Tom Payne had a troubled life that led him in an out of jail. For rape charges three times. In a recent interview, Payne now 60 years old often reflects on a life that took him from a high School basketball star at 7 foot tall, Payne was a basketball legend at Louisville Shawnee High School to being recruited by Adolph Rupp, the Legendary coach at the University of Kentucky. Rupp recruited Payne and overnight he became the first black basketball player at the University of Kentucky. Payne was not prepared for what this meant in 1969. He was too immature to understand the implications and he could not handle the pressure.
He spent much of his adult life in Prison for rape charges, but Payne was probably exploited for much of his life. He was a very tall athlete who developed quickly from an awkward Sophomore at Shawnee High School to the number on prospect in the country by the time he reached his senior season in 1969. The time he spent with Adolph Rupp did not define Tom Payne. His days at Louisville Shawnee High did. He led the Indians to the 1969 LIT Championship.
Payne went on to star in movies, but returned to jail because of another rape charge. He is now serving time at Sandy Hook prison in Kentucky.
