Dear Russ:

I saw you on that DVD about Coach Rupp. You spoke very well, and didn't look as old as I thought you would be by now. Like everyone else I know that Tom Payne was the first black player to play for UK, and that he jumped to the NBA after only one year. But I do not know who the second black player for UK was and would greatly appreciate it if you could fill me in on that.

Best Wishes, Jim Taylor

Dear Jim:

I really am as old as you thought, but I try to lead a clean life, which was something hard to do in my previous occupations. First, remember that football players Darryl Bishop and Elmore Stephens were the second and third black players to play for Rupp, although the media seldom if ever makes a point of it. And they were not tokens. Rupp appealed to John Ray for help and Ray gave Bishop and Stephens to play for him. Rupp really needed them, especially Stevens, a 6-foot-4, 225 pound forward who was an excellent rebounder. At Thomas Jefferson High School in Louisville, Stephens was All-State in basketball and football, earning four letters in each. He also earned two track letters and played in the East-West and City-County All-Star football games, and the Kentucky-Indiana basketball game. Bishop was a 6-3, 216 pound guard who was an All-County and All-State HM while earning four football letters at Louisville Seneca. He captained both the football and basketball team there in 1970 and was a forward on the '68 district and regional basketball champion.

The two football players joined the team prior to the Notre Dame game that was played in Louisville on Dec. 28, 1971. Stephens got two rebounds and failed to score in that game. Both players were dismissed from the team when they missed the team plane to Georgia on Feb. 21, 1972. During their short UK basketball careers, Stephens appeared in six games, scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Bishop scored eight points and eight rebounds.

I really hated to see the two guys miss that plane. They reportedly were in the airport parking lot when the plane departed. Rupp waited for no one. He would climb aboard the team bus and tell the driver, "Kick'er Doc!" and off we'd go. I remember the time he left team captains Cotton Nash and Ted Deeken at the hotel on a road trip. They beat the team bus to the arena. The same happened to Guy Mendes, covering for the school newspaper. He caught a taxi and also beat us to the gymnasium.

Reggie Warford, a 6-1 guard from Drakesboro, was the second black scholarship player to play for UK. He was the first in a long string of black players signed by Joe B. Hall. Warford led Drakesboro to a 73-24 record. He scored 1,940 points, averaging 20.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. He was three-time All-District, twice All-Regional. Reggie was the MVP in the 10th district and a second-team all-state selection, also team captain his senior year. He played in the Kentucky East-West All-Star game.

For the record, Joe B. signed Larry Johnson and Merion Haskins for 1973/74, Jack Givens and James Lee, 1974/75; Dwane Casey and Truman Clayton, 1975/76; Lavon Williams, 1976/77; Fred Cowan, 1977/78; Dwight Anderson, 1978/79; Sam Bowie, Derrick Hord, Charles Hurt and Dirk Minniefield,1979/80; Dicky Beal and Melvin Turpin, 1980/81; Kenny Walker, 1982/83; Paul Andrews, Winston Bennett and James Blackmon, 1983/84, Ed Davender and Richard Madison, 1984/85.

That group produced four first-team All-Americans – Jack Givens, Sam Bowie, Melvin Turpin and Kenny Walker – and All-SEC players Givens, (1977), Bowie (1981), Hord (1982), Turpin (1983, '84), and Walker (1985, '86). Those who served as team captains were Givens (1975/76), Johnson and Haskins (1976/77), Givens with Rick Robey (1977/78), Casey and Clayton (1978/79), Hurt (1982/83), Beal (1983/84), Bennett and Walker (1984/85), Walker with Leroy Bird and Roger Harden (1985/86), Blackmon and Andrews (1986/87), and Bennett, Davender and Madison with Cedric Jenkins and Rob Locke (1987/88).

Members of that group led the team in rebounding each year from 1978/79 through 1987/88. and nine times in scoring during that period. They rank high in many other statistical categories.

The pro's drafted Larry Johnson (Buffalo – 1977), Givens (Atlanta) and Lee (Seattle), both in 1978; Truman Clayton (Detroit – 1979), LaVon Williams (Cleveland – 1980), Cowan (Houston – 1981), Hord (Cleveland), Hurt (Milwaukee) and Minniefield (Dallas) in 1983, Beale – (Atlanta), Bowie (Portland) and Turpin (Washington) in 1984, Walker (New York – 1986), Blackmon (New Jersey – 1987) and Davender (Washington – 1988).

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying unsuccessfully to remember the name of a Kentucky football player from the Fran Curci era, I believe, who passed away during the late 70s or early 80s. As I recall, he was from Pennsylvania, caucasian, and played in the offensive backfield either as running back or quarterback. Would you happen to remember who he was?

Gene Russell

Nashville, Tennessee

Dear Gene:

The answer apparently is Doug Kotar, who earned UK letters as a running back from 1971-73. Doug was a

5-foot-10 1?2 , 204 pound All-State and "Big 33" performer recruited by John Ray out of Canon McMillan High School in Canonsburg, Pa. He played his senior year under Curci.

Doug's finest moment came in 1971, when he returned the opening kickoff of his first varsity game for a school record 98 yards vs. Clemson. He carried the ball 293 yards for 1,167 yards during his three years at UK.

In 1974 Doug was traded as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the New York Giants. He played six years with the Giants and ranked fourth on their all-time rushing list with 3,840 yards. Doug died Dec. 16, 1983, of a brain tumor. He was 31 years old.

Russell Rice is the former sports information director for the University of Kentucky.