The Kentucky Wildcats college football team represents the University of Kentucky in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Wildcats compete as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 37 head coaches since it began play during the 1881 season.[1] On November 27, 2012, Mark Stoops was introduced as Kentucky's 37th head coach.[2]
The team has played more than 1,150 games over 122 seasons of Kentucky football.[1] Both the inaugural 1881 squad and the revived 1891 squad have unknown coaches according to university records in winning two games and losing three.[1] Since 1892, eight coaches have led the Wildcats in postseason bowl games: Bear Bryant, Fran Curci, Jerry Claiborne, Bill Curry, Hal Mumme, Rich Brooks, Joker Phillips[3] and Mark Stoops.
Two of those coaches also won conference championships: Bryant and Curci won a combined three as a member of the SEC.[4]
Stoops is the leader in both seasons coached, with ten, and all-time wins, with 66. At the time of this writing is entering his 11th season as coach of the Wildcats.[5] Fran Curci was the previous leader with 9 seasons coached.[4] Bryant was the previous leader in games won, with 60 victories during his eight seasons with the program.[4] Jack Wright has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .875.[4] Bernie Shively has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .200.[4] Of the 36 different head coaches who have led the Wildcats, Bryant[6] and Jerry Claiborne[7] have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.
General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
† | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] |
No. | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC [A 6] |
CC | NC | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A. M. Miller | 1892 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0.357 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
2 | John A. Thompson | 1893 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0.687 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
3 | W. P. Finney | 1894 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
4 | Charles B. Mason | 1895 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.444 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
5 | Dudley Short | 1896 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
6 | Lyman Eaton | 1897 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
7 | W. R. Bass | 1898–1899 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0.813 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
8 | William H. Kiler | 1900–1901 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0.342 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
9 | E. W. McLeod | 1902 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0.389 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
10 | Jack Wright | 1903 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
11 | Fred Schacht | 1904–1905 | 20 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0.775 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
12 | J. White Guyn | 1906–1908 | 25 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 0.700 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
13 | Edwin Sweetland | 1909–1910 1912 |
28 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0.821 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
14 | Prentiss Douglass | 1911 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.700 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
15 | Alpha Brumage | 1913–1914 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0.688 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
16 | John J. Tigert | 1915–1916 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0.767 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0.563 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
17 | Stanley A. Boles | 1917 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0.389 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0.167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
18 | Andrew Gill | 1918–1919 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0.500 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.643 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
19 | William Juneau | 1920–1922 | 25 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 0.560 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0.308 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
20 | Jack Winn | 1923 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0.556 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
21 | Fred J. Murphy | 1924–1926 | 27 | 12 | 14 | 1 | 0.463 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0.441 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
22 | Harry Gamage | 1927–1933 | 62 | 32 | 25 | 5 | 0.556 | 21 | 23 | 4 | 0.479 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
23 | Chet A. Wynne | 1934–1937 | 39 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0.513 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0.236 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
24 | A. D. Kirwan | 1938–1944 | 56 | 24 | 28 | 4 | 0.464 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 0.190 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
25 | Bernie Shively | 1945 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0.200 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
26 | Bear Bryant† | 1946–1953 | 88 | 60 | 23 | 5 | 0.710 | 25 | 19 | 4 | 0.563 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1950)[12] |
27 | Blanton Collier | 1954–1961 | 80 | 41 | 36 | 3 | 0.531 | 21 | 34 | 3 | 0.388 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (1954)[12] |
28 | Charlie Bradshaw | 1962–1968 | 70 | 25 | 41 | 4 | 0.386 | 11 | 25 | 2 | 0.316 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
29 | John Ray | 1969–1972 | 43 | 10 | 33 | 0 | 0.233 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0.143 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
30 | Fran Curci | 1973–1981 | 100 | 47 | 51 | 2 | 0.480 | 25 | 30 | 0 | 0.455 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1977)[12] |
31 | Jerry Claiborne† | 1982–1989 | 90 | 41 | 46 | 3 | 0.472 | 13 | 37 | 0 | 0.260 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (1983)[12] |
32 | Bill Curry | 1990–1996 | 78 | 26 | 52 | 0 | 0.333 | 14 | 40 | 0 | 0.259 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
33 | Hal Mumme | 1997–2000 | 46 | 20 | 26 | — | 0.435 | 10 | 22 | — | 0.313 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
34 | Guy Morriss | 2001–2002 | 23 | 9 | 14 | — | 0.391 | 4 | 12 | — | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
35 | Rich Brooks | 2003–2009 | 86 | 39 | 47 | — | 0.453 | 16 | 39 | — | 0.291 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
36 | Joker Phillips | 2010–2012 | 37 | 13 | 24 | — | 0.351 | 4 | 20 | — | 0.167 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
37 | Mark Stoops | 2013–present | 137 | 73 | 64 | — | 0.533 | 35 | 55 | — | 0.389 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | AP SEC Coach of the Year (2018)[12] |
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