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It’s the 30th Anniversary of John Chaney Threatening to Kill John Calipari
Published:
We’re all old:
“When I see you, I’ma kick your ass!”
Today is the 30 year anniversary of one of the most memorable press conference dust-ups of all-time.
John Calipari vs. John Chaney.
Here is SportsCenter’s segment from that night. pic.twitter.com/CGCbWwUfnL
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 13, 2024
“I just got my ass blasted for giving (the refs) hell down in West Virginia. And here (the refs) did a hell of a job right here today. Good job. Three class guys. And you pick them out here and single them out. You can’t <yelling and shouting ensues>… I’ll kill you! You remember that! When I see you, I’ma kick your ass! Kick your ass!”
This was a one-point UMass win, a really close game back in 1994 near the end of the season. Both teams were really good and finished 1/2 in the A10, then met again in the conference tournament final, which was a 70-59 UMass win. Calipari had Lou Roe and Marcus Camby on that team and Chaney had three future NBA players in Eddie Jones, Aaron McKie, and Rick Brunson. Both squads lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, to Indiana and Maryland.
There have been some really good stories about this interaction, but the best might be this one by Amin Touri at The Daily Collegian:
‘I’ll Kill You!’ An oral history of the John Calipari-John Chaney feud, 25 years later
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com