1979 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1979 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Fran Curci, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 5–6, with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, and finished tied for fifth in the SEC.

1979 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	5–6 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach	Fran Curci (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jon Mirilovich (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Charlie Bailey (5th season)
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Alabama $	6	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
Georgia	5	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
No. 16 Auburn	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Mississippi State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
Florida	0	–	6	–	0			0	–	10	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	Miami (OH)*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 14–15	57,800	[1]
September 22	at Indiana*	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	L 10–18	45,920	[2]
September 29	Maryland*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 14–7	57,800	[3]
October 6	at West Virginia*	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	L 6–10	33,792	[4]
October 13	Ole Miss	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 14–3	57,825	[5]
October 20	at LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 19–23	71,296	[6]
October 27	at Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	L 6–20	60,300	[7]
November 3	Bowling Green*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 20–14	57,500	[8]
November 10	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN (rivalry)	W 29–10	33,250	[9]
November 17	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	W 31–3	55,760	[10]
November 24	Tennessee	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	L 17–20	57,950	[11]
*Non-conference game

^[12]

Roster

1979 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE Don Fielder Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Fran Curci Coordinators/assistant coaches Jon Mirilovich – Offensive coordinator Larry Kirksey – Wide receivers/tight ends coach Charlie McCullers – Offensive line coach Charlie Bailey – Bill Glaser – Defensive line coach George Catavolos – Defensive backs coach Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Miami shocks Wildcats in 15–14 upset". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Indiana holds off Kentuckians, 18–10". The Indianapolis Star. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Kentucky hands Maryland first loss, 14–7". The Macon Telegraph & News. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Sub back de-claws Wildcats". The Sunday Courrier & Press. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Henry (?) sparks UK to win". The Park City Daily News. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Tigers come back against Kentucky". The Shreveport Times. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Georgia wins again in SEC". Tallahassee Democrat. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Kentucky comes back for victory". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Reserve 'wildcat' make it Long day for Vanderbilt". The Paducah Sun. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Sun shines on Portela, Jaffe as UK rips Florida". The Courier-Journal. November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "UK's fourth-down bowl bid comes up short". The Courier-Journal. November 25, 1979. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1979 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 30, 2023.