| Kentucky Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1881; 144 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Mitch Barnhart | ||
| Head coach | Mark Stoops 13th season, 72–78 (.480) | ||
| Stadium | Kroger Field (capacity: 61,000) | ||
| Location | Lexington, KY | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | SEC | ||
| All-time record | 650–650–44[1] (.500) | ||
| Bowl record | 11–10 (.524) | ||
| Claimed national titles | |||
| 1950[2] | |||
| Conference titles | |||
| SEC:1950,1976 | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 10[3] | ||
| Rivalries | Centre (rivalry); dormant Florida (rivalry) Indiana (rivalry); dormant Louisville (rivalry) Tennessee (rivalry) Transylvania (rivalry); dormant Vanderbilt (rivalry) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Blue and white[4] | ||
| Fight song | On, On, U of K,Kentucky Fight | ||
| Mascot | Wildcat,Scratch[5] | ||
| Marching band | Wildcat Marching Band | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Website | ukathletics.com | ||
TheKentucky Wildcats football program represents theUniversity of Kentucky in the sport ofAmerican football. TheWildcats compete in theFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and theSoutheastern Conference (SEC). The Wildcats play their home games atKroger Field inLexington, Kentucky and are led by head coachMark Stoops.
Until about 1913, the modern University of Kentucky was referred to as "Kentucky State College" and nearbyTransylvania University was known as "Kentucky University". In 1880, Kentucky University andCentre College played the first intercollegiate football game inKentucky. Kentucky State first fielded a football team in1881, playing three games againstrivalKentucky University. The team was revived in 1891. Both the inaugural 1881 squad and the revived 1891 squad have unknown coaches according to university records in winning two games and losing three.[6] The 1891 team's colors were blue and light yellow, decided before theCentre–Kentucky game on December 19. A student asked "What color blue?" and varsity lettermanRichard C. Stoll pulled off his necktie, and held it up. This is still held as the origin of Kentucky's shade of blue. The next year light yellow was dropped and changed to white.[7]
The 1892 team was coached byA. M. Miller, Kentucky's first head football coach, and went 2–4–1.[8] The greatest UK team of this era was the1898 squad, known simply to Kentuckians as "The Immortals."[8] To this day, the Immortals remain the only undefeated, untied, and unscored upon team in UK football history.[8] The Immortals were coached byW. R. Bass and ended the year a perfect 7–0–0, despite an average weight of 147 pounds per player.[8] Victories came easily for this squad, as the Immortals raced by Kentucky University (18–0),Georgetown (28–0), Company H of the 8th Massachusetts (59–0), Louisville Athletic Club (16–0), Centre (6–0), 160th Indiana (17–0) and Newcastle Athletic Club (36–0).[8] Head coachJack Wright led the team to a 7–1 record in1903, losing only to rival and southern championKentucky University.[8]Fred Schacht posted a 15–4–1 record in two seasons but died unexpectedly after his second season.[8]J. White Guyn also had success leading the Wildcats, posting a 17–7–1 record in his three years.[8]Edwin Sweetland went 16–3 in three seasons (1909–1910 and1912) but resigned due to poor health.[8] Sweetland also served as Kentucky's first athletics director.[8] The 1909 team upset theIllinois Fighting Illini. Upon their welcome home, Philip Carbusier said that they had "fought like wildcats," a nickname that stuck.[9]
John J. Tigert coached Kentucky for two seasons (1915–1916) with each season having one loss. 1915 captainCharles C. Schrader wasAll-Southern. The 1916 team fought theSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) co-championTennessee Volunteers to a scoreless tie. The year's only a loss, 45–0 to theIrby Curry-ledVanderbilt Commodores, was the dedication ofStoll Field. Quarterbacks Curry and Kentucky'sDoc Rodes were both selected All-Southern at year's end. Vanderbilt coachDan McGugin stated "If you would give me Doc Rodes, I would say he was a greater player than Curry."[10] CoachHarry Gamage had a 32–25–5 record during his seven seasons from 1927 to 1933.[8]A.D. Kirwan, who would go on to be the president of the university, coached the Wildcats from 1938 to 1944 and posted a 24–28–4 record in those six seasons.[8] Longtime athletics directorBernie Shively also served as Kentucky's head football coach for the 1945 season.[8]
CoachPaul "Bear" Bryant was Kentucky's head football coach for eight seasons.[11]Bear Bryant came to Kentucky fromMaryland.[12] Under Bryant's tutelage, the Wildcats won the 1947Great Lakes Bowl, lost the 1950Orange Bowl, won the 1951Sugar Bowl and the 1952Cotton Bowl Classic.[11] In final AP polls, the Wildcats were ranked No. 11 in 1949, No. 7 in 1950, No. 15 in 1951, No. 20 in 1952 and No. 16 in 1953.[11] The final 1950 poll was taken prior to the bowl games; Kentucky then defeated undefeated and No. 1 ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl and finished with the number 1 ranking in 3 major polls,[11] ending the Sooners 31-game winning streak. Bryant won SEC Coach of the Year honors in 1950 and then left after eight seasons to accept the head football coach position atTexas A&M. Assistant coaches at Kentucky under Bryant who went on to become head coaches includePaul Dietzel,Frank Moseley,Jim Owens andPhil Cutchin.[13] Notable players who played for Bryant at Kentucky includeHoward Schnellenberger,Jim Mackenzie,Jerry Claiborne,Steve Meilinger,George Blanda,Vito Parilli, andBob Gain.[14]
Cleveland Browns assistantBlanton Collier was hired to replace Bryant as head football coach at Kentucky in late 1953.[15] After completing his first season at Kentucky, Collier was named SEC Coach of the Year after posting a 7–2 record.[15] Collier's assistants during his tenure at Kentucky included the likes ofBill Arnsparger,Chuck Knox,Howard Schnellenberger, andDon Shula.[16] Despite having a winning record, 41–36–3 in eight seasons, Collier was fired.[17] Collier struggled to recruit for much of his tenure, about which frustrated fans wrote letters of complaint to the university.[18] Collier is the last Kentucky head football coach to leave the Wildcats with a winning record.
