Kentucky hosted the South’s first football game. Yes, really.
People can argue all they want about whether Kentucky is truly “Southern.” But if we’re talking college football history, there’s no debate.
The South’s first-ever football game was played in Lexington, Kentucky — on April 9, 1880.
It happened at what is now known as Old Stoll Field, when Kentucky A&M (now the University of Kentucky) organized a game that predated almost every formal program in the region. A year later, UK and Transylvania played a three-game series that officially introduced football to the Commonwealth.
Long before the SEC formed in 1933, southern schools were laying the foundation for what would become college football's most dominant league. Kentucky was right there in the thick of it.
By 1895, 11 future SEC members were already playing the game. And while the SEC gets most of the spotlight today, the early roots came from a web of conferences — starting with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) in 1895. Kentucky was among the 19 founding schools of that group, along with Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and others.
Eventually, the largest programs split off to form the Southern Conference in 1920 — and that conference would later birth the SEC.
So yes, when the Southeastern Conference officially launched with 13 schools in 1933, Kentucky was there from day one. Despite its northern border and bluegrass backdrop, UK is as foundational to southern college sports as any school in the league.
The basketball legacy? Obvious. But Kentucky’s athletic footprint goes deeper — from pioneering football in the region to competing in early track meets and basketball games before the turn of the century.
Next time someone says Kentucky isn’t Southern, remind them: when the South played its first football game, it was on Kentucky’s campus.
That’s not opinion. That’s history. So, if you enjoy football and you live in the South, thank a Kentucky fan today.