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Kentucky football: Worst head coach hires in program history

By Josh Yourish

Nov 12, 2011; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips directs his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Commodores beat the Wildcats 38-8. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2011; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips directs his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Commodores beat the Wildcats 38-8. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky football
The fall colors frame a University of Kentucky logo before the Mississippi State Bulldogs against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

John Ray took over the program in 1969, when the Bear Bryant years were far in the rear-view mirror and Kentucky hadn’t been to a bowl game since Bryant won the Cotton Bowl in 1951. Expectations were not high for the program and Ray still managed to underachieve.

In Year 1, he went 2-8 and across his four years, he never won more than three games in a season. He finished his tenure with a record of 10-33.

In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been a surprise because his only prior head coaching experience was at John Carroll from 1959-63. However, in the years between his head coaching jobs, he was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

In 1966 his defense only allowed 3.8 points per game on the way to the national championship.

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