Kentucky Football Countdown: The '76 Wildcats

Today’s Kentucky Football Countdown takes us all the way back to 1976, when the Wildcats put up one of their more impressive seasons in program history. We’re now 76 days away from the beginning of the 2022 season.

1976 season recap

The ‘Cats were led by head coach Fran Curci in his fourth season at the helm. They posted an 8-4 (4-2 SEC) record, good enough to finish No. 18 in the final AP poll. They defeated four different ranked teams throughout the season — Penn State, LSU, Florida and North Carolina.

The success was particularly impressive considering expectations leading up to the 1976 season were relatively low. The ‘Cats finished 2-8-1 the previous season and lost their star running back Sonny Collins to the NFL draft, creating doubt among fans. Coach Curci had faith, though.

Curci decided to give Derrick Ramsey more responsibilities at quarterback (previously he split time between the QB and tight end position). Ramsey lettered three years for the Wildcats and was named All-SEC first team and All-America third-team by the AP in 1977. He ended his Kentucky career with 3,417 yards of total offense (1,764 rushing and 1,653 passing) as well as 39 total touchdowns. He would go on to play for three different NFL teams before a career in public service.

Kentucky finished the season with a win in the 1976 Peach Bowl, where they defeated North Carolina 21-0. The ‘Cats ran for 334 yards while holding the Tarheels to a mere 109. North Carolina gained just five first downs and turned the ball over as many times.

How they became SEC Champs…two years later

Kentucky is actually recorded as the 1976 SEC co-champions — but it didn’t always look that way. The Wildcats were named co-champions with Georgia on May 23, 1978 after their schedule improved to 9-3 on the season with a Mississippi State forfeit.

UK had lost 14-7 to the Bulldogs in Jackson, MS on Oct. 9, 1976. However, an NCAA dispute with MSU defensive lineman Larry Gillard would rewrite that history. The league had tried to declare Gillard ineligible in 1975 for allegedly accepting a special discount at a clothing store near campus. Gillard and Mississippi State filed suit against the NCAA in a Mississippi state court and won. He would go on to play throughout 1975, 1976 and 1977.

However, the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned that decision in 1978, causing the Bulldogs to forfeit all their wins from the ’76 and ’77 seasons. Thus, the ‘Cats moved to 9-3 (5-1 SEC) and took a piece of the crown. Not a bad deal, eh?