Arkansas Coach John Calipari Met With Loud Boos in Return to Rupp Arena

The longtime Wildcats head coach left for the Razorbacks job following the end of last season.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari was met with boos in his return to Rupp Arena.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari was met with boos in his return to Rupp Arena. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Arkansas Razorbacks head men's basketball coach John Calipari made his long-awaited return to Rupp Arena on Saturday night and was met by a chorus of boos from the University of Kentucky faithful.

Calipari, who left the school for the Arkansas job last offseason, spent 15 seasons at Kentucky, where he won one championship in the 2011-12 season and took the program to four Final Four appearances.

But the ending between Calipari and Kentucky was rough, as he departed for a conference rival in the Razorbacks.

As such, the less-than-pleasant greeting for Calipari was to be expected. Here's the video of the Rupp Arena crowd giving it to Calipari upon his entrance onto the floor.

Arkansas entered the game with a 12–8 overall record and just one win in the SEC. Kentucky, meanwhile, is ranked No. 12 in the country with a 15–5 overall record and 4–3 in the conference.


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.