The University of Kentucky is a public university located in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1865, and is the largest and oldest public school in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Athletically, the University of Kentucky competes at the Division I level of the NCAA, and is a founding member of their primary athletic conference, the Southeastern Conference.
Throughout their 150+ years of existence, the University of Kentucky has developed numerous traditions and legends shared among the student body and its alumni. Due to their prominence in various collegiate sports, many of the traditions at the university are focused on their athletic program. Additionally, due to the university's success in college basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team has existed as a symbol of greater American basketball culture.
Some of the most well known traditions are the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home" after each sporting event, the "C-A-T-S" spell out and Big Blue Madness.
Names and branding
Mascot: Wildcats According to the University of Kentucky's "traditions page," the Wildcats nickname came from a 1902 Football game where Kentucky beat Illinois 6–2. "Commandant Carbusier, then head of the military department at Kentucky told a group of students in a chapel service following the game that the Kentucky football team had "fought like Wildcats." Later the name Wildcats became more and more popular among UK followers as well as with members of the media. As a result, the nickname was adopted by the university."
Physical mascots The University of Kentucky has two plush mascots: "The Wildcat" and "Scratch". The Wildcat mascot originated during the 1976 football season. Throughout the early 1980s, the university introduced another plush mascot walking on stilts. This was to honor Kentucky's Basketball team which had Sam Bowie (7'1") and Melvin Turpin (6'11"). These two were known as "The Twin Towers," thus the university needed another mascot. This mascot would eventually come to be known as "Scratch", and remains the mascot for the Kentucky women's teams and youth programs.
Along with The Wildcat and Scratch, Kentucky has routinely kept a live bobcat as a mascot. The first Wildcat would attend games at Commonwealth Stadium (now Kroger Field), however there is disagreement as to whether the first Bobcat was named "Fuzzy" or "Tom". After the first bobcat, the university would introduce "TNT" and "Whiskers", however neither enjoyed being kept in captivity. For this reason, their attendance of football games was suspended. In the 1940s, the university introduced "The Kentucky Colonel," who was human-friendly and affectionate, and returned to the football sidelines. After The Kentucky Colonel, the university introduced "Baby", though she did not enjoy captivity. After Baby, the university decided to maintain a live mascot but would not allow them to attend football games. As of 2025, the University of Kentucky has "Blue", a live bobcat kept at the Salato Wildlife Education Center near Frankfort, KY.
The university has two bobcat statues, both named "Bowman". One is located in the Gatton Student Center and the other is located on the Wildcat Alumni Plaza across the street from Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Blue and white color scheme According to the university, the original colors of the university were blue and yellow. These colors were decided during a student vote prior to the 1891 Kentucky-Centre College Football Game. As for the shade of blue, the University Traditions webpage quotes: "The shade of blue, which is close to a royal blue, was chosen when a student asked the question, "What color blue?" At the time, Richard C. Stoll (who lettered in football at UK in 1889–94) pulled off his necktie and held it up. The students then adopted that particular shade of blue."
Traditional music
On, On U of K
The Fight Song of the University of Kentucky is "On, On U of K." The melody was written in 1922 by Dr. Carl Lampert, a music professor and the first UK music department chair, while the lyrics were written the following year by Troy Perkins, a student. The song was first published in The 1925 Kentuckian, the University of Kentucky yearbook. The lyrics are:
“On, on U of K. We are right for the fight today!
Hold that ball and hit that line. Every Wildcat star will shine.
The lyrics include the line ‘We’ll fight, fight, fight for the Blue and White, as we roll to that goal, varsity.
And we’ll kick, pass and run ‘til the battle is won, and we’ll bring home the victory”
Kentucky Fight!
Kentucky, Fight! is utilized as a secondary fight song. The origin of the song is not publicly known, and the lyrics are never used.
The lyrics are:
Normal Verse:
"Kentucky! We will beat the foe!
Kentucky! Onward we’ll go
Kentucky! We will hail to thee
And victorious we will be today
Rah! Rah! Rah!"
Basketball verse:
"Kentucky! Dribble down the floor!
Kentucky! Fight for ev’ry score!
And you’ll win for the blue and white
So yea! You wildcats!
Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Football verse:
"Kentucky! Hit that line real hard!
Kentucky! Fight for ev’ry yard!
And you’ll win for the blue and white!
So yea! You wildcats!
Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Kentucky Alma Mater The Alma Mater of Kentucky is the aptly named "Kentucky Alma Mater". The song is very rarely used, and never used in athletics. The lyrics are:
"Hail Kentucky, Alma Mater!
Loyal sons and daughters sing;
Sound her praise with voice united;
To the breeze her colors fling.
