Surf Wiki
Save to docs
sports

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1976 Kentucky Wildcats football team

1976 University of Kentucky football season

1976 University of Kentucky football season

FieldValue
year1976
teamKentucky Wildcats
sportfootball
conferenceSoutheastern Conference
short_confSEC
CoachRank19
APRank18
record8–4
conf_record4–2
head_coachFran Curci
hc_year4th
off_coachJon Mirilovich
oc_year4th
def_coachCharlie Bailey
dc_year2nd
stadiumCommonwealth Stadium
championPeach Bowl champion
SEC co-champion
bowl[Peach Bowl](1976-peach-bowl)
bowl_resultW 21–0 vs. [North Carolina](1976-north-carolina-tar-heels-football-team)

SEC co-champion The 1976 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The Wildcats beat four different ranked teams during the season, scoring 209 points while allowing 151 points. Kentucky won the 1976 Peach Bowl and finished the season 8–4 and ranked #19 in the country.

Kentucky opened the season with a 38–13 victory over Oregon State. Next was a 16–37 loss at Kansas. The following week, Kentucky defeated West Virginia 14–10.

On October 10, Kentucky hosted #20 ranked Penn State. The 57,733 in attendance was the largest crowd ever for a football game in the state of Kentucky up to that time. Kentucky quarterback Derrick Ramsey ran for 95 yards and a touchdown; running back Chris Hill added 106 yards and a touchdown, and safety Rick Hayden had two interceptions. Kentucky held Penn State to 212 yards of total offense and won 22–6. Penn State coach Joe Paterno commented after the game, "That was a good football team we played. What can you say after you get the devil kicked out of you?"

That victory was followed by a 7–14 loss at Mississippi State, a team that would finish the season with a 9–2 record. The following week, Kentucky defeated LSU 21–7. A 7–31 loss to Georgia was next, followed by a 14–24 loss at Maryland.

Kentucky went undefeated in November, defeating Vanderbilt 14–0 and Florida 28–9, and beating Tennessee 7–0 in Knoxville.

Kentucky finished the season in the 1976 Peach Bowl against 9–2 North Carolina, ranked #18. Kentucky outgained North Carolina 334 yards to 109; the Wildcat defense held the Tar Heels to a total of five first downs and the Wildcats forced five turnovers. Kentucky won 21–0 and ended the season ranked #19 in the AP poll. In 1978, the loss to Mississippi State was vacated due to sanctions, which meant that Kentucky officially went 5–2 in SEC play and therefore was co-champion of the SEC for 1976. As of 2025, it currently is the last time Kentucky has won the SEC in football.

Schedule

|{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = l |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w |{{CFB schedule entry | w/l = w

Team players in the 1977 NFL draft

Main article: 1977 NFL draft

References

References

  1. [http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Kentucky.htm#1976 1976 Kentucky Wildcats games and scores] {{webarchive. link. (2009-10-06)
  2. [http://www.kentucky.com/2011/09/04/1869157/mark-story-uk-footballs-greatest.html#storylink=mirelated Story, Mark, UK football's greatest wins at Commonwealth, Lexington Herald-Leader, September 4, 2011]
  3. "AP Poll Archive".
  4. 2001 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, '1976 Peach Bowl', p. 166
  5. https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-football/article109488107.html
  6. (September 12, 1976). "Kentucky deals OSU 2nd defeat". The Oregon Statesman Journal.
  7. (September 19, 1976). "Kansas trounces Kentucky and beats the heat". The Kansas City Star.
  8. (September 26, 1976). "Ramsey ramrods Kentucky by West Virginia". The Paducah Sun-Democrat.
  9. (October 3, 1976). "Penn State loses 3rd straight, 22–6". The Pittsburgh Press.
  10. (October 10, 1976). "UK's early bobbles are fatal in 14–7 loss to Miss. State". The Courier-Journal.
  11. (May 24, 1978). "Bulldogs forced to forfeit 19 football games". The Tuscaloosa News.
  12. (October 17, 1976). "UK becomes contender in topsy-turvey SEC race". The Courier-Journal.
  13. (October 24, 1976). "Georgia chills Kentucky 31–7". The Tennessean.
  14. (1998). "1998 University of Kentucky Football Media Guide". University of Kentucky Athletics Association.
  15. (October 31, 1976). "Fifth-rankes Terrapins convince Kentucky 24–14". Sunday Herald-Leader.
  16. (November 7, 1976). "'Cats celebrate homecoming by knocking off Vanderbilt". The Paducah Sun-Democrat.
  17. (November 14, 1976). "Wildcats choke Gators' hopes for SEC title". The Miami Herald.
  18. (November 21, 1976). "Derrick Ramsey stars as 'Cats edge Vols". The Leaf-Chronicle.
  19. (January 1, 1977). "Kentucky rips Voight-less Heels". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution.
  20. "1977 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1976-southeastern-conference-football-season kentucky-wildcats-football-seasons peach-bowl-champion-seasons 1976-in-sports-in-kentucky
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1976 Kentucky Wildcats football team — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report