Charlie Bradshaw, anAlabama assistant underBear Bryant, was hired to replace the fired Collier.[19] Despite all the hype about being a Bear Bryant assistant, Bradshaw's tenure turned out to be a disappointment, as he was unable to have much success with the Wildcats. He had a 25–41–5 record in seven seasons.[20] Bradshaw is the last Kentucky coach to defeatTennessee twice in Knoxville, and the last Kentucky coach to defeatAuburn twice.[19] He was also the last to defeat a No. 1 ranked team in the country untilRich Brooks in 2007.[19] Bradshaw, a harsh, brutal coach,[21] was the head coach of the infamousThin Thirty Kentucky team. Kentucky had 88 players when Bradshaw arrived, but by season's end, only 30 players were on the team.[22] The story of that team is told in the 2007 bookThe Thin Thirty by Shannon Ragland.[21] Bradshaw also recruitedNate Northington, the first African American to play in an SEC athletic contest (1967).[23]Notre Dame defensive coordinatorJohn Ray took over as head football coach in late 1969.[24][25] Ray's teams consistently had solid defenses, but struggled to produce on the offensive end.[26] Ray's teams failed to win more than three games in a single season, going a dismal 10–33 overall in Ray's four seasons.[27] Ray's contract was not renewed after the 1972 season.
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Kentucky hiredFran Curci away fromMiami after Ray was let go.[28] The 1976 Wildcats tallied their first winning season in 13 years and won thePeach Bowl,[29] finishing No. 18 in the final AP poll.[29] For all intents and purposes, however, Curci's tenure ended soon afterward, when the NCAA slapped the Wildcats with two years' probation for numerous recruiting and amateurism violations. They were banned from postseason play and live television in 1977. The most damaging sanction in the long term, however, was being limited to only 25 scholarships in 1977 and 1978.[30] The 1977 Kentucky team went 10–1, went undefeated in SEC play, won a share of the SEC title and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the AP poll.[29] Due to the sanctions, however, the Wildcats were not able to go to a bowl. Kentucky finished at No. 6 andPenn State at No. 5 despite the fact that Kentucky defeated Penn State at Penn State during the regular season. Curci was unable to put together another winning team as a result of the reduced scholarships, and was fired after the 1981 season.[31]
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CoachJerry Claiborne returned to his alma mater fromMaryland.[32] After going 0-10-1 in 1982, he led the Wildcats to the1983 Hall of Fame Bowl and the1984 Hall of Fame Bowl,[33] defeating a Wisconsin team ranked No. 20 in the polls to finish the season with a 9–3 record and a No. 19 ranking in the final AP and UPI polls.[34] Claiborne also won SEC Coach of the Year honors in 1983. TheE.J. Nutter Training Facility was built in 1987. Coach Claiborne and Kentucky experienced an era of constant change at the quarterback position following the 1987 season through his departure that included Ransdell, Wright, and High School All-American and two way starter (Quarterback/Safety) Ricky Lewis, prior to landing Mr. Kentucky Football Awardee Pookie Jones of Calloway County.[35] Claiborne retired following the 1989 season[36] and was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1999. He was the last coach to defeatTennessee untilJoker Phillips in 2011 and the last coach to defeatFlorida untilMark Stoops in 2018.[34] His final record at Kentucky is 41–46–3.[33]
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Bill Curry surprised the college football world by leavingAlabama for Kentucky in late 1989.[37][38] Despite the high hopes that the Kentucky football program would rise under his leadership, Curry's Wildcats teams never achieved much success.[39] The Wildcats' best season under Curry was 1993, going on to play Clemson in the1993 Peach Bowl. It would be his only winning season in seven years. On the other side of the spectrum, his 1994 team went 1–10, the worst record in modern program history.[40] Curry was asked to resign midway through the 1996 season; he refused and was fired, but was allowed to coach the final five games of '96. The Wildcats were 26-52 (.333) under Curry.[41]
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CoachHal Mumme came to Kentucky fromValdosta State and brought an exciting, high-scoring, pass-oriented offense known as the "Air Raid".[42] He led the Wildcats to the1998 Outback Bowl and the1999 Music City Bowl.[43] Mumme achieved a 20–26 record in his four seasons.[44] Mumme coached star quarterbackTim Couch, the top overall pick in the1999 NFL draft. Mumme was popular among the Kentucky fans,[45] but the program was hit with severe sanctions for NCAA violations involving cash payments from an assistant coach to prospective recruits.[46][47] Mumme resigned after the 2000 season.[44] Assistant coaches under Mumme at Kentucky includedMike Leach andSonny Dykes.[48] Mumme is the last Kentucky coach to beat Alabama.[49]
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Guy Morriss was promoted from offensive line coach to head coach of the Wildcats after Mumme's resignation.[50] Under coach Morriss, the Wildcats went 2–9 in 2001[51] but improved to a 7–5 record in 2002.[52] However, the Wildcats were not eligible for postseason play in 2002 due to NCAA sanctions from Mumme's tenure.[53] The most significant event of that season came in a loss to LSU (See:Bluegrass Miracle).[54] Morriss accepted an offer to become the head football coach atBaylor after the 2002 season.[55]
