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Those that remember tell us about the 1977 football

K

KYAnywhereEverywhere

Senior
Oct 13, 2025
326
541
93
This year I keep seeing stats that say Kentucky hasn't done this well since 1977. 1977 was before my time in general and way before I was a football fan.

Looking for any and all information about that team. Who was the coach? Who was the quarterback? What did the team do well? Who were the other stars?

How was the rest of the SEC? How did the season end? How were the seasons before and after? What happened to cause UK to go from being so good to a perennial basement dweller in the decades that followed? Any particular antidotes about that team? What were the biggest matchups of the year?

Like I said, anything anybody has to share about that team would be interesting.
 
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L

Lameguy

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2026
691
1,275
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jeffky said:
Big strong ran the ball alot our defense was amazing .Derek Ramsey and art still big and powerful big time athletes .that team should have been undefeated. They were not use to the altitude when they played Baylor early in the season
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If I remember correctly their best running back was hurt in that game and they couldn‘t generate any offense
 
A

Anon1760448236

Redshirt
Oct 14, 2025
23
31
13
jeffky said:
Big strong ran the ball alot our defense was amazing .Derek Ramsey and art still big and powerful big time athletes .that team should have been undefeated. They were not use to the altitude when they played Baylor early in the season
Click to expand...
It wasnt the altitude, but the heat on the astroturf...and UK's star RB tore his knee up in the game...only loss of the season
 
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Uncle B.S.

Uncle B.S.

Junior
Apr 10, 2017
148
371
63
I remember being sick that we went to the Peach Bowl in 1976 and took the probation in ‘77.

Oh, what mighta, coulda, and shoulda been.

Always believed we were trying to avoid too much sniffing around the basketball team.
 
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M

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
17,018
17,937
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What is amazing is that the worst team on the schedule that year, Baylor, beat them in Waco in the second game of the season. Cawood said it was over 120 degrees on the turf on that hot day.
 
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A

Anon161453

Redshirt
Oct 28, 2026
48
48
18
It was over by '78. There were huge expectations, opened with a 14-14 tie against SC (they were an independent) on the way to 4-6-1. Non con opponents were SC, Baylor, Maryland, Penn St and Va Tech
 
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V

vhcat1970

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
3,856
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Best was beating the crap out of LSU & Uga on the road back-to-back by scores of like 30 something to 6 or 0. For whatever reason, England's then Prince Charles was at the Uga game.

Don't think we were stopped on 3rd & less than 2 all season. Typically, Ramsey would take snap and slide right down the line till he found a spot to dive forward.

The PSU game was something else too.
 
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C

Catapult44

Sophomore
Jul 19, 2025
96
166
33
One of the interesting things about that team was we ran the straight T. Only team I've ever seen run it. I know Rod Stewart was our best RB but QB Derick Ramsey was a very close 2nd.
 
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L

Lameguy

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2026
691
1,275
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Catapult44 said:
One of the interesting things about that team was we ran the straight T. Only team I've ever seen run it. I know Rod Stewart was our best RB but QB Derick Ramsey was a very close 2nd.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t Stewart hurt in the Baylor game?
 
V

vhcat1970

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
3,856
3,052
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Lameguy said:
Wasn’t Stewart hurt in the Baylor game?
Click to expand...
This how he looked back in the day:

No photo description available.
 
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jeffky

jeffky

All-American
Sep 22, 2017
4,046
8,081
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Anon1760448236 said:
It wasnt the altitude, but the heat on the astroturf...and UK's star RB tore his knee up in the game...only loss of the season
Click to expand...
You're right I just remember they had a hard time breathing 110 degrees that day suffocating heat
 
katwest

katwest

Heisman
Feb 16, 2003
40,262
14,571
113
We beat Baylor the next year, I remember hearing the announcer keep saying tackle by Singletary. I didn’t know who he was but soon after everybody knew his name, anyway we couldn’t block him that day but we won the game. Kentucky had Jim Kovach at linebacker, one of the few bright spots that season. Also we beat Penn State in 76 and 77, one of the few teams to have back to back wins over them up until that time.
 
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H

Haggin_Hall_1983

Senior
Jan 27, 2024
465
875
62
KYAnywhereEverywhere said:
This year I keep seeing stats that say Kentucky hasn't done this well since 1977. 1977 was before my time in general and way before I was a football fan.

Looking for any and all information about that team. Who was the coach? Who was the quarterback? What did the team do well? Who were the other stars?

How was the rest of the SEC? How did the season end? How were the seasons before and after? What happened to cause UK to go from being so good to a perennial basement dweller in the decades that followed? Any particular antidotes about that team? What were the biggest matchups of the year?

Like I said, anything anybody has to share about that team would be interesting.
Click to expand...
Otis Singletary was President of UK, and football was going to be king if Otis had anything to do with it. Otis knew that football rang the registers $$$$. Joe B Hall can tell you all about that if you read his book. UK started playing (and paying) in recruiting, etc. like the big boys in the league- and the big boys weren't having it. Curci was an excellent coach who changed the culture overnight. And also around 38 years of age at the time.
 
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katwest

katwest

Heisman
Feb 16, 2003
40,262
14,571
113
Sonny Collins was a senior in 1972. I remember watching him when madisonville came to Caldwell County to football his senior year. He was a big dude and could move, he was known as Alfred Collins then and when he got to Lexington he went by Sonny. That was his full name Alfred Sonny Collins, he was the SECs all time rushing leader for a while until Charles Alexander for LSU broke his record.
 
ukalum1988

ukalum1988

Heisman
Dec 21, 2014
12,570
32,817
113
KYAnywhereEverywhere said:
This year I keep seeing stats that say Kentucky hasn't done this well since 1977. 1977 was before my time in general and way before I was a football fan.

Looking for any and all information about that team. Who was the coach? Who was the quarterback? What did the team do well? Who were the other stars?

How was the rest of the SEC? How did the season end? How were the seasons before and after? What happened to cause UK to go from being so good to a perennial basement dweller in the decades that followed? Any particular antidotes about that team? What were the biggest matchups of the year?

Like I said, anything anybody has to share about that team would be interesting.
Click to expand...
The 77 team kicked ***. I was 12 years old at the time and the 76 & 77 teams were the first time I started paying attention to UK FB. My dad subscribed to this new publication known as The Cats Pause and I was hooked.
 
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katwest

katwest

Heisman
Feb 16, 2003
40,262
14,571
113
I remember watching the press ask Bear Bryant how it felt to be SEC champs in 1977 and he said we didn’t play Kentucky and they were undefeated in conference play too. I thought that was pretty classy of him to recognise that Kentucky was co-champions too and he said he didn’t know if Alabama could beat them or not. Sounds like he was still fond of Kentucky.
 
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J

JIMFKFT

Senior
Aug 9, 2003
1,707
451
83
I remember taking a trip to Nashville and being to barely pick up the radio signal for the Penn State game. That was when I knew the Cats were special.
 
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