Before Tennessee Tech even took the floor against Kentucky, the Golden Eagles paused beneath the rafters of Rupp Arena and spotted a familiar sight: John Pelphrey’s No. 34 jersey, hanging high above one of the most iconic courts in college basketball.
“Coach, what do you think about that?” they asked him.
Pelphrey just smiled. “I’m just glad it’s still up there,” he joked. “If they take it down tomorrow, I’ll understand. It’s been a great run.”
But that jersey isn’t going anywhere — and Wednesday night proved exactly why.
A Night That Wasn’t About the Score
Tennessee Tech hung around early. Six minutes before halftime, the game was tied. Kentucky eventually pulled away and steamrolled to a 104–54 victory, but the score was irrelevant.
This was Pelphrey’s night.
And Richie Farmer’s.
And Deron Feldhaus’s.
And Sean Woods’s.
For the first time since 1992, all four members of the legendary “Unforgettables” reunited inside Rupp Arena — the building where they became the heart and backbone of a program lifting itself out of probation and toward prominence again.
A Reunion 33 Years in the Making
After Tennessee Tech’s loss, Pelphrey took the podium and spent nearly twenty minutes reflecting on the memories, hardships, and pride tied to his alma mater.
When he finished, his former teammates joined current UK coach Mark Pope — himself a captain of the 1996 championship team — and shared their own stories.
Sean Woods noted that the last time the four stood together in Rupp Arena was the night their jerseys were retired.
Deron Feldhaus admitted he still looks to the rafters every time he walks into Rupp, just to make sure those jerseys are still there.
Richie Farmer — the Clay County legend — said having his jersey retired was something he never imagined as a kid in Kentucky. “It’s the greatest accomplishment a Kentucky kid could have,” he said.
Roots That Run Deep
Each of the “Unforgettables” represented a piece of Kentucky’s soul:
Farmer, the mountain hero.
Feldhaus, from Maysville.
Pelphrey, the pride of Paintsville.
Woods, whose family called Lexington home for generations.
Their bond with the program was forged during one of the toughest stretches in UK history.
When coach Eddie Sutton resigned amid scandal, none of them left. UK fell into probation. Teammates transferred. Hope vanished.
They stayed.
And when Rick Pitino arrived, they helped rebuild one of the sport’s most dominant basketball brands.
Mark Pope said those players laid the foundation that made his own championship experience possible.
The Weight of the Jersey
As Pelphrey spoke Wednesday night, emotion overwhelmed him. He stomped his foot under the podium, trying to steady himself as Farmer, Feldhaus, and Woods looked on proudly from the back of the room.
He talked about what makes Kentucky different.
He remembered visiting Rupp Arena as a kid for the Sweet Sixteen — because his family didn’t go to the beach or Disney World. They went to Lexington.
He talked about how every kid dreams of playing for Kentucky… and how the reality he walked into was far from the dream.
“What if I told you,” Pelphrey asked, “you can come to Kentucky and nobody thinks you belong? Your coach gets fired. You go on probation. You can’t play in the NCAA Tournament. It feels like the Roman Empire has fallen.”
That was their world.
Yet they stayed and held the tradition together.
Unforgettable, Forever
“If we could capture their heart and spirit,” Pope said, “we’d be unbeatable.”
Pelphrey put it even more simply.
“We’ll never give up on the University of Kentucky. We’ll never quit. We’ll never turn our back on this program. That’s why it’s the winningest program in the history of the game.”
For one night, the four men who once kept Kentucky basketball from collapsing stood together again in the house they helped rebuild.
Rupp Arena felt electric.
Emotional.
And truly unforgettable.