After Morriss's departure, athletics directorMitch Barnhart initially pursued formerGeorgia head coachJim Donnan, but Donnan decided not to accept an offer from Barnhart to coach the Wildcats.[56][57][58] Ultimately, Barnhart turned to formerOregon head coachRich Brooks, who was hired in December 2002.[59] Brooks' hiring was met with skepticism from a significant portion of the Wildcats' fanbase, as he had not coached at the college level in nine years at the time of his hiring and had little to no recruiting ties in thesouthern United States.[60][61] In his first season, Kentucky finished 4–8 overall with a 1–7Southeastern Conference record.[62] The 2003 season included a seven-overtime 71–63 loss to Arkansas at Commonwealth Stadium, later renamedKroger Field.[63] The Wildcats went on to lose their remaining games againstVanderbilt,University of Georgia, andUniversity of Tennessee.[64] Coach Brooks then posted a 2–9 overall and 1–7 conference result in 2004, followed by an improved 3–8 overall and 2–6 SEC conference standing in 2005.[65][66]
Brooks led the team out of the probationary years to an 8–5 regular season record in2006,[67] including a memorable upset over the defending SEC champion Georgia, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.[68][69] Brooks also led the football team to its first bowl game since 1999 and its first bowl game victory since 1984, as Kentucky defeated theClemson University Tigers 28–20 in the Music City Bowl on December 29, 2006.[70] In2007, the Wildcats were ranked 8th in the nation before a loss toSouth Carolina on October 4.[71] After the loss to South Carolina, Kentucky bounced back on October 13 to defeat the No. 1LSU 43–37 in a historic triple overtime game.[72]
Brooks took Kentucky to four consecutive bowl games, winning the first three.[73] The 2007 Kentucky Wildcats football defeated theFlorida State Seminoles 35–28 in the 2007Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 31, 2007.[74] QuarterbackAndre' Woodson was named the Music City Bowl MVP for the second year in a row.[75] In 2008, the Wildcats opted to go to the Liberty Bowl instead of the Music City Bowl and defeatedConference USA championEast Carolina 25–19.[76] In 2009, Brooks and Kentucky returned to the Music City Bowl, losing in a rematch to Clemson 21–13.[77][78] Brooks retired after seven seasons with a 39–47 overall record.[79][73] Ultimately, Brooks' tenure is held in high regard by the Wildcats despite the losing record and failing to defeat annual opponentsFlorida,Tennessee andSouth Carolina during the Brooks era.[80] On July 10, 2023, the playing field at Kentucky's new indoor practice facility was named after Rich Brooks and his wife, Karen.[81]
On January 6, 2010, former Wildcatwide receiver and longtime assistant coachJoker Phillips was formally introduced as head coach after Brooks' retirement;[82] he had been Brooks' designated successor since 2008.[83] Kentucky started off strong under Phillips with a win on the road against archrival Louisville.[84] The 2010 squad snapped a long-standing losing streak to South Carolina CoachSteve Spurrier by defeating the Gamecocks atKroger Field.[84] However, they dropped games to both Ole Miss and Mississippi State, lost to a Florida team on a down year and once again failed to beat its other archrival Tennessee, having lost 26 in a row to the Vols,[84] the longest active losing streak by one team to another in college football at the time. The Wildcats capped the season with a 27–10 loss toPittsburgh in theBBVA Compass Bowl.[85] On November 26, 2011, Kentucky snapped the longest active FBS losing streak to any one team by defeating the Tennessee Vols 10–7 at Kroger Field.[86] On November 4, 2012, the day after a 40–0 home shutout by Vanderbilt resulting with a 1–9 record, UK athletics directorMitch Barnhart released a public letter toBig Blue Nation announcing that Phillips would not return for the 2013 season, but that he would finish out the 2012 season as head coach.[87][88] With Joker's five-year contract only being three years complete at the end of the season, the university had to pay a $2.55 million buyout over the final two years of the contract.[89][90][91]
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On November 27, 2012,Florida State defensive coordinatorMark Stoops, brother of legendary formerOklahoma head coachBob Stoops,[92] was hired as Kentucky's head football coach.[93] Stoops had no prior head coaching experienced when he was hired.[94] One of Stoops' first moves was hiring offensive coordinatorNeal Brown, who brought back the "Air Raid" offense.[95] After nine months as the head coach of the Wildcats, Stoops and his staff signed the highest ranked recruiting class in program history.[96] Stoops's first season at Kentucky was a struggle, as the Wildcats duplicated the 2–10 record from 2012.[97] Kentucky's wins in 2013 were over a winlessMiami (OH) andFCS opponentAlabama State.[98][97] In Stoops's second season, the Wildcats broke a 17-game SEC losing streak when they beatVanderbilt the fourth game into the season.[99] The Wildcats finished the 2014 season with a 5–7 record.[100] After the season, offensive coordinatorNeal Brown left to take the head coaching job atTroy.[101] In 2015, Stoops's third season, the Wildcats duplicated their 5–7 record from 2014. They lost toFlorida,[102]Auburn,[103]Mississippi State,[104]Tennessee,[105]Georgia,[106]Vanderbilt,[107] andLouisville,[108] and they defeatedLouisiana-Lafayette,[109]South Carolina,[110]Missouri,[111]Eastern Kentucky[112] andCharlotte.[113]
