LOOK: Tubby Smith has jersey retired at Rupp Arena
Tubby Smith’s name now has a permanent spot up in the rafters of Rupp Arena. Minutes before tip-off, the veteran head coach had a jersey retired in his honor, making him the 44th person to have a jersey hanging in the rafters.
Smith joins Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall and Rick Pitino as Kentucky head coaches to earn the prestigious honor.
The afternoon started with a loud roar and standing ovation from the Rupp Arena crowd as he made his way to the floor for the first time.
Top 10
- 1New
Top 25 College QBs
Ranking best '25 signal callers
- 2
Top 25 Defensive Lines
Ranking the best for 2025
- 3
Big Ten Football
Predicting 1st loss for each team
- 4Hot
College Football Playoff
Ranking Top 32 teams for 2025
- 5Trending
Tim Brando
Ranks Top 15 CFB teams for 2025
Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Then came the pregame ceremony, which consisted of dozens of Smith’s former players joining him on the floor to watch the unveiling.
To close things out, Smith’s wife, Donna, was honored as the ‘Y’ at midcourt, earning another ovation from the crowd.
It was a red-carpet rollout for the Smith family from start to finish.
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio 
Photo by Aaron Perkins by Kentucky Sports Radio
Welcome back, Tubby Smith.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard