< PreviousThank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNEKENTUCKY 30 @UKFootball n Record retention and graduation rates and bold goals for contin- ued growth in our strategic plan n More than 8,000 degrees and 1,000 certificates awarded in the last academic year n Diverse, inclusive campus community with students from all 120 Kentucky counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries n $4 billion in campus transformation, much of it financed in col- laboration with private and public partners, focused on student living and learning communities, modern research laboratories, innovative teaching and learning spaces and one of the fastest growing academic medical centers in the country n A $6.8 billion enterprise, UK is the region’s largest employer n $494 million in revenue from research grants and contracts — the third straight year UK’s research enterprise would top $400 mil- lion n UK students compete successfully for prestigious scholarships and awards, such as the Fulbright, Astronaut, Truman, Goldwater, Marshall, Udall, Rhodes and Gates Cambridge n The hospitals and clinics of UK HealthCare provide advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from Kentucky and beyond. UK HealthCare is also home to the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report. University of Kentucky n The Commonwealth’s Flagship Institutionuky.edu | An Equal Opportunity University A WILDLY POWERFUL COMMUNITY Our people … the faculty and staff of the Univer- sity of Kentucky … they are what make this place special. It’s their capacity and commitment to come together for Kentucky. Together, they form a wildly powerful community. A community of thinkers and doers. A community committed to educating – and grad- uating – the best and brightest students. A Big Blue Nation committed to tackling today’s toughest battles. An end to the opioid crisis. It’s possible. Healthier lives for all Kentuckians. It’s possible. A brighter future for every Wildcat, our state and our world. It’s possible. Our boundless compassion and limitless resolve mean we never stop asking what’s possible. We never stop building it, either. Perhaps that’s why, for the sixth consecutive year, the University of Kentucky was named a Great College to Work For.KENTUCKY D r. Eli Capilouto became the 12th Pres- ident of the University of Kentucky on July 1, 2011. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth’s flagship and land grant research university has grown from $2.7 bil- lion to more than $6.8 billion in total opera- tions and has gained significant momentum in advancing Kentucky – the institution’s sin- gular yet multifaceted mission. President Capilouto has led a more than $4 billion transformation of the campus, aimed at enriching the living-learning ex- perience of UK’s students, ensuring their success; strengthening the university’s re- search infrastructure dedicated to solving Kentucky’s most intractable health and economic challenges; and expanding UK HealthCare’s capacity to teach, heal and serve. Through partnerships with the private sector, increased philanthropy and effective financial management, UK is self-financing much of this aggressive infrastructure devel- opment with the purpose of equipping the next generation of leaders who will impact our world for the better. Under his leadership, the priorities out- lined in the strategic plan and the innova- tion of the campus has resulted in historic student success; improved care of our peo- ple; unrivaled ingenuity; greater trust, trans- parency and accountability; and a more inclusive community. The progress on cam- pus is resulting in a high-quality workforce, greater diversity and improved well-being for the Commonwealth UK has served for nearly 160 years — all essential to advanc- ing Kentucky. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. Capilouto previously served as provost of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and dean of the UAB School of Pub- lic Health – a period of remarkable growth and transformation at one of the leading academic and health sciences institutions in the South. Dr. Capilouto holds several undergraduate and graduate degrees from schools within the University of Alabama system, a Doctorate of Dental Medicine from UAB and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Harvard University. He and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto (D.M.D.) a former Dean of the UAB School of Dentistry, have one daughter. Eli Capilouto n President of the University of Kentucky 32 @UKFootball“UK HAS HAD SUCH A POSITIVE IMPACT ON MY LIFE. I AM PROUD TO GIVE BACK AND BE PART OF THE WILDCAT FAMILY.” - Antoine Huffman ’05, Life Member since 2010 FAMILY IS EVERYTHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, TRADITION RUNS DEEP. AND Family watches out for family. When you become a Life or Active Member of the UK Alumni Association, you help open doors of opportunity to transform the lives of students, serve alumni and improve the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond. www.ukalumni.net/membership Antoine Huffman ’05 was a three-year starter on the Wildcat football team, was crowned UK Homecoming King and has a long history of giving back to the university and his community. KENTUCKY N ow in his 22nd year as Director of Ath- letics at the University of Kentucky, Mitch Barnhart continues to expand his impact on national and regional levels, all while leading his Wildcats to consistent achievement in the arenas of competition, the classroom and in the community. Having the second-longest term of ser- vice among current ADs at schools in the Power 5 conferences, Barnhart’s experi- ence, knowledge and synthesis of athletic and academic success have made him a highly respected and sought-after presence across the scope of collegiate sports. Currently on the Selection Committee for the College Football Playoff, Barnhart has a long history of national service, highlight- ed by a five-year stint of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee that in- cluded a historic year as Chair of the first Covid-era event. He is one of only four peo- ple who have served on the football playoff committee and as chair of the men’s basket- ball tournament. Dedicated to the advancement of those whom he guides, Barnhart’s national influ- ence has grown through his “AD tree” – sev- en administrators and coaches who have worked for him and become Division I ath- letics directors. At Kentucky, the Wildcat athletic pro- gram has placed in the top 20 of the NACDA Directors’ Cup national all-sports standings for the last six years, one of only 10 schools that have earned that distinction. The best nine finishes in school history have been under Barnhart, all of which have come in the last 10 years. UK Athletics hit a peak in the Directors’ Cup in the 2021-22 school year, ascending to a school-record ninth place among the 363 Division I schools. Barnhart’s legacy at Kentucky includes success in a wide array of sports. All count- ed, UK has earned six NCAA champion- ship rings during Barnhart's term, includ- ing men's basketball in 2012, volleyball in ’20 and rifle in 2011, ’18, ’21 and ‘22. UK also has totaled 54 regular-season and tournament conference championships un- der his leadership, including first-time titles in baseball, women’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s swimming and diving. Over the last three years alone, five Wild- cats have been named National Athlete of the Year in their sport. In addition, Asia Seidt of swimming and diving was chosen for the highly prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, covering all female athletes in all divi- sions, for her com- bination of athletic success, academ- ic excellence and dedication to com- munity service. Numerous ad- ditional Wildcats have won nation- al awards for their performances on the field, in the classroom and in the community. On the confer- ence level, during Barnhart’s term, Wildcats have been named the SEC Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the SEC Male and Female Community Ser- vice Leader of the Year. A school-record total of 20 Wildcat ath- letes and coaches participated in the Tokyo Olympics, bringing home a school-record 10 medals, including seven gold. The competitive success has been fol- lowed by personal recognition. In 2022, he was inducted into the (state of) Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and he received the John L. Toner Award for excellence in ath- letics administration from the National Foot- ball Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Those honors added to a growing list of accolades for Barnhart, who was selected the 2019 AD of the Year by the Sports Busi- ness Journal. The accomplishments are a result of Barnhart’s work since his arrival in the sum- mer of 2002. He has steadily invested in the growth of all UK teams while maintaining a singular commitment