From Bear Bryant to Mark Stoops, a brief history of Kentucky football coaches

With Kentucky opening its 2022 football season on Saturday, Sept. 3, against Miami (Ohio) at Kroger Field, thought it might be a good time to update the history of UK’s football coaches:

Paul “Bear” Bryant

Years: 1946-53.

Record: 60-23-6.

SEC record: 22-19-4.

Bowls: 1947-Great Lakes Bowl; 1949-Orange Bowl; 1950-Sugar Bowl; 1951-Cotton Bowl.

Best team: Bryant’s 1950 team went 11-1 and snapped No. 1-ranked Oklahoma’s 31-game winning streak with a 13-7 win in the Sugar Bowl. That team was led by quarterback Babe Parilli and Outland Trophy winning defensive tackle Bob Gain.

Review: Yes, Bear Bryant coached at Kentucky. The Arkansas native was just 33 years old when he left Maryland, where he was 6-2-1 in his only season as head coach, to take over the program in Lexington. Recruiting heavily in Pennsylvania and playing young men who had returned from World War II, Bryant built a powerhouse with consecutive New Year’s Day bowl appearances in 1949, 1950 and 1951. His 1952 team slipped to 5-4-2 while his 1953 team went 7-2-1. Restrictions on how many out-of-state players Bryant could recruit, plus the popularity of UK basketball and Adolph Rupp caused the football coach to leave for Texas A&M. He wrote in his autobiography that leaving Lexington was a mistake, but it worked out well for arguably the game’s most famous coach. As the head coach at Alabama, his alma mater, Bryant won six national championships.

Kentucky time machine: Cats took down a juggernaut in 1951 Sugar Bowl

Blanton Collier

Years: 1954-1961.

Record: 41-36-3.

SEC record: 21-34-3.

Bowls: None.

Best team: Collier’s first UK team in 1954 went 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. After a 2-3 start, it won five straight games, including a 14-13 victory at Tennessee in the season finale.

Review: A successful high school football and basketball coach at Paris High School, the Millersburg native was Paul Brown’s No. 1 assistant with the Cleveland Browns when he was hired to replace Bryant in 1954. Those were big shoes to fill. Though recognized as one of the game’s premier teachers, Collier couldn’t match Bryant’s win-loss record. After going 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the SEC in 1961, Collier’s contract was not renewed. He returned to Cleveland, where he became head coach in 1963 and won an NFL title in 1964. He was 76-34-2 in eight seasons as the Browns’ coach before retiring in 1970. His UK tenure was marked by a 5-2-1 record against archrival Tennessee and coaching staffs that included future NFL head coaches Don Shula, Bill Arnsparger, Leeman Bennett, John North, Chuck Knox and Howard Schnellenberger. Collier is the last Kentucky football coach to leave with a winning record at the school.

John Clay: Paris has underrated place in football history

Charlie Bradshaw

Years: 1962-68.

Record: 25-41-4.

SEC record: 12-30-2.

Bowls: None.

Best team: Bradshaw’s 1965 team finished 6-4, missing out on a bowl game when it lost 38-21 at Houston and then 19-3 at home to Tennessee in the season finale. From that team, quarterback Rick Norton, offensive tackle Sam Ball and defensive back Rodger Bird all went on to NFL careers.

Review: Bradshaw had played for Bryant at Kentucky and was a Bryant assistant at Alabama when he was hired to replace Collier in 1962. After the gentlemanly ways of Collier, UK fans hoped Bradshaw would bring a more hard-nosed approach and his first team was known as the “Thin Thirty” after the brutal practices caused over 50 players to either quit the team or transfer. Bradshaw couldn’t follow up on his 1964 success, however, as Kentucky went just 8-21-1 with just three conference victories in his final three seasons. In the midst of a 3-7 year, Bradshaw announced he would resign at the end of the 1969 season. He returned to Alabama where he became head coach at Troy State in 1976, compiling a 41-27-2 record in seven seasons.

John Ray

Years: 1969-72.

Record: 10-33.

SEC record: 5-24.

Bowls: None.

Best team: Ray’s final team went 3-8 with SEC wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, but it wasn’t enough to save his job after just four seasons.

Review: Ray was the defensive coordinator during Ara Parseghian’s legendary run at Notre Dame when he left South Bend to become Kentucky’s new football coach. The Indiana native, who had gone 29-6 in five seasons as the head coach at John Carroll University, recruited well and made a successful push for a new stadium, but he failed to post many victories on the field. His second game at UK produced a 10-9 upset win over Archie Manning and visiting Ole Miss, but it was downhill after that. With Commonwealth Stadium set to open in 1973, there were those who argued Ray deserved the opportunity to coach in the stadium he had fought so hard to build. Alas, a 40-0 loss at Florida in his next-to-last game sealed Ray’s fate. He was fired at the end of the year.

Fran Curci

Years: 1973-1981.

Record: 47-51-2.

SEC record: 25-30.

