On this date in 2012 Team Patrick Celebrated the end of the Joker Phillips Era

It was a gloomy, rainy November Nooner at Commonwealth Stadium and the Cats were getting crushed by the Commodores. On this date in 2012, Kentucky lost 40-0 to Vanderbilt.

Current SEC Network broadcast Jordan Rodgers threw for a pair of first half touchdowns and the Commodores reached the end zone on four of their first five drives to take a 27-0 halftime lead. The Wildcats made mistakes on all three phases of the game, paving the way for the worst loss to Vanderbilt in 96 years. The following day, Joker Phillips was fired.

It is one of the most miserable losses an historically miserable fanbase has ever witnessed. Instead of wallowing, the KSR crew made the most of the experience.

One sole Kentucky fan sat high stop an empty section 206. Spotted by the KSR crew, Matt Jones sent Drew Franklin and I over to investigate. There we met Patrick Johnson. Upset with all the negativity near the field, he moved to the upper bowl to watch his team, unencumbered by pessimism. Inspired by his dedication to the Cats, despite the circumstances, the BBN rallied around #TeamPatrick. Slowly but surely, more fans joined the fun in section 206. By the game’s end, it felt like there more people gathered in the few rows of the upper deck than in the rest of Commonwealth Stadium.

Ten years later, Dr. Michael Huang caught up with Patrick, who is now an attorney that works for the EPA in Alaska. Despite the distance, he still loves his Cats.

Ten years later, Kentucky’s head coach has more wins than any other coach in program history. This anniversary comes at a coincidental time. The BBN is incredibly disappointed with its football program after it fell out of the Top 25 for the first time all season. Look how far we’ve come.