Most of the traditions generally associated with Kentucky Athletics go back to the men's basketball program. As one of the most successful college sports institutions in the history of, well, anything and everything, hoops at Rupp Arena has a litany of calling cards and routines that fans can take part in. Football at Kroger Field... not so much.
"Grove St. Party" was a lot of fun, but that's likely to be replaced with a new walkout song now that Mark Stoops is gone. That's why I'm here to suggest the return of an old tradition - a tradition so rare that it barely counts as a tradition at all. I'm talking about the Halloween night game at Kroger Field.
BOO! I had to try.
I'll see myself out... after I'm done convincing you that this needs to be a thing again.
Making a Case for the Halloween Game at Kroger Field
The last time Kentucky played on Halloween was all the way back in 2020, when the 2-3 Wildcats took on the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs. That game went down in the midst of college sports returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, disallowing any sort of legitimate holiday fun or fanfare at Kroger Field.
It doesn't benefit my case that Kentucky lost that contest to an underwhelming 14-3 final score, marking yet another sigh-inducing defeat to a Georgia squad that Coach Stoops never seemed to know how to crack.
Cats vs. Dawgs in Kroger Field on Halloween afternoon.
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 30, 2020
🙋♂️ - @_JoshAli6 pic.twitter.com/JVG4Fuxhte
The other example of this basically buried tradition came back in 2015, when Kentucky hosted the Tennessee Volunteers on October 31. It was a night game in front of a lively blackout crowd. How do I know?
I was there and, in spite of one of the worst blowout losses I've ever seen in person, the environment was truly one of a kind.
A One of a Kind Kroger Field Experience
Halloween music and pop-ups were all over the place, with fans either decked out in black Kentucky gear or, of course, in costumes. As an 11-year old kid, I remember looking up at the video board and seeing a (scarily, at the time) accurate Joker going wild in the stands.
Most folks left early, as the Cats ended up going down 52-21, but there's something special about that Halloween formula. Kroger Field is already known for a rowdy nighttime environment; combining that with a nighttime holiday that has a ton of opportunities for outfits and promotions built in seems like a no-brainer.
Kentucky has a bye week on Halloween this year, so this is more a plea for the future than anything else. All the same, I think this could be a legendary stadium experience if the Wildcats can actually find a way to win on the holiday.
I know Will Stein is looking for a more general walkout song for his takeover of the program, but if I could get "Monster Mash" over the Kroger Field speakers just once, I believe my case could rest easy.
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