Bowls: 1976-Peach Bowl.

Best team: Curci’s 1977 team went 10-1 overall and 6-0 in the SEC and finished No. 6 in the AP poll. NCAA probation kept it from competing for the conference championship or going to a bowl game. One of the best teams to ever play at Kentucky, the ‘77 Cats featured Art Still, Derrick Ramsey, Jerry Blanton, Dallas Owens, Mike Martin, Will Grant, Kelly Kirchbaum and Mike Siganos, among others.

Kentucky time machine: Cats crushed Tar Heels in 1976 Peach Bowl

Review: A fiery Floridian, Curci immediately injected excitement into a program that had not enjoyed a winning season since 1964. With star running back Sonny Collins, Kentucky went 5-6 in 1973 and 6-5 in 1974, missing a bowl game by losing 24-7 at Tennessee in the season finale. After a 2-8-1 misstep in 1976, UK won 8-3 games in 1977 and reached the Peach Bowl, the school’s first postseason appearance in 25 years. Recruiting violations put the program on probation, however, and Curci could not build off the success of 1977. Losing records and various off-the-field problems led to the coach’s demise. Curci was fired after the 1981 season. He went on to coach in the Arena Football League and do college football analyst work for national radio syndicates.

Jerry Claiborne

Years: 1982-89.

Record: 41-46-3.

SEC record: 13-37.

Bowls: 1983-Hall of Fame Bowl; 1984-Hall of Fame Bowl.

Best team: Claiborne’s 1984 team went 9-3 overall and 3-3 in the SEC. It defeated Wisconsin 20-19 in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham. The season’s highlight was a 17-12 in at Tennessee, the school’s last win over the Volunteers until Matt Roark and the Cats beat UT 10-7 in 2011.

Review: Hired to clean up the program after Curci, Claiborne returned to his alma mater after going 61-39-2 in 10 seasons at Virginia Tech and 77-37-3 in 10 seasons at Maryland. Claiborne’s first UK team failed to win a game, finishing 0-10-1 in 1982, but his 1983 team engineered one of the year’s best turnarounds, going 6-5-1 with a loss to West Virginia in the Hall of Fame Bowl. After UK’s Hall of Fame win in 1984, Claiborne failed to get the Cats back to a bowl game. His final five teams went 26-28-1. Days after a 31-10 home loss to Tennessee finished the 1989 season at 6-5, Claiborne announced his retirement. The Hopkinsville native was credited with running a clean program that was competitive on the field and excelled in the classroom.

Kentucky time machine: Cats fight back to take 1984 Hall of Fame Bowl

Bill Curry

Years: 1990-96.

Record: 26-52.

SEC record: 14-40.

Bowls: 1993-Peach.

Best team: Curry’s 1993 team went 6-5 overall and 4-4 in the SEC before losing 14-13 to Clemson in the Peach Bowl.

Review: Shocking the college football world, Curry left traditional power Alabama, where he had battled with the administration, after a 26-10 record over three seasons to become the coach at perennial punching bag Kentucky. After a slow start, the former Georgia Tech and NFL center appeared to be building momentum when the ‘93 team reached the postseason. It all fell apart in 1994 when the Cats nosedived to 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the league. Curry lasted two more years, going 8-14, but after a 41-14 loss at LSU dropped UK to 1-6 in 1996, then-athletics director C.M. Newton fired his friend and head coach, effective at the end of the season. Curry went on to a broadcasting career and started Georgia State’s football program in his native Atlanta. He retired in 2012 after going 10-23 in three seasons.

Hal Mumme

Years: 1997-2000.

Record: 20-26.

SEC record: 10-22.

Bowls: 1998-Outback Bowl; 1999-Music City Bowl.

Best team: Led by quarterback Tim Couch and wide receiver Craig Yeast, Kentucky went 7-4 overall and 4-4 in the SEC before losing 26-14 to Penn State and Joe Paterno in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. It was the program’s first New Year’s Day Bowl game since the days of Bear Bryant. After the season, Couch gave up his senior year to enter the NFL Draft and was the first overall selection by the Cleveland Browns in 1999.

Review: The father of the “Air Raid” passing system, Mumme was plucked by UK AD C.M. Newton out of Division II, where he coached Valdosta State. Mumme immediately installed Couch as his starting quarterback and the legendary high school passer from Leslie County was a perfect fit for the Mumme system. UK scored a ton of points, set numerous offensive records and went 8-8 in the SEC over 1998 and 1999. It all came apart in 2000, however, when the program came under NCAA investigation for alleged violations under recruiting coordinator Claude Bassett. Two months after completing the 2000 season 2-9, Mumme was forced to resign. He has had four college coaching stops since, going 12-11 in two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana; 11-39 in four years at New Mexico State; 28-16 in four years at McMurry and 6-25 in three seasons at Belhaven.

Guy Morriss

Years: 2001-02.

Record: 9-14.

SEC record: 4-12.

Bowls: None.