to the holistic devel- opment of Wildcat student-athletes. At the heart of everything are the core values Barnhart has instilled in the depart- ment he leads: character, integrity, knowl- edge, stewardship and competitiveness. A department-wide 3.0 grade-point av- erage among student-athletes and increased community service have been long-standing goals for Barnhart. The GPA benchmark was first met in the spring semester of 2010 and has now reached a streak of 22 consecutive semesters. In spring 2020, UK achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.534, the best in school history. UK athletes have set records for graduation rates. Community service has risen to more than 4,000 hours annually and includes out- reach to the Lexington area, the Common- wealth of Kentucky and as far away as Ethi- opia, the Dominican Republic and Panama. In 2021 and 2022, when natural disasters devastated western and eastern Kentucky, a pair of telethons sponsored by UK Athletics raised more than $8 million and numerous student-athletes and staff took part in oth- er fundraising projects, supply assistance, cleanup and the rebuilding process. In addition to the extraordinary achieve- ments of his work world, reaching new heights is also a theme of his personal life. An avid mountain climber, Barnhart has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, the high- est mountain in Africa, along with two of the most challenging peaks in the United States, Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Impactful in community service, Barnhart has taken part in mission trips and is on the national advi- sory board of K-Love Radio. Barnhart is a native of Kansas City, Kan- sas. He and his wife, Connie, have three children and six grandchildren. Mitch Barnhart n Director of Athletics | University of Kentucky 34 @UKFootballKENTUCKY 36 @UKFootball Kentucky Football History F rom UK’s first All-American, Clyde John- son, to its most recent, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Max Duffy; from Professor A.M. Miller to Coach Mark Stoops; from old Stoll Field to Commonwealth Stadium to Kroger Field; from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association to the Southeastern Conference; and with all the ensuing changes, Kentucky football holds a unique and storied tradition that began in 1881. UK football holds a captivating list of firsts: UK was the first South eastern Confer- ence team to introduce football, which it did in 1881; UK played in the first and only Great Lakes Bowl in 1947, defeating Villanova, 24- 14; Kentucky tackle Bob Gain was awarded the 1950 Outland Trophy, making him the first player from the SEC to claim the honor; Josh Allen was the first UK player to win the National Defensive Player of the Year when he received the Bednarik Award, the Nagur- ski Award and the Lott Trophy in 2018; the Wildcats’ Nat Northington was the first Af- rican-American player to sign with a South- eastern Conference institution and the first to play in a league contest – vs. Ole Miss in 1967, and in 1969 Wilbur Hackett became the first African-American captain for any SEC team. Then, in 1989, UK became the first SEC school to win the coveted College Football Association Academic Achievement Award for highest graduation rate. In 130 seasons, Kentucky has participat- ed in 1,305 contests. UK football has won one national championship, two South- eastern Conference championships and ap- peared in 20 bowls. UK football has had 17 National Foot- ball League first-round draft choices, one Bednarik Trophy winner, one Nagurski Trophy winner, one Lott Trophy winner, one Outland Trophy winner, one Hornung Award winner, one Ray Guy Award winner, one Wuerffel Trophy winner, 29 first-team All-Americans (selected 33 times), 20 Ac- ademic All-Americans (selected 25 times), 86 first-team All-SEC players (selected 112 times), 700 Academic All-SEC selections and one SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Kentucky football got its start on Nov. 12, 1881. Kentucky, known in those days as A&M College, Kentucky State College and/ or State University of Kentucky, defeated Kentucky University by the clumsy score of 7 1/4 to 1. The game of football resembled more of a rugby form and the scoring proce- dure is still unclear. Though football came to Kentucky in 1881, it quickly vanished after the three-game season. UK finished 1-2 in the inaugural campaign, but the lid was shut on UK football for the next nine seasons. Football