While the debate rages on about which states are southern and which aren't; one thing is clear, there'd be no football in the South if it wasn't for the Cats.
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.