Best team: Kentucky went 7-5 in Morriss’ second and final season, starting with an upset 22-17 win at Louisville. Led by quarterback Jared Lorenzen (24 touchdowns, five interceptions) and running back Artose Pinner (1,414 yards rushing), UK won 29-17 at Arkansas and 45-24 at Mississippi State. NCAA probation kept the Cats from going to a bowl. Unfortunately, that team is also remembered for losing the “Bluegrass Miracle” when LSU completed a Hail Mary 74-yard touchdown pass to beat Kentucky 33-30 at Commonwealth Stadium.

Review: Morriss served as offensive line coach during Mumme’s four years at UK before being being given a one-year contract as head coach upon Mumme’s resignation. Though Morriss’ first team went 2-9, three of the losses came by a combined 10 points. After his successful 2002 season, Morriss left for his home state of Texas and Baylor, where he was given a five-year, $5 million contract. He was fired after going 18-40 in those five seasons. Morriss coached four seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce, where he went 10-31 in four seasons before announcing his retirement and returning to Lexington. His family announced that Morriss has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Rich Brooks

Years: 2003-09.

Record: 39-47.

SEC record: 16-39.

Bowls: 2006-Music City Bowl: 2007-Music City Bowl: 2008-Liberty Bowl; 2009-Music City Bowl.

Best team: Brooks’ 2007 team upset No. 1-ranked and eventual champion LSU 43-37 in overtime on the way to an 8-5 record, which included a 35-28 win over Florida State in the Music City Bowl. Quarterback Andre Woodson threw for 3,709 yards with 40 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Rafael Little rushed for 1,013 yards. And wide receiver Stevie Johnson caught 60 passes for 1,041 yards and 13 scores.

Review: The head coach at Oregon for 18 seasons (1977-94) and an NFL head coach for two (St. Louis Rams, 1995-96) and defensive coordinator for four (Atlanta Falcons, 1997-2000), Brooks had been out of football for two years and out of college football for almost a decade when he took over a UK program on probation. Despite scholarship limitations and a rough start, Brooks eventually built the foundation of a solid program that set a school record by going to four straight bowl games. Brooks retired at the end of the 2009 season. He splits his time between Oregon and Georgia — he plays golf, grows tomatoes, fishes and roots for the Ducks and Wildcats athletics teams.

Joker Phillips

Years: 2010-12.

Record: 13-24.

SEC record: 4-20.

Bowls: 2010-BBVA Compass Bowl.

Best team: Phillips’ first team as head coach went 6-6 before losing to Pittsburgh 27-10 in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham. Steve Spurrier suffered his first loss to a Kentucky team when his Gamecocks lost to the 2010 Cats 31-28. Randall Cobb caught 84 passes for 1,017 yards that season. Quarterback Mike Hartline threw for 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions, but he did not play in the bowl game because of a suspension.

Review: A former UK wide receiver and longtime assistant with stints under Claiborne, Curry and Brooks, Phillips was the official coach-in-waiting when the Franklin native took over for Brooks in 2010. After extending the school’s bowl streak to five straight seasons, the momentum stalled in 2011 and collapsed in 2012. Fans stopped coming to Commonwealth Stadium and when only 18,000 showed up for a 40-0 loss to Vanderbilt, Phillips was fired the next day. After serving as an assistant coach at Florida and with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, Phillips served as an offensive consultant for Urban Meyer at Ohio State before becoming wide receivers coach for Luke Fickell at Cincinnati. He is currently the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State.

Mark Stoops

Years: 2013-present.

Record: 59-53.

SEC record: 29-45.

Bowls: 2016-TaxSlayer Bowl; 2017-Music City Bowl; 2018-Citrus Bowl; 2019-Belk Bowl; 2020-Gator Bowl; 2021-Citrus Bowl.

Best team: Kentucky went 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the SEC in 2018. It was UK’s first 10-win season and first winning season in the SEC since 1977. The Cats won at Florida for the first time since 1979, beating the Gators 27-16 in Gainesville. They capped the season with a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019. Kentucky had five players drafted off the team, led by edge rusher Josh Allen, the No. 7 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive back Lonnie Johnson was taken in the second round (No. 54 overall) by the Houston Texans; safety Mike Edwards drafted in the third round (99) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; running back Benny Snell was chosen in the fourth round (122) by the Pittsburgh Steelers and offensive tackle George Asafo-Adjei (232) was picked in the seventh round by the New York Giants.

Review: Stoops heads into the 2022 season as the longest-tenured coach (10 years) in UK football history. He needs just one win to tie Bear Bryant as winningest all-time Kentucky football coach. The brother of now former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, Mark came to UK after a successful stint as defensive coordinator at Florida State. A native of Youngstown, Stoops has recruited his home state of Ohio hard, resulting in classes regularly rated well with analysts. Also during Stoops’ tenure, UK has refurbished Commonwealth Stadium — now renamed Kroger Field — and built a $50 million football training facility.

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