could better describe the powerful Bluegrass mystique in the world of college basketball.

The Big Blue's rafters still ring with the daunting achievements of the Fab Five—the back-to-back championship teams of 1948 and '49 led by All-Americans Alex Groza and Ralph Beard. Other greats include Frank Ramsey, Cliff Hagen, Cotton Nash, Dan Issel, Louie Dampier, Kevin Grevey, Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, Rex Chapman, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, Tayshaun Prince, and Church Hayes—and many more.

Wildcat Madness is the story of University of Kentucky basketball as told by Kentucky players, coaches, opponents, fans, and the media. It weaves a timeless tapestry of heroes and characters, headlines, saluting the great players, teams, traditions, moments, rivalries, venues, fans, and the all-time Kentucky team, plus rosters from all seven NCAA championship squads.

WILTON SHARPE is a freelance writer and former copy editor for the (Nashville) Tennessean sports department. His articles have appeared in Athlon Sports publications, NFL Insider and GAMEDAY magazines, Athletic Administration, the Cleveland Browns yearbooks, Coffee Corner, Titans Exclusive, and NFL.com. A former columnist for the Nashville City Paper, the one-time Connecticut native currently syndicates a weekly sports content package to community newspapers. He has written two previous books, Bulldog Madness and Buckeye Madness.

ISBN: 1-58182-473-4
Paperback