The Billy Clyde Gillispie years

#1
McCat

McCat

Rent free in your head
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#1
Crazy, wacked-out shizzle. Definitely good reading.

"They get to SEC tournament (in 2009) ... win the first game but don't play well. After the game is over, the team gets on the bus. One player, Darius Miller, had turned his ankle and Billy thought he was being a wimp and was gonna make him walk to hotel. The rest of players said well, if he is walking we are walking. They almost had a team mutiny right there."

Billy Gillispie era at Kentucky: An oral history | FOX Sports
 
#3
#3
McCat said:
Crazy, wacked-out shizzle. Definitely good reading.

"They get to SEC tournament (in 2009) ... win the first game but don't play well. After the game is over, the team gets on the bus. One player, Darius Miller, had turned his ankle and Billy thought he was being a wimp and was gonna make him walk to hotel. The rest of players said well, if he is walking we are walking. They almost had a team mutiny right there."

Billy Gillispie era at Kentucky: An oral history | FOX Sports
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The Eddie Sutton years were great also
 
#4
#4
Another story about him throwing basketballs at his shins (Millers) when Miller threw a bad pass to the shins of another player. Just weird stuff. Glad he is gone out of the business.
 
#5
#5
I can't wait for the tell-all book that tells the really crazy stuff, like drunk golf at 3 AM.
 
#8
#8
LittleCat said:
Another story about him throwing basketballs at his shins (Millers) when Miller threw a bad pass to the shins of another player. Just weird stuff. Glad he is gone out of the business.
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Wasn't Billy in AA when he was coaching Kentucky? I've read where he's a raging drunk
 
#11
#11
LibertyVol said:
As I recall he always did well against Pearl.
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He was 3-1 vs Tenn... They did beat us badly twice in '09 but that really was a rebuilding year for us after losing Lofton. As for '08, it will never be easy to win in Rupp regardless of how lame their coach is.
 
#14
#14
BowlBrother85 said:
He was 3-1 vs Tenn... They did beat us badly twice in '09 but that really was a rebuilding year for us after losing Lofton. As for '08, it will never be easy to win in Rupp regardless of how lame their coach is.
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We were a bit down in 2009 but UK was an NIT team that year. There was no excuse for us getting blown out by that UK team twice.
 
#19
#19
I can imagine a scenario during those years where if I met him in a bar, I'd totally dick punch him in the hallway.
 
#20
#20
BCG 2004-2207.

Thanks for the memories and all the rounds at The Fox and the Hound coach! You're still the best dart player I've seen after 9 Bud Light Limes.

Regards,

Me.
 
#22
#22
TXA&M07 said:
BCG 2004-2207.

Thanks for the memories and all the rounds at The Fox and the Hound coach! You're still the best dart player I've seen after 9 Bud Light Limes.

Regards,

Me.
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OK you gotta tell stories.

Another story that didn't make it in to the article was that 2 weeks after taking the UK job, he called TAMU and begged for his old job back.
 
#23
#23
That story is true too.


Billy took the Cadillac we provided to the airport in Dallas in the middle of the night, parked it only paying for an overnight space, and bought a one way ticket to Kentucky. Weeks later, TAMU gets a bill from a wrecker/impound yard for storage and towing fees.

He did reach out to our AD shortly after taking the job up there but cooler heads couldn't prevail and like with you guys, he refused to "sign on the dotted line". That prevented him from returning.


As for the drinking and all that, Billy enjoyed himself a lot. After wins especially. A handful of places took care of him really well. They had a number to call when it was time for him to go. One of my good friends now, was one of those guys on the other end of that phone. Billy likes blondes, but had beer goggles from time to time too.

He carried cash but rarely ever had to use it. His "fun" money was spent on any and everyone around him that treated him well and allowed him privacy. You'd order a drink and ask for your tab and get told that Coach got it already. His way of thanking you for not bugging him that night. After a loss, he wanted to go out but didnt want to talk to fans.

He's haunted by demons IMO. There is a lot of anger upstairs with him and some regrets whether he'd admit to them or not. He is however a kind man. There are more stories but that's a good sample.
 
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#24
#24
TXA&M07 said:
That story is true too.


Billy took the Cadillac we provided to the airport in Dallas in the middle of the night, parked it only paying for an overnight space, and bought a one way ticket to Kentucky. Weeks later, TAMU gets a bill from a wrecker/impound yard for storage and towing fees.

He did reach out to our AD shortly after taking the job up there but cooler heads couldn't prevail and like with you guys, he refused to "sign on the dotted line". That prevented him from returning.


As for the drinking and all that, Billy enjoyed himself a lot. After wins especially. A handful of places took care of him really well. They had a number to call when it was time for him to go. One of my good friends now, was one of those guys on the other end of that phone. Billy likes blondes, but had beer goggles from time to time too.

He carried cash but rarely ever had to use it. His "fun" money was spent on any and everyone around him that treated him well and allowed him privacy. You'd order a drink and ask for your tab and get told that Coach got it already. His way of thanking you for not bugging him that night. After a loss, he wanted to go out but didnt want to talk to fans.

He's haunted by demons IMO. There is a lot of anger upstairs with him and some regrets whether he'd admit to them or not. He is however a kind man. There are more stories but that's a good sample.
Click to expand...

Glad you spoke that last paragraph. I've never hated BCG, I almost feel sorry for whatever it is he's running from.
 
#25
#25
TXA&M07 said:
He's haunted by demons IMO. There is a lot of anger upstairs with him and some regrets whether he'd admit to them or not. He is however a kind man. There are more stories but that's a good sample.
Click to expand...

Definitely. He meant well, but had his issues. Wish he could have done a bit better, but we ended up doing the right thing. Wish he could have had success afterwards, he did seem like a kind man for sure.
 
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