The state of Kentucky has six Division One college football teams: Kentucky, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, and Murray State. Each team has a long and in-depth history of football with its school. From history to rivalries and traditions college football runs deep in the state of Kentucky.
The University of Kentucky played its first game against Kentucky University (now known as Transylvania University) in 1881 where they played 3 games against each other. The University of Kentucky was then known as Kentucky State College at the time of the games. 1891 team’s colors were blue and light yellow. The university chose the iconic Kentucky Blue as the color because the student pulled off his necktie and held it up during a discussion about what color the team should be. The team chose the blue and the next year the light yellow color was dropped and changed to white, this is where the University of Kentucky’s blue and white color scheme comes from. In 1898, the team was known to Kentuckians as “The Immortals.” The Immortals remain the only undefeated, untied, and unscored-upon team in University of Kentucky football history. In 1909 the team upset the University of Illinois to which a man named Philip Carbusier said that they had “fought like wildcats,” a nickname that would later become the school’s mascot. In the 1962 season, head coach Charlie Bradshaw started with 88 players on the team but by the end of the season, only 30 players were remaining. This would be known as the infamous “Thin Thirty.” From 1996-1998 Tim Couch was the Quarterback for the team and would become the #1 Overall Pick in the 1999 NFL Draft making him the highest drafted Kentucky player ever. In 2013 the team would hire current head coach Mark Stoops. His first couple of seasons were tough but he later figured it out. Mark Stoops has won 76 games and lost 67 games in his career at Kentucky.
The University of Louisville began playing football in 1912. The team would not play during 1917-1921 due to financial problems. Head Coach Tom King was the first coach to attempt to build a program at Louisville. Some notable head coaches for Louisville include Lee Corso, Bobby Petrino, Scott Satterfield, and current head coach Jeff Brohm. A few of their rivalries include Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Miami. Heading into the 2024 College Football season the Louisville Cardinals were ranked as the 26th best team.
Western Kentucky University first fielded a football team in 1908 but did not start playing sanctioned games until 1913. From 1917 to 1919 the Hilltoppers didn’t compete in football due to World War I. One of Western Kentucky’s coaches, E.A. Diddle, coached football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball for the university. One of WKU’s greatest rivalries is Middle Tennessee State University. The rivalry is known as the 100 Miles of Hate game. Another great head coach was Jack Harbaugh. Father of Jim and John Harbaugh, 2 current NFL head coaches who coach the Ravens and the Chargers. Jeff Brohm also coached the Hilltoppers, Brohm is the current head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. In the 2002 season, Western Kentucky won the NCAA FCS championship.
Eastern Kentucky University first created a football team in 1891. They won the NCAA FCS championship twice in 1979 and 1982. Some of their rivalries include WKU which is called the Battle of the Bluegrass. They also have a rivalry with Morehead State University which is named the Old Hawg Rifle game named after the trophy the winning team gets.
The Morehead State Eagles first founded a football team in 1927. One of their more notable alumni players is Quarterback Phil Simms. Simms was drafted in the 1979 draft where he was drafted 7th overall. Simms would later become a 2 time Super Bowl champion and a Super Bowl MVP.
The Murray State Racers first started a football team in 1924. Murray State has been known as one of the bottom-ranked teams in Kentucky. Murray State has struggled to find a successful coach and they are now on their 4th head coach in the last 10 seasons. Murray State plays Kentucky later in the 2024 season where Kentucky is favored to win heavily.
