Before the 1903 Kentucky University Pioneers football team won a Southern championship, the highest claim for a Kentucky college football team was a state title.
State champions
Central (1892) Central (1893) Kentucky State (1894) Centre (1896) Central (1897) Kentucky State (1898) Bethel (1899)https://www.lostcolleges.com/bethel-college Central & Centre (1900) Kentucky University (1901)
References