Dr. Bobby Barton is best known for his long association with Eastern Kentucky University where he spent 27 years as the school's head athletics trainer before retiring in 2003.
But many folks may not realize that Barton also has strong ties with the Kentucky Wildcats.
A graduate of UK with a bachelor's degree in education, Barton became actively involved in the Wildcat hoops program in the mid-1960s, spending three years as a student manager, including the famed Rupp's Runts team which finished as the 1966 NCAA tourney runner-up with a 27-2 mark.
If it hadn't been for the Wildcat players like Larry Conley, Pat Riley and Jim LeMaster, it is likely that Barton would've pursued a career other than sports.
"Larry Conley was taking summer classes and we were housed on the same floor (at Haggin Hall dormitory). Larry directed me to Memorial Coliseum and eventual meetings with a Mr. (Adolph) Rupp and a Mr. (Bill) Keightley," Barton said of the 1965 encounters with the legendary Wildcat mentor and the assistant equipment manager about working with the squad.
"I have no idea what gave me the courage to enter the hallway to coach Rupp's office, but I caught him at a perfect time and in a very good mood. We walked out on the floor and watched the (Kentucky all-star) team preparing for the Indiana All-Stars (in the annual summer series). He presented a very realistic picture of what the future would hold."
Barton also said it was Riley's back injury in the summer of 1966 that "really sparked my interest in sports injuries."
When he served as the head student manager during the 1966-67 campaign, Barton worked several scrimmages between the varsity squad and the freshman team (made up of future UK stars Dan Issel, Mike Pratt and Mike Casey).
"My co-workers and I had to officiate scrimmages," commented Barton, saying that was one of his favorite memories at UK.
Other highlights of Barton's student career included a couple of victories by Rupp's Runts in 1966 against Vanderbilt (105-90) in Nashville and Tennessee (78-64) in Lexington.
Barton, who in 2004 was inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame, said Rupp was a strict disciplinarian who didn't allow any talking at practices.
The coach was "verbally tough on all of the players. He was not physically abusive," said Barton. "He obviously loved winning and did not accept losing very well. Rupp's Runts did mellow him as they continued to improve (throughout the season)."
Barton obviously remembers many conversations he had with Rupp.
"I talked to Rupp daily on road trips," he said. "(We had a) very small traveling party (back then). He asked about the players very regularly."
The student manager once had a breakfast conversation with legendary Alabama football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant, UK team physician Dr. V.A. Jackson and Rupp at the Holiday Inn in Tuscaloosa where Kentucky played Alabama.
On Rupp, Barton said, "In hindsight, I can see he liked me as well as any student worker, but it didn't seem so then. (He was) very intimidating."
After getting his degree from UK, Barton moved on to Marshall where he served as a graduate assistant trainer, receiving his master's degree. Interestingly, he worked for Marshall basketball coach Ellis Johnson, who was one of Rupp's early All-Americans at Kentucky.
In fall of 1970, Barton went to the Gator country as an assistant trainer, working for ex-UK trainer Chris Patrick, at Florida. The Gator head coaches in basketball and football at the time were Tommy Bartlett and Doug Dickey, respectively.
"I really enjoyed working with coach Bartlett," said Barton, who later received his doctorate at Middle Tennessee State. "Two of his greatest wins took place while I was there.
"(Florida) upset UK on coach Joe Hall's first trip to the Alligator Alley (the famed Florida gym which seated 7,000 fans). Coach Rupp was ill and had to miss the game.
"(The other big victory was against) U of L on coach Denny Crum's first trip as the head coach of Louisville."
Later, after a three-year stint at Florida International, Barton returned to his alma mater in 1975. He worked as trainer for the basketball Wildcats, who captured the 1976 National Invitational Tournament in New York.
Now the UK equipment manager, Bill Keightley -- who is affectionately known as "Mr. Wildcat" -- fondly recalled the Big Apple trip that he and Barton took with the team.
"My favorite memory (of Barton) was when we went to the NIT in New York," he said. "We made the rounds of the plays and we went to see Godspell. We had had a couple of bottles of wine. They decided they would give us the decanters to bring home. I guess it was because we had had two bottles of it."
