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Wes Unseld could have been the SEC’s version of Jackie Robinson. Long before he carved out a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, he was a highly-coveted high-school recruit trying to figure out where to play college basketball during a time when many colleges still didn’t feature black players.

The University of Kentucky tried desperately to land the local star. But the backlash from boosters and other people culminated in Unseld receiving a dead chicken in the mail. Let’s just say his recruiting journey is an incredible story worth reading.

Wes Unseld was heavily recruited by legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp

From 1930 to 1972, Adolph Rupp served as the head coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team. During his incredible run, he won…a lot. He earned five National Coach of the Year honors and seven SEC Coach of the Year selections. The Kansas native won 876 games and produced 11 consensus All-Americans and still ranks seventh in all-time wins amongst college basketball coaches.

However, the player he really wanted to get his hands on was Wes Unseld. A star at Seneca High School in Louisville, the big man led his team to two Kentucky state championships. A prolific rebounder with terrific passing skills for a center, Unseld garnered widespread attention from the nation’s best programs.

Of course, this came during an era where black players still weren’t given the same opportunities at many college athletic programs. It hadn’t even been 20 years yet since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball. So for Rupp, the opportunity to land Unseld could be a monumental move.

Unseld received a dead chicken in the mail during his recruitment

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Wes Unseld died today. And remarkably, the world he lived in still exists. In 1963, as a 17-year-old black man, Unseld went to a civil rights demonstration in his home town of Louisville, where he was spat on. He was the first black player to even get a look at Adolph Rupp’s University of Kentucky, though Unseld said it wasn’t a real effort. And support was hardly unanimous. As he approached his decision, a package arrived in his name at his high school from a Kentucky supporter. He opened it up. There was a dead chicken inside. Unseld went to Louisville instead and brought them to as high as No. 2 in the nation. Had he gone to Kentucky, the Wildcats would have likely defeated the team from Texas Western in the 1966 NCAA Finals. The fact that the all-black team won turned out to be one of the single biggest developments for race and sports. Wes Unseld won both NBA Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. He never got the credit he deserved, mostly because he didn’t ask for it or covet it. His Hall of Fame speech in 1988 was one of the shortest ever. He talked for less than three minutes. But we will remember you, Wes. And we’ll also try to figure out how to build a world that you never got to see. RIP, gentle giant.

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As a premier high-school recruit, Wes Unseld could have gone anywhere to play his college ball. A good student who was born and raised in Kentucky, he seemed like the perfect fit for Rupp’s program. But according to The Baron and the Bear: Rupp’s Runts, Haskin’s Miners, and the Season That Changed Basketball Forever, other forces intervened in Unseld’s recruitment.

“According to Reed, word of Rupp’s recruitment efforts brought numerous death threats and a visitation by a dozen UK boosters—including a former Kentucky All-American—trying to dissuade Rupp from signing Unseld or any other blacks.”

According to the book, Rupp responded angrily and told the racists to leave his office and never return. Subsequently, Wildcats player Larry Conley tried to get in on the recruiting effort to land Unseld. He drove to Louisville to try and persuade the talented youngster to join Rupp’s program. His efforts proved unsuccessful.

But what might have been ran up against a harsh reality. After receiving threats in the mail, including a dead chicken, Unseld told Larry, “I don’t want to be the first one.”

Kentucky native took his talents to Louisville and became an NBA Hall of Famer

Ultimately, Adolph Rupp couldn’t get Wes Unseld to commit to Kentucky. It simply wasn’t in the cards for the local star to break the SEC’s color barrier. However, Unseld didn’t travel far. He ended up playing for the University of Louisville, where he became a two-time All-American.

As a senior, he averaged 23.0 points per game on a career-high 61.3 shooting percentage. His dominant college career led him to become the second overall pick of the 1968 NBA draft.

Wes Unseld went on to become just the second player in NBA history to win league MVP honors as a rookie. No other player has joined Unseld and Wilt Chamberlain in accomplishing that impressive feat.

An NBA Hall of Famer who spent his entire career devoted to one organization, Unseld passed away on June 2 at the age of 74.

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Stephen Sheehan

Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sportscasting in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots.

Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways.

Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2013 and a master’s in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.