Former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino got a hero’s welcome Friday from a place he was once very familiar with.
Pitino has had a complicated relationship with Kentucky over the years. But fans made the 72-year-old head coach feel more than welcome during the team’s “Big Blue Madness” event held at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
Big Blue Nation erupted once Pitino came out of the tunnel and stepped onto the court.
Crowd erupts as Rick Pitino comes out last and hoists the 1996 national championship trophy… pic.twitter.com/q4V1aQvIQ6
— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) October 12, 2024
Rick Pitino back in Rupp as the Y!!!!
Wow pic.twitter.com/9qAz1T3TAL
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) October 12, 2024
I LOVE stuff like this.
Rick Pitino gave Kentucky fans some of the best memories they'll ever have. Shouts to Mark Pope for bringing his coach back to Rupp to be celebrated with a standing ovation. I know that experience meant the world to Rick.pic.twitter.com/G7406QwF7C
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) October 12, 2024
“I am so happy to be back,” Pitino told the crowd. “I said that before I pack it in in coaching, I want to go back to Camelot for one more time. There’s no way I could return better.”
Rick Pitino's message to Big Blue Nation: pic.twitter.com/rZSlnHvfVM
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) October 12, 2024
Pitino also spoke highly of his former player Mark Pope, who now serves as the head coach of the team. Pope was a key cog on Pitino’s 1995-96 Kentucky squad that won the national title.
Pitino coached Kentucky from 1989 to 1997 in a run that helped revitalize the legendary basketball program. He left for the NBA after the Wildcats lost the 1997 national title game against Arizona.
In 2001, Pitino accepted an offer to coach Kentucky’s biggest rival, Louisville. The stint left a sour taste in the mouths of several Kentucky supporters.
But nearly 30 years after Pitino first left, fans have welcomed him back with open arms.
