Interview with Ed Beck, August 22, 2019

Interview Summary

Ed Beck mentions growing up as a young child in an urban setting, moving from Milwaukee to Chicago, and always being surrounded by a diverse group of people for that time. After moving to Georgia to receive better care for his stepfather's health, Beck was then introduced to basketball, eventually playing for his high school team his sophomore year. During his three years playing high school basketball, Beck was able to secure two state championship titles, which drew the attention of his dream school, Duke University. After touring Duke for the first time, Beck felt as though he would never be able to fit in at such a prestigious institution. After being disappointed during the Duke tour, Beck met the coach for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team at the time, Adolph Rupp. Beck remembers being offered the chance to tour the university, to which he hesitantly agreed. After touring the University of Kentucky, Beck knew he would attend it and play for the men's basketball team. Beck mentioned that unlike other universities he applied to, there were no strict deadlines. Before joining the team, however, Beck built a foundation for a career in another one of his passions: ministry. After only having attended UK for a few months, Beck was found to have a very serious infection that forced him to be bedridden in the hospital for an extended period of time. During this time, Beck remembers wanting to quit basketball but was persuaded by the coaches to stay and play for the team as he was a very valuable asset. During his sophomore year, Beck's then-girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer. It became Beck's prerogative after that to spend as much time with her as possible, sometimes driving down every weekend to see her and spend time with her. During this time as well, Beck says his relationship with the team and Coach Rupp deepened, and the team and Rupp were always accommodating to him and were willing to support him and his now-wife in whatever way they could. Beck soon learned the secret to Rupp's coaching techniques, which involved treating each player differently based on their personalities and quirks. Because of this, the team had an understanding with each other and the coaching, Beck explains. This deep understanding allowed Beck and his 1958 UK team to win the NCAA tournament championship, following a junior year and season of many tribulations. Beck says his favorite UK memories were always playing in Memorial Coliseum and feeling the electric atmosphere the fans exuded during each home game. Beck briefly discusses his life after basketball, saying he gave up a career as an NBA player to join the ministry, where he would specialize in working with at-risk urban populations.

Interview Keyword

NCAA Basketball Tournament College basketball College athletes Coaching Coach-athlete relationships Basketball Ministry Teams Family Team bonding Kentucky Illnesses

Interview LC Subject

Basketball Sports stories. Sports. University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--Basketball University of Kentucky--Sports--History Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team) Basketball players. Basketball teams. Basketball players--Kentucky Basketball--Coaching College athletes College sports. College sports--Kentucky

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

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