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Happy 100th Birthday Wildcat! Today in 1909 our mascot became the Wildcat

The official nickname for ‘s athletic teams is “Wildcats.” The nickname became synonymous with UK shortly after a 6-2 football victory over Illinois on Oct 9, 1909, on the road. Commandant Carbusier, then head of the military department at old State University, told a group of students in a chapel service following the game that the football team had “fought like Wildcats.”

Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.

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On This Day in UK Basketball History

On March 19, 1966, in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history, top-ranked UK, featuring “Rupp’s Runts,” loses in the NCAA Championship game, 72-65, to Texas Western.

 

On March 19, 1966, Pat Riley joined the 1,000-point club.  He did it in 54 games.

 

On March 19, 1989, in the wake of an NCAA investigation, Eddie Sutton resigns as UK basketball coach.

 

Wildcats Born on This Date

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