Twenty-seven years after Christian Laettner's NCAA Tournament dagger broke the hearts of The Unforgetables, it remains common to see Kentucky fans wearing shirts that proclaim "I still hate Laettner."
UK backer Geno Kearney's has a "I still hate" shirt. It features a different villain. "I speak of the evil one, Ernie Grunfeld," Kearney says.
On the week when John Calipari and No. 5 Kentucky will face Rick Barnes and No. 1 Tennessee in the most anticipated Wildcats-Volunteers men's basketball game in decades, one UK backer's ardor to see the Cats best the Vols is fueled by a controversial UK-UT contest from 43 years ago.
Even now, Kearney, 57, can paint a vivid word picture of what it was like to be in Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 10, 1976.
That night, Kearney's father, Mike, took Geno, then 14, to see Joe B. Hall's Wildcats face off against Ray Mears and the No. 9 Volunteers in what was the younger Kearney's first Kentucky game in person.
"I remember the oranges raining down from the (UK) student section onto the (playing) floor when Tennessee came on the court," Kearney said. "I remember my Dad jerking me by the arm to stand up when the pep band played the (UK) fight song. Dad said 'Always stand up for this.' To this day, I do."
When the game started, an underdog UK squad playing without injured sophomore standout Rick Robey took it to the Volunteers, building a 75-61 lead with just seven minutes left.
Alas, a rash of late UK turnovers and brilliant play from Tennessee stars Grunfeld (43 points) and Bernard King (24), forced the game into overtime.
In spite of a stellar performance from UK sophomore center Mike Phillips (26 points, 28 rebounds), the Volunteers prevailed, 90-88, in what was the final UK-UT game in the Coliseum before Kentucky moved into Rupp Arena the following season.
"What I still remember, that night, the fans around us, we were all furious," Kearney says. "We all knew Grunfeld had cheated."