On December 18, 2015, offensive coordinatorShannon Dawson, who was hired to replace Neal Brown, announced he would not return to the program for the 2016 season as the offensive coordinator, a result of the team's struggles over the previous few years.[114][115] In his place Kentucky hiredCincinnati offensive coordinatorEddie Gran as the assistant head coach of offense at Kentucky. Cincinnati quarterbacks coachDarin Hinshaw has also joined the UK staff as quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.[116][117] Kentucky began the 2016 season with a loss toSouthern Miss by a score of 44–35, after blowing a 25-point lead.[118] Ironically, Shannon Dawson, who was fired by Kentucky as offensive coordinator just months earlier, had been hired to serve as Southern Miss' offensive coordinator.[119] Kentucky would finish 7–6 (4–4 SEC) on the season, which included snapping a five-game losing streak to archrivalLouisville by a score of 41–38,[120] with a berth in theTaxSlayer Bowl, their first bowl berth since 2010, a game they lost toGeorgia Tech by a score of 33–18.[121]
In the 2017 season, the Wildcats opened the season with a victory over Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg 24–17. The next week, the Wildcats defeated the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in their home opener at the newly renamed Kroger Field in Lexington. Following a road victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, they failed to defeat the Florida Gators, whom they had not defeated since 1986. This extended the longest losing streak in SEC history to 31 years. Responding to the criticized loss to Florida, the Wildcats defeated Eastern Michigan and Missouri at Kroger Field, improving their record to 5–1. Following their bye week, the Kentucky Wildcats fell to No. 19-ranked Mississippi State team on the road, 45–7.[122] However, the Wildcats improved to 6–2 by defeating the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 29–26 at Kroger Field. The victory over Tennessee was Kentucky's second victory since 1984 over the Volunteers, and secured bowl eligibility. This was followed by a 37–34 home loss to Ole Miss and a dominating road win over unranked Vanderbilt. The Wildcats then lost to Georgia 42–13 inAthens, Georgia. In their last regular season game against rival Louisville, Kentucky was beaten at home 44–17. Kentucky then proceeded to playNorthwestern inNashville, Tennessee in theMusic City Bowl on December 29, and lost 24–23.
In 2018, after beatingCentral Michigan, Kentucky went to Gainesville to face theFlorida Gators, who had won 31 straight against Kentucky, and ended their losing streak with a 27–16 win atThe Swamp, the Wildcats' first win in Gainesville since 1979.[123] They added wins in the next two weeks overMurray State and No. 14Mississippi State, the second of which put Kentucky into the Top 25, the Wildcats' first ranking since 2007. They then split the next two games, defeatingSouth Carolina for the fifth straight season before losing for the first time, an overtime loss toTexas A&M on the road. After the bye week, Kentucky defeatedVanderbilt at home then beatMissouri on the road thanks to a last second TD pass. Those wins put the Wildcats at 7–1 and No. 9 in the College Football Playoff Rankings leading in to a home game against theGeorgia Bulldogs. In a matchup that determined the SEC East Division champion, the Wildcats were defeated at home 34–17. Kentucky then went on the road atTennessee, falling to the Volunteers by a score of 24–7, ending their final SEC record at 5–3, the team's first winning season in conference play since 1977. In Kentucky's final home game of the season, senior day, the Wildcats defeatedMiddle Tennessee by a score of 34–23. Kentucky closed the regular season with a 56–10 rout ofLouisville to win back the Governor's Cup. Kentucky was selected to play in theCitrus Bowl inOrlando, Florida against No. 12 rankedPenn State, and won 27–24. This capped only the third 10-win season in school history, and the first since 1977. The Wildcats finished ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, the first such end-season rank since the 1984 season.
In 2019, Kentucky had a special season when Wide Receiver Lynn Bowden took became the Wildcats Quarterback, when both Terry Wilson (QB 1) and Sawyer Smith (QB 2) were injured. Kentucky ended the season 8–5, after beating (in order): Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Arkansas,Missouri,Vanderbilt, Tennessee-Martin,Louisville and Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl in a last minute touchdown drive by Kentucky, and a scoop and score to use up the last few seconds of the game. Their five losses were (in order):Florida,Mississippi State,South Carolina,Georgia Bulldogs andTennessee. In 2020, Kentucky had unique season, despite their final losing record. They were initially ranked at No. 22 in their first game with Auburn. Their final record in the season was 5–6, with 4–6 in the conference (during the COVID-19 Pandemic NCAA regulations). Kentucky went on to beat:Mississippi State,Tennessee,Vanderbilt,South Carolina, and North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl. Kentucky's losses were to (in order): Auburn, Mississippi,Missouri,Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama andFlorida. This season saw the Wildcats win in Knoxville for the first time since 1984. In 2021, Kentucky saw more history making for both the entire program and Mark Stoops. Their final record was 10–3, which was Kentucky's second 10-win season, and the 4th time in program history, after beating (in order): Louisiana Monroe,Missouri, UT-Chattanooga,South Carolina,Florida, LSU,Vanderbilt, New Mexico State,Louisville and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. Their three losses were back-to-back-to-back with:Georgia Bulldogs,Mississippi State, andTennessee. The Wildcats saw their first win against Florida at home since 1986 and finished ranked No. 18 in the AP poll. The program also got a winning record with 638-635-44 (.501), and a bowl record of 12-9 (.571), after the season concluded. For Stoops, he managed to get a winning record for the first time, with 59-53 (.527).