returned to the University of Ken- tucky in 1891, when UK defeated George- town College, 8-2, on April 10, 1891. The sport would not again be interrupted until the 1943 season because of World War II. The first known head football coach at Kentucky was Professor A.M. Miller, who the students asked to coach despite his admitted limited knowledge of the game. Miller began the 1892 season, then graciously stepped aside later in the year for John A. Thompson, who had more experience with the sport. Some successful years in the early 1900s dot the UK record book. Kentucky finished 7-1 in 1903 under Coach C.A. Wright; 9-1 in 1904 under Coach F.E. Schact; 9-1-1 in 1907 with Coach J. White Guyn, and 9-1 in 1909 under E.R. Sweetland. The greatest UK team of that era was the 1898 squad, known simply to Kentuckians as “The Immortals.” To this day, the Immor- tals remain the only undefeated, untied, and unscored upon team in UK football history. The Immortals were coached by W.R. Bass and ended the year a perfect 7-0-0, despite an average weight of 147 pounds per player. Victories came easily for this squad, as the Immortals raced by Kentucky University (18- 0), Georgetown (28-0), Company H of the 8th Massachusetts (59-0), Louisville Athletic Club (16-0), Centre (6-0), 160th Indiana (17- 0) and Newcastle Athletic Club (36-0). Besides Bass, two of the most successful coaches in the early stages of UK football were E.R. Sweetland and Harry Gamage. Sweetland compiled a 23-5 mark in three seasons (1909-10, 12). His best year was 9-1 in ’09. Gamage took the reins of the UK program in 1927 and remained until follow- ing the 1933 campaign. In between, Gam- age led the Wildcats to a combined 32-25-5 record. His best season was 6-1-1 in ’29. One of Gamage’s brightest moments came during the 1930 season. During the 57-0 blanking of Maryville, UK running back Shipwreck Kelly rushed for a school-record 280 yards in leading the Cats. More than a decade after Gamage had left UK, a young man by the name of Paul “Bear” Bryant arrived on the scene at Lex- ington in 1946. Bryant quickly grabbed the UK program by the collar and turned the Cats into a national power. Bryant took UK to eight consecutive winning seasons (1946-53) and helped the Wildcats claim their first national champi- onship and Southeastern Conference cham- pionship in 1950. He also sent UK squads to four bowl games which included the 1947 Great Lakes Bowl, 1950 Orange Bowl, 1951 Sugar Bowl, and the 1952 Cotton Bowl. The biggest win in UK football history came under Bryant. After leading Kentucky to its first SEC title and a 10-1 regular-sea- son record, UK found itself matched with defending national champion Oklaho- ma in the 1951 Sugar Bowl. The Wildcats scored early and held off the Sooners, 13- Walt Yowarsky was named MVP of the 1951 Sugar Bowl. Coach Bear Bryant guided Kentucky to eight consecutive winning seasons and four bowl games from 1946-53.We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter. ShelterInsurance.com • 1-800-SHELTER WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS! KENTUCKY WILDCATS! ® BARDSTOWN Tyler Bruington BEAVER DAM Robbie Parham BOWLING GREEN Nancy Hickey BUTLER Jason Laytart CAMPBELLSVILLE Taylor Burress CARLISLE Bill Clark DANVILLE Troy Wheeler ELIZABETHTOWN Jamie Martin Alice Slaubaugh EMINENCE Fred Downey EVANSVILLE, IN Rick Koberstein FAIRDALE Jamie Norsworthy FLEMINGSBURG Cole Clark FLORENCE Rocky Bryan Brandi Monday FRANKLIN Lauren Roberts FRANKFORT BJ Hurst Audrey Marshall GEORGETOWN Steve Black Spencer Kilpatrick HARDINSBURG Sandra Bruington HARRODSBURG Jamie Dunn HENDERSON Megan Brown HODGENVILLE Teddy Sandford HOPKINSVILLE Alexander Capps Scott Leuckel LAGRANGE Paula Kaeser LANCASTER Cindy Lanham LAWRENCEBURG Ashley Bailey LEITCHFIELD Donna Vanmeter LEXINGTON Tony Arnold Ed Carr Linda Fugate Dawan Hart Heather Lewis Josh Miniard Willie Morrison Gene Young LIBERTY Kevin Atwood LIVERMORE Katie Gunterman LONDON Jeffery Anderson LOUISVILLE Amy Brown Corinne Ramsier Larissa Spears MADISONVILLE Brandi Hughes MAYFIELD Steve Jones MOREHEAD Caleb Staggs MOUNT STERLING Elizabeth Shelley MURRAY Doug Henry NICHOLASVILLE Marc Miller Russ Owens OWENSBORO Karen Keller Bob Smith PADUCAH Toby Boone RICHMOND Ashley Kovaleski Evan Worrell SHELBYVILLE Scott Martin SLAUGHTERS Sam Westfall SOMERSET Jason Weatherford SPRINGFIELD Sue Blair STANFORD Sean Slusher UNION Joey Bailey VERSAILLES Janice Frasier WINCHESTER Kay Brandenburg Olin WoolumNext >