Interview with Reggie Warford, October 19, 2018
Project: University of Kentucky Athletics: Men's Basketball Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Reggie Warford was the second African American player to integrate the University of Kentucky basketball team and the first African American basketball player to graduate from UK. In this interview, he discusses his family background, playing basketball in high school, and his high school coach. He talks about being recruited by UK and talks about his impressions of coaches Adolph Rupp and Joe Hall. He talks about why he initially committed to Austin Peay State University and how he ended up coming to the University of Kentucky instead. He discusses each season at UK in detail, describing teammates, wins and losses, and the results of each season. He describes particular games, including the game against Indiana University during which Coach Bobby Knight hit Coach Joe B. Hall, and the Final Four game against UCLA immediately after Coach John Wooden announced his retirement. He also talks about being diagnosed with a heart condition during his time at UK.He discusses his experience as one of the first African American players on the UK basketball team. He talks about how the team changed quickly, from a situation where he was a minority of one, to having many African American teammates. He tells a story about sitting down during the singing of the racist lines of "My Old Kentucky Home" and how his protest led to the changing of the lyrics. He talks about how attitudes about race changed during his time on the team.
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Interview LC Subject
University of Kentucky African American college students. African Americans--Conduct of life. African Americans--Education (Higher) African Americans--Education. African Americans--Segregation African Americans--Social conditions. Discrimination in education. Education, Higher--Kentucky Integration Lexington (Ky.)--Race relations. Race discrimination. Race relations--Kentucky Racism Segregation in education--Kentucky African American basketball players African Americans--Sports College athletes Discrimination in sports University of Kentucky--Basketball Hall, Joe B. (Joe Beasman) Basketball coaches--Kentucky Basketball--Coaching Basketball players Basketball players--Kentucky Coaches (Athletics) Coaching (Athletics). Rupp, Adolph, 1901-1977Interview Rights
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Warford, Reggie Interview by Dennis Emery. 19 Oct. 2018. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Warford, R. (2018, October 19). Interview by D. Emery. University of Kentucky Athletics: Men's Basketball Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Warford, Reggie, interview by Dennis Emery. October 19, 2018, University of Kentucky Athletics: Men's Basketball Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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