The Wildcats and head coach Mark Stoops carried their momentum into the 2022 season where they defeated theFlorida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the second time in three attempts after a 31-year drought to the Gators outright prior to the 2018 season. The same week, Stoops surpassed Paul “Bear” Bryant as the all-time winningest coach at The University of Kentucky. Kentucky would go on to win games against Youngstown State University and Northern Illinois University, where they would be ranked #7 in AP Polls, the highest rank in Stoops' tenure, before dropping their first loss in the season in Oxford, Mississippi to Ole Miss. They finished the year with a 7–6 overall and 3–5 in conference play at the end of the Regular Season. The win at Missouri clinched bowl eligibility for the 7th consecutive season for the Wildcats, the longest in Kentucky school history. Kentucky went on to beat (in order):Miami (OH),Florida, Youngstown State University, Northern Illinois University,Mississippi State,Missouri andLouisville. Kentucky's losses were to (in order): Ole Miss,South Carolina,Tennessee,Vanderbilt,Georgia Bulldogs, and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl. As of the beginning of the 2023 football season,Mark Stoops going into his 11th season with a 66–59 overall record, and 32–50 conference record, with the Kentucky Wildcats.
The NCAA has never officially recognized a national champion from among the bowl coalition institutions, but in 2004 the NCAA commissionedJeff Sagarin to use his computer model to retroactively determine the highest ranked teams for the years prior to the BCS. His champion for the 1950 season is Kentucky.[125] The polls for the 1950 national champion, taken before the bowl games were played, list either Oklahoma (AP, Berryman, Helms, Litkenhous, UPI, Williamson), Princeton (Boand, Poling), or Tennessee (Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, Missouri, Don Faurot Football Research, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin (ELO-Chess)). Tennessee was the winner of the Cotton Bowl and the only team to beat Kentucky during the 1950 season. Oklahoma was named national champion by AP and UPI Coaches' Poll, both which awarded their titles before the bowl games. Kentucky would go on to beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.[126] Sports writerBill Libby, not an NCAA-designated "major selector", selected Kentucky as national champions in his 1975 bookChampions of College Football.
| Season | Coach | Selector(s) | Record | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Final AP | Final Coaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Bear Bryant | Sagarin Ratings,Bill Libby[127][a] | 11–1 | Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma | W 13–7 | No. 7 | No. 7 |
Kentucky has won two conference championships, both in theSoutheastern Conference. Kentucky also finished the1977 season with a 10–1 (6–0 SEC) record, but were not eligible for a share of the SEC championship or for postseason play due to NCAA probation.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | SEC | Paul "Bear" Bryant | 11–1 | 5–1 |
| 1976† | Fran Curci | 9–3‡ | 5–1‡ |
† Co-champions
‡ Mississippi State forfeited their 1976 win over Kentucky, giving Kentucky an official 5–1 conference record and a share of the SEC title withGeorgia.
UK has played in 23 bowl games, compiling a record of 12–11. Note that in the table below, the year references the season, and not the actual date the game was played.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Bear Bryant | Great Lakes Bowl | Villanova | W 24–14 |
| 1949 | Orange Bowl | Santa Clara | L 13–21 | |
| 1950 | Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma | W 13–7 | |
| 1951 | Cotton Bowl Classic | TCU | W 20–7 | |
| 1976 | Fran Curci | Peach Bowl | North Carolina | W 21–0 |
| 1983 | Jerry Claiborne | Hall of Fame Classic | West Virginia | L 16–20 |
| 1984 | Hall of Fame Classic | Wisconsin | W 20–19 | |
| 1993 | Bill Curry | Peach Bowl | Clemson | L 13–14 |
| 1998 | Hal Mumme | Outback Bowl | Penn State | L 14–26 |
| 1999 | Music City Bowl | Syracuse | L 13–20 | |
| 2006 | Rich Brooks | Music City Bowl | Clemson | W 28–20 |
| 2007 | Music City Bowl | Florida State | W 35–28 | |
| 2008 | Liberty Bowl | East Carolina | W 25–19 | |
| 2009 | Music City Bowl | Clemson | L 13–21 | |
| 2010 | Joker Phillips | BBVA Compass Bowl | Pittsburgh | L 10–27 |
| 2016 | Mark Stoops | TaxSlayer Bowl | Georgia Tech | L 18–33 |
| 2017 | Music City Bowl | Northwestern | L 23–24 | |
| 2018 | Citrus Bowl | Penn State | W 27–24 | |
| 2019 | Belk Bowl | Virginia Tech | W 38–30 | |
| 2020 | Gator Bowl | NC State | W 23–21 | |
| 2021 | Citrus Bowl | Iowa | W* 20–17 | |
| 2022 | Music City Bowl | Iowa | L 0–21 | |
| 2023 | Gator Bowl | Clemson | L 35–38 |
This historical series was first contested in 1891 with the last game being played in 1929. With Centre currently competing at theNCAA Division III level, the in-state opponents are unlikely to meet on the football field anytime soon.
