The Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American college football

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the

Kentucky Wildcats football The Kentucky Wildcats football program represents the University of Kentucky in the sport of American football. The Wildcats compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern D ...

team of the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

and

Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...

team of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. The rivalry between these two schools, located about apart, dates to their first meeting in 1896. They are founding members of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC), and are currently members of the SEC's Eastern Division with a total of 92 meetings. This rivalry is Kentucky's second longest behind

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and Vanderbilt's third behind Ole Miss and

. Kentucky leads the series 48–42–4.College Football Data Warehouse
Kentucky vs Vanderbilt
. Retrieved July 15, 2014. 39 of the 93 games have been decided by 7 points or less. Kentucky has shut out Vanderbilt 6 times, while Vanderbilt has shut out Kentucky 15 times, 10 of which were from 1896 to 1920. The rivalry is one of the most evenly matched in the SEC.

History

First game (1896)

The first game between Vanderbilt and Kentucky (then known as Kentucky State) was played in Nashville on October 10, 1896. Vanderbilt won the first game, 6–0, with Vanderbilt's captain and fullback, Connel, making a touchdown and kicking the goal after touchdown.

Early dominance by Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt dominated the series in the early years of competition. Between 1896 and 1938, the programs played 17 games. Vanderbilt won 16 of those games, the only exception being a scoreless tie in 1919. In 1916, the dedication for

Stoll Field Stoll Field/McLean Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was the home of the University of Kentucky Wildcats football team. The field has been in use since 1880, but the concrete stands were opened in Oc ...

was celebrated during the Kentucky-Vanderbilt game. In 1921, after being shut out by Vanderbilt in 11 consecutive games, Kentucky scored two touchdowns but lost by a 21–14 score.

Kentucky's first victory (1939)

On October 7, 1939, Kentucky won its first game in the series, defeating Vanderbilt by a 21-13 score before a crowd of 10,000 in Nashville. The Wildcats were led by the passing and running of sophomore Ermal Allen. Kentucky quarterback Joe Shepherd also intercepted a Vanderbilt pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.

Kentucky dominates in the Bryant years

In 1946, Bear Bryant took over as Kentucky's head football coach. In his first season, the Wildcats defeated the Commodores by a 10–7 score. Bryant led his team to its second consecutive victory in 1947, this time by a 14–0 score. After a four-year hiatus in the rivalry from 1949 to 1952, the rivalry resumed in 1953 with Kentucky winning by a 40–14 score. Bryant left Kentucky after the 1953 season.

Collier years

Blanton Collier Blanton Long Collier (July 2, 1906 – March 22, 1983) was an American football head coach who coached at the University of Kentucky between 1954 and 1961 and for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) between 1963 and 1970. H ...

took over as Kentucky's head coach in 1954. He remained in that position through the 1961 season and compiled a 4–3–1 record against Vanderbilt.

Bradshaw years

Charlie Bradshaw served as Kentucky's head football coach from 1962 to 1968. During his tenure, the Wildcats compiled a 5–1–1 against the Commodores.

Game results

Series record sources: College Football Data Warehouse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky-Vanderbilt football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Kentucky Wildcats football Vanderbilt Commodores football