Said Barton, "I certainly do remember the NIT wine garden story. This was before Mr. Keightley was a national celebrity. Coach Hall had graciously invited Mr. and Mrs. Rupp to accompany the team on the historic trip to the (Madison Square) Garden. We were there over a week and Mr. Keightley and I spent many, many hours reminiscing with coach Rupp about his early trips to the east coast.
"Mr. Keightley and I were well aware of the historical significance of the victorious trip. Neither of us could have predicted our future championship events. I still have my souvenir, which is still unopened, in a safe place."
With a 71-67 victory over North Carolina-Charlotte (now Charlotte) in the NIT title game, Kentucky completed its season with a 20-10 record.
Keightley, who came to UK in 1962, and Barton have been friends for 40 years.
"Bill and I became friends for life over the Bobby Tallent issue," said Barton, referring to the Wildcat guard who had verbally clashed with Rupp during UK's 76-57 setback to the Vols in 1967. "We were the messengers the day after the loss to Tennessee at Knoxville."
Tallent, a junior, had been told to leave the team, which eventually completed the season at 13-13. Wildcat stars Louie Dampier and Pat Riley finished as the squad's top two scorers with 20.6 and 17.4 points, respectively.
"No one, and certainly coach Rupp, was ready for Pat (Riley's) injury and a frustrating senior year for Riley and Dampier," Barton said of Rupp's worst season in his 42-year head coaching career at UK.
In 1976, Barton moved to EKU where he stayed for a long time until his recent retirement. While at Eastern, he saw the football Colonels appear in four straight NCAA Division I-AA national championship contests, winning the 1979 and '82 national titles under the leadership of coach Roy Kidd.
Barton, who has received numerous honors for his outstanding work in athletics training, was also elected to the National Athletic Trainers Association's Hall of Fame in 1996. He later received the highest honor given by NATA with the granting of the Bobby Barton Graduate Scholarship in 2002.
Another career highlight came in 1995 when Barton was named trainer for the USA basketball team, coached by then-Gator boss Lon Kruger, in the World University Games held in Japan. The squad, which posted a perfect 7-0 mark in winning the gold medal, included three future NBA stars -- Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen.
Barton, who attended last month's UK-Eastern Kentucky NCAA tournament matchup in Indianapolis, played a role in getting ex-Wildcat Travis Ford at Eastern Kentucky to coach the Colonels several years ago.
"My main contribution to the Ford era was to show Travis around campus on the day of his interview," said Barton, who still teaches a couple of classes each semester at Eastern. "Mr. Jeff Long (then the athletics director at EKU who is now AD at Pittsburgh) had many mandatory obligations that day and asked me to show Travis around campus. Jeff's busy schedule gave us a lot of time to visit. Since then, I have had many of his student-athletes and some of his assistants in class."
Not long after Eastern Kentucky's strong showing against UK, Ford moved up and got a bigger coaching job, landing at UMass.
Barton said his early days at UK certainly prepared him for his successful tenure at Eastern and other schools.
"UK was obviously a perfect place for my schooling," he said of many professors, coaches and trainers that he named. "It helped me greatly in every position I ever had, especially at EKU. Working with the greatest basketball coach prepared me for working with the greatest football coach in the state's history at EKU. Working with Roy Kidd, we averaged eight wins a year over a 27-year period together.
"Had I not gone to UK, it is very doubtful that I would have ended up at EKU."
But Barton nearly ended up going to a different university -- not UK -- after graduating from a high school in Texas. He had applied for major schools like Texas, Texas A&M and Houston.
His father, who worked for United Carbon of Texas, was then transferred to Kentucky after Ashland Oil bought out United and the rest is history. And it was somewhat of a luck that Barton went to UK. The future trainer practically had no previous connections with the Wildcats.
"Everything just fell in place," Barton commented of his collegiate decision. "I found my passion for career, my wife (Jojean) and a home. My son, Brian, ended up coach Billy Donovan's manager at Florida. It probably would never have happened were it not for UK.
"I have been extremely fortunate in my career, truly blessed to have had my experiences, particularly at UK and EKU."
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Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist, is the author of four books on UK basketball. He is currently a professor at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro and can be reached by e-mail at CatsUpClose@yahoo.com.
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