When the Southeastern Conference split into geographical divisions in 1992,[129]Florida and Kentucky were both placed in the SEC East. This guarantees that both teams play each other every season, which they have done consecutively since 1967. The Gators and Wildcats will meet in 2024 despite the end of SEC divisions after the 2023 season.[130] The two teams have played 74 times, with Florida holding a 53–21 lead in the series. From 1987 to 2017, Florida won every single game between the two schools. This 31-year streak was the third longest inFBS history, and the longest in the Southeastern Conference's history. Since 2017, the series has become incredibly competitive with a 4–3 split between the two teams with the winning margin being 11.4 points on average. Because of these factors, this rivalry is relatively new even though the series dates back to 1917.
Former Florida head coachSteve Spurrier was notable for having a particular disdain for Kentucky. During his tenure at Florida, he was known for running up the score in non-competitive games. In his 12 years coaching the Gators, Spurrier never lost to Kentucky, winning by an average score of 32.7 points. Spurrier was famous for the comments he made about his opponents (often referred to as "Spurrierisms")[131][132] but he poked fun at Kentucky the most.[133] Even after leaving Florida, Steve Spurrier would go out of his way to make comments at Kentucky's expense. In November 2004, Steve Spurrier accepted the head coaching job at theUniversity of South Carolina.[134][135] In 2006, the South Carolina Gamecocks upset their rival, the Clemson Tigers. In the following week, Clemson would go on to lose to Kentucky in the2006 Music City Bowl. Following the bowl game, Steve Spurrier said""We thought we had done something good beating Clemson. And then Kentucky beat 'em."[136]
The Wildcats also have an out-of-conference rivalry withIndiana. The Hoosiers played the Wildcats annually from 1987 until 2005 in what was known as the "Bourbon Barrel" game. The two teams played for a trophy called the "Bourbon Barrel" from 1987 until both schools mutually agreed to retire the trophy in 1999 following the alcohol-related death of a Kentucky football player.[137] The two teams last met on September 17, 2005, with Indiana winning 38–14; Indiana leads the overall series (18–17–1).[138]
First played in 1912, Louisville-Kentucky football series was revived in 1994 after the success of the basketball series that restarted in 1983. They played the first four games of the renewed series at Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field) untilPapa John's Cardinal Stadium (PJCS) was completed in 1997, at which time they began rotating the series between Louisville, Kentucky and Lexington, Kentucky. The two teams play for the Governor's Cup Trophy. Kentucky leads the series 20–15, but trails the modern series 15–14. Kentucky played Louisville in the Cardinals' first 4 seasons and twice in the 1920s, holding the Cardinals scoreless in all contests. Kentucky then left the SIAA in 1922 to become a charter member of the Southeastern Conference and limited its play of in-state schools. It would be 70 years before these two in-state rivals faced each other again.
In 2013, it was announced that the game would be moved to the final game of the season following Louisville's 2014 move to the ACC. This scheduling change fits with other end-of-year SEC vs. ACC rivalry games, such asGeorgia vs. Georgia Tech,Florida vs. Florida State andSouth Carolina vs. Clemson.
In 2018, Kentucky beat Louisville 56–10, winning by the largest margin since the rivalry restarted in 1994. The largest ever win in the rivalry was also by Kentucky which they won 73–0 in 1922, before the series went dormant.
In 2019, Kentucky beat Louisville 45–13. Kentucky quarterback Lynn Bowden broke the SEC record for yards rushing by a QB in a game with 284 total individual rushing yards. Also, the Wildcats broke their single game rushing record with 517 rushing yards against the Cardinals.
Kentucky leads the series 20–15 as of the conclusion of the 2023 season.[139]
Like many college football rivalries, the Tennessee-Kentucky game had its own trophy for many years: a wooden beer barrel painted half blue and half orange. The trophy was awarded to the winner of the game every year from 1925 to 1997. The Barrel was introduced in 1925 by a group of former Kentucky students who wanted to create a material sign of supremacy for the rivalry. It was rolled onto the field that year with the words "Ice Water" painted on it to avoid any outcries over a beer keg symbolizing a college rivalry. The barrel exchange was retired in 1998 after two Kentucky football players died in an alcohol-related crash.
