UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
General Information
LOCATIONLexington, Ky., a community of 100,000 in the heart of Kentucky's famed Blue Grass region. Renowned as the world capital of the thoroughbred horse industry and known also as the world's largest loose-leaf tobacco market.
FOUNDED1865 ENROLLMENT12,000
PRESIDENTDr. John W. Oswald
EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTDr. A. D. Albright
VICE-PRESIDENT, MEDICAL CENTERDr. William Willard
FACULTY CHAIRMAN OF ATHLETICSDr. William Matthews (UK's faculty representative to Southeastern Conference)
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONSR. W. Wild
CONFERENCESoutheastern (member since founding in 1933)
NICKNAME OF TEAMSWildcats COLORSBlue and White
MASCOT"Tucky" (stuffed wildcat) FIGHT SONG"On, On U. of K." BANDVarsity (Director Phil Miller)
STADIUMMcLean Stadium on Stoll Field (capacity 37,500) GYMNASIUMMemorial Coliseum (capacity 11,500)
Athletics Staff
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICSBernie Shively (Illinois '27) HEAD BASKETBALL COACHAdolph Rupp (Kansas '23) ASSISTANT COACHESHarry Lancaster and Neil Reed
HEAD COACHES OTHER SPORTSFootball: Charlie Bradshaw, Baseball: Harry Lancaster, Track and Cross Country: Bob Johnson, Tennis: Dick Vimont, Golf: Dr. L. L. Martin, Swimming: Algie Reece, Rifle: Major Robert Weaver.
TICKET SALES MANAGERHarvey Hodges
ACCOUNTANTJulien Harrison
BASKETBALL TRAINERJoe Brown
BASKETBALL EQUIPMENT MANAGERGeorge Hukle
SPORTS PUBLICITY DIRECTORKen Kuhn (Michigan State '42)
ORIGIN OF "WILDCATS" NICKNAME
Kentucky's athletic teams are known to sports fans as the Wildcats. This first and only nickname borne by University varsities had its origin in 1909 in a speech made by Commandant Corbusier, then head of the military department of old State College. Speaking to a chapel audience of students on the showing of the Kentucky football team in defeating Illinois six to two, the Commandant declared "they fought like Wildcats." The tag was popularized by word of mouth and by the press with the result that it has since become synonymous with all major Kentucky athletic teams.
While the name is old in origin, no claim is made regarding precedence over similar nicknames boasted by Northwestern, Villanova and about 10 other major athletic teams.
An alumnus in 1947 presented a live Kentucky Wildcat to SUKY, student pep organization. Named "The Colonel," the cat served as a live mascot for UK teams until his death in 1955. The current mascot is a stuffed wildcat obtained from a Brooklyn taxidermist just before the 1958 football season and named "Tucky."
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