To the blue and white be true;
Badge triumphant age on age;
Blue, the sky that o'er us bends;
White, Kentucky's stainless page."
My Old Kentucky Home
The State Song of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is "My Old Kentucky Home". The song is utilized in athletics as an homage to the people of Kentucky, being played before and after most athletics events. During the song, Kentucky fans are expected to wrap their arms around each other and sway to the music. In the chorus of the song, fans are expected to raise one finger into the sky. When the lyrics: "We will sing one song for my Old Kentucky Home" are sung, fans pump the finger up and down. During the final lyrics: "...and my Old Kentucky Home, far away," fans turn their finger into a wave to the rest of the fans. The (modern) lyrics are:
Verse 1
The sun shines bright in My Old Kentucky home,
‘Tis summer, and people are gay;
The corn-top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By ‘n’ by hard times comes a knocking at the door
Chorus
Then My Old Kentucky Home, good night!
Weep no more my lady
Oh! weep no more today!
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away.
Athletic traditions
The Big Blue Nation (BBN)
Kentucky fans refer to themselves as being a part of "The Big Blue Nation". In the sport of college basketball, Kentucky fans are often seen as some of the most passionate. Their aggression has been seen as both a positive and a negative amongst the rest of college basketball. Numerous sports media organizations have ranked Kentucky fans as being "the best", however many people cite the aggression of Kentucky fans as being the reason that some coaches quit coaching at the university.
"Go Big Blue" chant During sporting events, Kentucky fans will synchronize a chant saying "Go Big Blue". Kentucky fans have garnered a reputation for traveling to away games (and starting the Go Big Blue chant in opposing team's stadiums).
"The Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball"
The University of Kentucky has a deep history and tradition with its Men's Basketball team. As of February 2025, the Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball team has: 2398 Wins (Most all time), 8 National Championships (2nd all time), 17 Final Four appearances (2nd all time), 110 NBA Draft Picks (Most all time), 57 All Americans (Most all time), 33 Conference Championships (Most all time), and the university has led in the NCAA in attendance 25 times (Most all time). For these reasons, the University of Kentucky claims to be "The Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball," a slogan they use in promotional material and in the arena.
Not storming the court In college athletics, it has become a tradition to rush/storm the playing service during upsets. Since Kentucky has such a deep history in basketball, the fan base has mutually agreed to never storm the court during big wins. The idea behind this is that Kentucky is so historic, no game can be considered an upset. As of February 2025, Kentucky fans have never stormed the court in men's basketball.
Blue-White Chant and Blue-White Game
During Kentucky Football Games (and recently, Basketball Games), Kentucky Fans will be orchestrated by the stadium videoboard to chant either "blue" or "white" (depending on where they are seated in the stadium). To compliment this, once a year, Kentucky fans will pick a game where they split the crowd into groups wearing blue and groups wearing white. This was first done during the 2021 meeting of the Kentucky-Florida rivalry where the crowd of 61,632 fans disrupted Florida's offense into committing 8 "false start" penalties. Throughout the game, the "Blue-White Chant" could be heard overpowering the game audio on TV broadcasts.
The C-A-T-S spell out and "Wildcat Push-Ups" During sporting events, the Kentucky cheerleaders will lead the fans in the C-A-T-S spell out. In football, the spell out is done by "The Wildcat." After each time the football team scores, the cheerleaders will lift the mascot on a board for him to do push-ups. The Wildcat will do one push-up for each point the team has, his final one will be a one-armed pushup, and the crowd is expected to call-out the number of push-up as they're done. After the push-ups are completed, the mascot will rally the crowd to say:
"ooooooooohhhhh... C-A-T-S CATS! CATS! CATS!"
In Men's and Women's Basketball, the Cheerleaders lead the C-A-T-S spell out by diving onto the court and contorting their bodies onto the court to mimic the letters they are spelling out.
The "Y" During each men's basketball game, the cheerleaders will spell out the letters to Kentucky with their bodies. For each letter, one cheerleader will exit the formation to hold up a card with the letter on it until there are only 2 cheerleaders left to spell the 2nd "K." Then, a Kentucky basketball celebrity will come out and hold up their arms spelling the "Y."
K-Flag pyramid Near the ending of each men's and women's basketball game, the cheerleaders will form a pyramid with a mascot at the top (The Wildcat for men's games and Scratch for women's games). Behind the pyramid, a large flag with the letter "K" (or modernly, just the UK logo) will be displayed by two cheerleaders. Then, the band will play a version of "On, On U of K" and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" while the pyramid rotates to face each portion of the arena.
Big Blue Madness