Tennessee leads the series 84–26–9 as of the conclusion of the 2023 season.[140]
In 1880 Transylvania faced Centre in the first intercollegiate game in the state. The next year Transylvania played three games Kentucky with Transylvania winning two of the three. The schools would play regularly after that for the couple decades.[141] By the early part of the 20th century, the football game between the two schools became the "highlight of the college sports season" for the fans of the two schools and the citizens of Lexington.[142] As the game became more popular, "the rivalry became more bitter." To capitalize on the popularity of the rivalry, the game was usually played on Thanksgiving so that the large gate could solve the team's financial problems.[142]
Throughout the early years of the rivalry accusations on both sides concerning the use of professional players. This issue came to a head in 1903. Transylvania claimed that Kentucky's coach, C.W. Wright went to New York to recruit players for the game to replace the current team of student-athletes.[143] Kentucky responded by pointing out that two players,Hogan andWorth Yancey, on Transylvania had played professional baseball the summer before the season.[144] The Lexington Herald covered for the Crimson by stating the Yancey brothers only used the money for college expenses.[144] Tensions were also high because earlier in the season, a riot broke out a scrimmage between the two schools' second teams resulting in that game not being finished. Over 300 students, players, and fans were involved. Some participants wielded clubs and buggy whips resulting in several injuries.[145] With both teams coming into the game with outstanding records, the past issues and accusations did not damper the enthusiasm for the game. The local papers reported, "no other event had generated more interest in the city than the impending contest."[146] With all the excitement the price of admission more than doubled, and extra grandstands were installed around the field to make room for the anticipated crowd.[146] Fans across the state charted special trains for the game.[144] Transylvania easily won 17–0 with UK fans saying they should have used there regular player instead of the ringers from the East coast.[141][146] Afterward, UK president Patterson had the select committee investigate the accusations of bringing in out of state ringers. The committee confirmed that both the faculty and the athletic association had recruited professionals for the game.[147] After the report came out head coachC.W. Wright was fired.[147] The game resulted in unwanted national attention and was given as an example of the problems in college football. Because of this,Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) blackballed both schools for several years.[148]Having started in 1896, the Kentucky-Vanderbilt football series has been played annually since 1953.[149] The two are divisional opponents in the SEC East. The series rotates annually between Nashville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky leads the series 49–43–4 through the conclusion of the 2023 season.[150]
Consensus All-Americans inbold.
| Player | Position | Year | Unanimous | Consensus | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde Johnson | T | 1942 | No | No | AP |
| Bob Gain | T | 1949 | No | No | All-Players, NY Sun, NEA |
| Bob Gain | T | 1950 | Yes | Yes | AP, UPI, INS, Camp, NEA, CP, FWAA-Look, AAB, FD, NYNews |
| Babe Parilli | QB | 1950 | Yes | Yes | AP, INS, Camp, Colliers, NY News, Sporting News, AA |
| Bob Gain | QB | 1951 | Yes | Yes | UP, INS, Camp, NEA, CP, AAB, NY News, All-Player |
| Doug Moseley | C | 1951 | No | No | AP, FWAA-Look |
| Steve Meilinger | DE | 1952 | No | No | AP, NEA, All-Player |
| Steve Meilinger | DE | 1953 | No | No | NEA, Colliers, AAB |
| Ray Correll | DG | 1953 | No | No | FWAA-Look, Chicago Tribun |
| Howard Schnellenberger | DE | 1955 | No | Yes | AP |
| Lou Michaels | OT | 1956 | No | Yes | UPI, NA, Camp, Colliers, NY News |
| Lou Michaels | OT | 1957 | No | Yes | AP, NEA, Camp, FWAA-Look, Coaches, NY News, Sporting News |
| Irv Goode | C | 1961 | No | No | Time |
| Herschel Turner | T | 1963 | No | No | Time |
| Sam Ball | T | 1965 | No | Yes | UPI, NEA, Camp, FWAA-Look, Coaches, Time, Sporting New |
| Rodger Bird | HB | 1965 | No | No | Time, NBC |
| Rick Norton | QB | 1965 | No | No | Time, NBC |
| Elmore Stephens | TE | 1974 | No | No | Time |
| Rick Nuzum | C | 1974 | No | No | NEA |
| Warren Bryant | T | 1976 | No | No | Camp, Coaches |
| Art Still | DE | 1977 | No | Yes | AP, UPI, NEA, Coaches, FWAA, Camp, Sporting News, Football News |
| Mike Pfeifer | T | 1989 | No | No | Football News, Mizlou |
| Tim Couch | QB | 1998 | No | No | Camp, FWAA, AAF |
| James Whalen | TE | 1999 | No | Yes | AP, Camp, FWAA, AAFF, CNN/SI, CBS SportsLine |
| Derek Abney | KR | 2002 | Yes | Yes | AP, FWAA, Camp, Sporting News, ESPN, CBS SportsLine, CNN/SI, College Football News |
| Glenn Pakulak | P | 2002 | No | No | CBS SportsLine |
| Randall Cobb | WR | 2010 | No | No | AP |
| Josh Allen | LB | 2018 | Yes | Yes | AP, WCFF, SI, CFN, ESPN, CBS Sports, Sporting News |
| Bunchy Stallings | OG | 2018 | No | No | AP |
| Lynn Bowden | WR/KR/QB | 2019 | No | Yes | AFCA, AP, The Athletic, CBS Sports, ESPN, SI, Sporting News, USA Today |
| Max Duffy | P | 2019 | Yes | Yes | AFCA, AP, The Athletic, ESPN, FWAA, Sporting News, USA Today, WCFF |
| Darian Kinnard | OT | 2021 | No | Yes | AFCA, AP, CBS, FWAA, WCFF |
