Kentucky Sports Radio the website turns 20 years old today

It’s a big day around these parts, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kentucky Sports Radio, the website. Believe it or not, the site you’re looking at right now is almost old enough to drink, setting up an even bigger party next year.

Kidding aside, it’s pretty incredible that a blog born in a Lexington basement in 2005 has endured two decades’ worth of changes, not only in the subject we cover (University of Kentucky sports, mostly), but in the industry we ended up revolutionizing, at least on a local level. Matt Jones, Andrew Jefferson (aka “Hubby”), and Rob Gidel started Kentucky Sports Radio, the website, with hopes of getting a radio show with the same name. That eventually happened, but not before the blog developed a cult following, fans latching on to Matt, Rob, and the hilarious cast of characters’ (aka Matt’s friends) musings on Kentucky basketball, football, and more.

In an era when traditional outlets dominated the market, KSR was a breath of fresh air. There are a few events that took the blog and podcast/radio show to another level. The first were undeniably the recruitments of Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson. “Any news on Patterson and Lucas?” became a popular refrain across the state, and KSR’s coverage helped us gain new footholds on the beat. A KSR fan attended Patterson’s announcement ceremony, holding up a phone so the rest of us could hear his decision. What would have happened had he picked Florida or Duke?

Two years later, we all watched a live stream of a door in Memphis, waiting for John Calipari to walk out and announce he was coming to Lexington. Calipari brought five-stars and fun back to Kentucky Basketball, and in turn, an even bigger audience to KSR as fans eagerly consumed around-the-clock content about the new era. Drew Franklin and TJ Beisner joined the fold around the same time, feeding the stove with comedic gold, especially when the Rick Pitino/Karen Sypher trial ushered in the first of many Louisville scandals.

In August 2010, KSR the radio show launched, furthering the site’s exposure. Traffic on the site exploded, allowing us to add more writers (including yours truly). Just over a decade later, KSR was the first fansite to join the On3 network, the latest benchmark, which has helped us grow even more across all platforms. Over the past 20 years, dozens of KSR writers, interns, and contributors have gone on to jobs in sports media, including the eight full-time website staffers whose work you read, watch, and listen to each day.

KSR Website headers over the years

We could tell old KSR stories for hours (Drew and I plan on telling at least a few on tomorrow’s KSR Happy Hour). I’ll wrap up this post with my own journey. I came across KSR for the first time in 2006 when I moved to Nashville after college, listening to the podcast while I ran background checks at my entry-level job and checking the site during breaks. In 2008, my sister convinced me to try out for the KSR’s first “Who Wants to be a Blogger?” contest. My audition piece was about how being a Kentucky fan was impacting my dating life, specifically a very bad date with a Tennessee fan. I made the cut and got my first taste of the KSR life over the next few weeks. Even though I finished third, I kept writing about sports on my own to keep my sanity in a 9-5 world (thankfully, by then, I’d moved on from background checks to copywriting).

Two years later, I got a call from Matt Jones asking if I’d join the site as a part-time contributor. Hand trembling on the phone, I said yes (of course I did). A Final Four, a national championship, and several live blogs later, I got another call from Matt in the fall of 2012 asking if I’d join KSR full-time. I was so nervous that I insisted on leaving my office and taking the call in the car. When I went to HR two weeks later to finalize my exit paperwork, they asked if they could check out KSR. When they pulled it up, the last three posts were all by me, written from my desk. My excitement for what was next outweighed my embarrassment; if only they knew how many posts had been typed on that computer, windows hastily hidden whenever my boss came by.

In 2018, I took over as Editor-in-Chief, a role that has morphed as the site continues to grow and the media landscape changes. The job is pretty different these days — way more managing, way less writing — but I’m trying to evolve with it and get back to my roots when possible. It helps that I’m surrounded by the best team in sports media. The fact that KSR is entering its third decade is a testament to them — show me a group that works harder; you’ll fail — and the fans. The only reason we’re still here is because of you, so on behalf of all eight full-timers, Matt, and the radio crew, thank you.

October 22, 2005 was the day Matt, Rob, and Hubby filed for the KentuckySportsRadio.com domain. The first post went live about a month later, on Nov. 30, 2025. In it, Matt welcomed readers to the site, which he said would be a “one-stop shop for all things having to do with Kentucky basketball and football,” built on four cornerstones:

1. Recruiting information – Times sure have changed when it comes to this, but recruiting intel (both high school and transfer portal) continues to move the needle.
2. Stories from the hosts and contributors to KSR – You can get information anywhere. You come to KSR to have it delivered in the most ridiculous manner possible.
3. Links to the best of the college sports universe – If there’s something written or said about Kentucky Basketball or Football on the internet, you’ll find it here.
4. Updates on the progress of the show/site – We’re in a great spot right now, but hopefully, we have at least 20 more years’ worth of progress ahead of us.

Until then, thanks again.