He actually coached an integrated team in Illinois. But most people argue that Lexington changed him into the bigot that he was at the end of his career. There’s some minor evidence that he softened a little after he was forced into retirement.

Hall did what he could given the political and social environment in Kentucky at the time. He was t Dale Brown or CM Newton, but he did what he could.

I know it’s deeply unpopular these days to give people a pass because “that was just the era”, but it’s a legitimate argument.

intrinsic sleaze of the UK MBB program that continued on his watch, and b/c of his general persona. I know nothing about his attitude on racial matters. I also know nothing about Rupp pre-UK, but his bigotry in that position is an established fact.

And nobody of any seriousness argues that he wasn’t a dyed in the wool racist during the vast majority of his time there.

As far as the “neural court” stuff, keep in mind that the majority of the arenas in the SEC were, at best, a really bad joke in from the 50s to the mid 70s. LSU put down a wood floor over dirt in their Ag Arena (the aptly named “Cow Palace). Other arenas were little more than glorified high school gyms. Some even still had stages on one end.

Were they a sleazy program? Without a doubt. Three players were caught taking bribes from gamblers during the NIT and all three were essentially banned for life from basketball for it. But it’s hard to single them out among all the other gambling scandals of the era.

I’m guessing they’re both surrounded by fire.