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Duece Howerton | RB |
| 1993 | Marty Moore | LB |
| 1994 | Melvin Johnson | FS |
| 1995 | Moe Williams | HB |
| 1997 | John Schlarman | OG |
| 1998 | Kris Comstock | OG |
| 1998 | Tim Couch | QB |
| 1998 | Craig Yeast | WR |
| 1999 | Andy Smith | P |
| 1999 | Jeff Snedegar | LB |
| 1999 | James Whalen | TE |
| 2000 | Derek Smith | TE |
| 2000 | Omar Smith | OT |
| 2001 | Derek Abney | KR |
| 2001 | Dennis Johnson | DE |
| 2001 | Glenn Pakulak | P |
| 2002 | Derek Abney | KR |
| 2002 | Antonio Hall | OT |
| 2002 | Glenn Pakulak | P |
| 2002 | Artose Pinner | RB |
| 2003 | Derek Abney | KR |
| 2003 | Antonio Hall | OT |
| 2005 | Rafael Little | All-Purpose |
| 2006 | Keenan Burton | All-Purpose |
| 2006 | Jacob Tamme | TE |
| 2006 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 2007 | Jacob Tamme | TE |
| 2007 | Wesley Woodyard | LB |
| 2008 | Micah Johnson | LB |
| 2008 | Trevard Lindley | DB |
| 2008 | Tim Masthay | P |
| 2009 | Randall Cobb | All-Purpose |
| 2010 | Randall Cobb | All-Purpose |
| 2010 | Danny Trevathan | LB |
| 2011 | Danny Trevathan | LB |
| 2014 | Alvin Dupree | DE |
| 2014 | Landon Foster | P |
| 2016 | Jon Toth | C |
| 2017 | Benny Snell | RB |
| 2018 | Josh Allen | LB |
| 2018 | Benny Snell | RB |
| 2018 | Bunchy Stallings | OG |
| 2019 | Lynn Bowden | All-Purpose |
| 2019 | Max Duffy | P |
| 2019 | Drake Jackson | C |
| 2019 | Logan Stenberg | OG |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Babe Parilli | QB |
| 1957 | Lou Michaels | T |
| 1973 | Sonny Collins | RB |
| 1998 | Tim Couch | QB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Artose Pinner | RB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Josh Allen | LB |
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Mark Stoops |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Derick Logan | RB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Will Levis | QB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Josh Allen | LB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Josh Allen | LB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Bob Gain | DT |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Lynn Bowden | WR/KR/QB |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Max Duffy | P |
| Year | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Courtney Love | LB |
| Kentucky Wildcats retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | No. ret. | Ref. |
| 21 | Calvin Bird | HB | 1958–1960 | 1997 | [151] |
| 22 | Mark Higgs | RB | 1984–1987 | 1997 | [151] |
Two Kentucky players have been inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.
| Inductee | Position | Class | Team and Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Blanda | QB,K | 1981 | Chicago Bears, 1949, 1950–58 Baltimore Colts, 1950 Houston Oilers, 1960–66 Oakland Raiders, 1967–75 |
| Dermontti Dawson | C | 2012 | Pittsburgh Steelers, 1988–2000 |
Seven Kentucky Wildcat individuals have been inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.
| Inductee | Position | Class | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Still | DE | 2015 | 1974–1977 |
| Paul "Bear" Bryant | Head coach | 1986 | 1946–53 |
| Jerry Claiborne | Head coach | 1999 | 1982–89 |
| Bob Gain | G,T | 1980 | 1947–1950 |
| Steve Meilinger | DL | 2013 | 1951–53 |
| Lou Michaels | DT | 1992 | 1955–57 |
| Babe Parilli | QB | 1982 | 1949–51 |
From 1992 to 2023, Kentucky played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC expanded the conference to 16 teams and eliminated its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Wildcats to play against the other members of the conference.[152] Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference still considers a new format for the future.[153] The 2025 conference schedule was announced on March 20, 2024, in which teams will play the same opponents in 2025 that they played in 2024, with sites changed for equal home and away competition over the course of the two seasons.[154]
| Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|
| atAuburn | ||
| Florida |
| |
| atGeorgia | ||
| Ole Miss |
| |
| atSouth Carolina | ||
| Tennessee |
| |
| Texas |
| |
| atVanderbilt |
Announced schedules as of September 9, 2025.[155]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
| Toledo Aug 30 | Youngstown State Sep 5 | Toledo Sep 4 | atToledo Sep 2 | Georgia Southern Sep 1 | Kent State TBA |
| Eastern Michigan Sep 13 | South Alabama Sep 26 | Murray State Sep 18 | Kent State Sep 9 | Eastern Kentucky Sep 8 | |
| Tennessee Tech Nov 15 | Louisville Nov 28 | Ball State Sep 25 | Eastern Illinois Sep 30 | atLouisville Nov 24 | Louisville Nov 30 |
| atLouisville Nov 29 | atLouisville Nov 27 | Louisville Nov 25 |
The Wildcats, cited by the N.C.A.A. for more than three dozen recruiting violations, were banned from a bowl game next season and must forfeit a total of 19 scholarships over the next three years. In a 41-page report citing Kentucky as lacking institutional control over its football program, the N.C.A.A. said it wastroubled by the widespread nature of the undetected violations in time, frequency and the number of individuals who would have some knowledge that the activities were improper and failed to report them to the proper authorities.
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Seifried, C.S., & Demiris, T. (2021). Examining the Early History of Stadia at the University of Kentucky: From City Park to Stoll Field at McLean Stadium. Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, 119(2), 145–179.
