UK Wildcats Blog

UK Uniform History: 1993-94

During the mid 1990's, the Kentucky basketball program went through a trend where the team was wearing some of the most outlandish basketball shorts ever designed. Converse used the Kentucky basketball program as a platform to try out new design ideas and unusual styles. The 1993-93 Wildcats wore one of those crazy uniforms sets.

The team's uniform shorts featured an unusual striping pattern that completely broke the mold in shorts design, especially at a program with the traditional history of Kentucky. The stripes swirled around the shorts from the front to the back and created a look like nothing else the team had ever seen before. The shorts were also paired with a jersey design that featured the traditional KENTUCKY arch in white on the white jerseys and in blue on the blue jerseys. This was another break from Kentucky uniform tradition.

These uniforms are probably most remembered as the set that the Wildcats wore in the Mardi Gras Miracle game against LSU in 1994 in which they came back from a 31 point deficit to win the game. These uniforms will forever be remembered because of this great game, which was one of the best in UK basketball history.

Uniform History: the Kentucky Dunk

The year was 1985 and the Kentucky basketball program had just entered into the Eddie Sutton era. The 1985-86 season saw the Kentucky Wildcats achieve a 32-4 record, entering the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed. The team was led by senior Kenny "Sky" Walker and co-captains Roger Harden and Leroy Byrd. The 1985-86 Wildcats were the SEC regular season and tournament champions. The team's season ended with a 59-57 loss in the Elite Eight against LSU.

One of the unique things about the 1985-86 UK basketball season came from the shoes that the team wore. On the heels of the popularity of the Air Jordan, Nike issued the "Dunk" shoe for several college teams, one of which was Kentucky. The Kentucky Dunk shoe featured the team's blue and white colors, with the blue dominating the design, much like the original Air Jordan. The shoes were a drastic departure from the simple Converse styles that the team had worn in previous seasons. The Kentucky Dunk shoes gave the Wildcats a very contemporary look for the times and went well with the success that the team experienced that season.The Kentucky Dunk shoe definitely goes down as one of the most unique items in the uniform history of the Kentucky Wildcats.

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UK by the Numbers: 11

One of the biggest story lines for the 2009-10 Kentucky Wildcats is the arrival of freshman sensation John Wall. Wall arrives at Kentucky as one of the top freshmen in the nation and carries a big reputation as a potential superstar. Wall is about to embark on his first season at Kentucky that could place him among the all-time great freshmen in the history of the program, if not one of the best players ever to don the blue and white. John Wall will definitely set the bar high for his chosen #11. It should become commonplace to see that number 11 time after time on the Sportscenter highlight reels.

Since John Wall will make the #11 one of the most recognizable numbers on the court this season, let's take a look back at other Wildcat players who have donned the #11 during their careers.

In the 1980's the number 11 will always be remembered as the number that was worn by Dicky Beal. Beal came to the Wildcats as a Northern Kentucky legend from Holmes High School in Covington Kentucky. Beal played for the Wildcats through one of its most popular eras, the Twin Towers years of the early 1980's.

Another famous name to have worn the #11 for the Wildcats was a member of the "Unforgettables", Sean Woods. Woods hit one of the greatest shots in the history of the Kentucky basketball program against the Duke Blue Devils in that memorable game in 1992. Woods, along with teammates Richie Farmer, John Pelphrey and Deron Feldhaus will long be remembered by Wildcats fans for their amazing contributions to the rebirth of Kentucky basketball in the 1990's.

During the Tubby Smith era at Kentucky, the #11 was worn by Saul Smith. Other UK players that have worn the #11 include Milerd Anderson, Don Whitehead, Clyde Cooper, Shelby Linville, Herky Rupp, Randy Embry, Benny Spears, Bob McCowan and Adam Delph.

Kentucky Uniform History: The Denim Jerseys

The 1996 Kentucky Basketball season will always be remembered as one of the greatest in the school's history. The team dominated the entire college basketball season and capped off the year with their sixth NCAA Championship. The 1996 Kentucky basketball team is considered one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

In addition to all of the winning success, the 1996 season was also known for the denim uniforms that the team wore during that Championship run. As the season was moving along, Converse introduced an interesting uniform concept that would be worn by the Kentucky basketball team. In place of the team's traditional royal blue, the uniforms featured a faded denim fabric. The team even wore a shoe that had denim pieces on it as well.

At first, the uniforms seemed a bit strange and definitely bucked tradition with a fan base that cherished its royal blue color. As the team continued to have so much success in the uniforms, the fans warmed up to the look and a uniform style phenomenon was born. UK products stores throughout the Commonwealth could not get their hands on enough denim merchandise to satisfy the demand of the fans. Wildcats fans everywhere could be seen wearing their denim jerseys and shoes.

The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats will always be remembered for their National Championship success, but will also be remembered as the team in those crazy denim uniforms.