Celebrate the 1976 Peach Bowl Championship

by:Nick Roush10/22/16

@RoushKSR

Today the University of Kentucky will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 1976 Peach Bowl Championship.  Fran Curci’s Cats blanked North Carolina 21-0, UK’s first bowl victory since Bear Bryant was on the sidelines for Kentucky’s 1952 Cotton Bowl.

The ’76 roster was loaded with names that will live forever in Wildcat lore — All-Americans Warren Bryant, Art Still and Derrick Ramsey.  However, the heroes of the game were a few guys you may not have heard of before: linebacker Jim Kovach, linebacker Mike Martin and fullback Rod Stewart (not the singer).

The defense created havoc, holding North Carolina to only 108 yards of total offense.  Rod Stewart spearheaded Kentucky’s rushing attack out of the wishbone, pounding out 104 yards on 19 carries and all three Wildcat touchdowns.  Stewart’s three touchdowns are still tied for the most ever in a Peach Bowl.

Those highlights were great, but they don’t capture 70’s nostalgia quite like the video below.

w

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-28