John Calipari vs. John Chaney: 30 years after the memorable press conference rant

John Calipari is part of one of the all-time coaching rants in history, and it was 30 years ago — on this date in 1994 — with John Chaney.

Calipari coached UMass at the time against Chaney’s Temple team.

Temple suspended Chaney for one game after he threatened Calipari in a profanity-laced tirade. Part of what sparked the rant was Chaney’s view of how Calipari intimidated the officials. Chaney interrupted a Calipari press conference with shouting. He eventually walked toward the lectern and Calipari, but 3 UMass players and others got in the middle to restrain Chaney.

“You’re sending your kids out there pushing and shoving, the guys did a helluva job, you had the best officiating you could ever get here,” Chaney said. “For you to ride them, I want to pardon them of that. I just got my ass blasted for giving them hell down in West Virginia. And here you did a helluva job here today, good job! Three class guys, and you picked them out here and singled them out.”

“I’ll kill your (expletive) ass. You remember that,” Chaney shouted after the Minutemen’s 56-55 victory over Temple. “I’ll kick your ass. Kick your ass.”

In 2021, when Chaney died, Calipari remembered him as a coaching icon, Hall of Famer and a dear friend. Calipari said it was a great opportunity as a young coach to coach against the best.

“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’m so saddened to hear that we have lost John Chaney, a coaching icon, a Hall of Famer, a molder of young men, the ultimate competitor and a dear friend. Being able to compete against the best at a young age gave me a great opportunity to grown and learn. pic.twitter.com/lCuHwHCubW

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 29, 2021

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Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.