| 1953 Kentucky Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 15 |
| AP | No. 16 |
| Record | 7–2–1 (4–1–1 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | McLean Stadium |
| Seasons← 19521954 → | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Alabama $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Georgia Tech | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Kentucky | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Auburn | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 3 | – | 1 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LSU | 2 | – | 3 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida | 1 | – | 3 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1953 Kentucky Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of Kentucky as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1953 college football season. In their eighth year under head coach Bear Bryant, the Wildcats complied an overall record of 7–2–1, with a conference record of 4–1–1, and finished third in the SEC. The team scored 201 points while allowing 116 points. This was Bryant's final season as head coach at Kentucky.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | Texas A&M* | L 6–7 | 35,000 | |||
| September 26 | at Ole Miss | L 6–22 | ||||
| October 3 | Florida |
| W 26–13 | |||
| October 10 | at No. 17 LSU | T 6–6 | 38,000 | |||
| October 17 | No. 20 Mississippi State |
| W 32–13 | 36,000 | ||
| October 24 | Villanova* | No. 16 |
| W 19–0 | 30,000 | |
| October 31 | at No. 12 Rice* | No. 19 | W 19–13 | 33,000 | ||
| November 7 | at Vanderbilt | No. 14 | W 40–14 | 26,000 | ||
| November 14 | Memphis State* | No. 13 |
| W 20–7 | 20,000 | |
| November 21 | Tennessee | No. 13 |
| W 27–21 | 37,000 | |
| ||||||
Roster
| Player | Position | Summary |
| Steve Meilinger | End | |
| Tommy Adkins | Center | |
| Bob Hardy | Quarterback | 24 Cmp, 47 Att, 418 Yds, 5 TD |
| Ralph Paolone | Running Back | 108 Att, 620 Yds, 5.7 Avg |
| Tom Fillion | Running Back | |
| Jim Proffitt | End | |
| Howard Schnellenberger | End | |
| Duke Curnutte | Offensive Line | |
| Ray Correll | Offensive Line | |
| Harry Kirk | Offensive Line | |
| Joe Koch | Offensive Line | |
| Ray Callahan | Full Back |
Awards and honors
- Ray Correll, guard, All-America selection
- Steve Meilinger, end, All-America selection
1954 NFL Draft
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Steve Meilinger | End | 1 | 8 | Washington Redskins |
| Tommy Adkins | Center | 17 | 197 | Baltimore Colts |
References
- "1953 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- "Record opening crowd of 35,000 sees Texas Aggies edge Wildcats, 7–6". Sunday Herald-Leader. September 20, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Ole Miss whips UK". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 27, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky stops Florida Gators in 26–13 clash". The Selma Times-Journal. October 4, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky battles Louisiana State to 6–6 deadlock". The Owensboro Messenger. October 11, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Cats have no respect for Mississippi State". The Commercial Appeal. October 18, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky whips Villanova, 19–0". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. October 25, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky upsets Rice 19–13 in game of Halloween chills". The Courier-Journal. November 1, 1953. Retrieved October 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Wildcats coast to 40–14 win over improved Vandy". The Park City Daily News. November 8, 1953. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky has to struggle for 20–7 edge over surprising Memphis State". Lexington Herald-Leader. November 15, 1953. Retrieved September 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Kentucky gains first victory in 18 years over Tennessee". The Owensboro Messenger. November 22, 1953. Retrieved March 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p. 168
- ^ "1954 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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