Kentucky Football made a trophy for it’s “National Champion” team from 1950 to put in the new practice facility. Now the internet is clowning on the ‘Cats.
Kentucky’s grand unveiling of its new, $45 million football training center included some hardware the public had never seen before, quite frankly, because it didn’t exist…
1951 national championship trophy and mannequins showing uniforms greet you in lobby of new training center pic.twitter.com/sSEesoZOz3
— Jon Hale (@JonHale_CJ) July 22, 2016
Kentucky did not actually win the National Championship in 1950, until 1990. According to Wikipedia, 1990 was the year when Jeff Sagarin released a retroactive ranking of teams for the 1950 season and Kentucky was listed #1.
And now, since it is July, we are the laughing stock of the internet sports world…
Here’s UK’s new trophy they had made 66 years after they didn’t win title. It’s centerpiece of new football facility https://t.co/JzD5LmNKlq
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 26, 2016
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL MADE THEMSELVES A FAKE NATIONAL TITLE TROPHY I AM CRYING https://t.co/6rw7N4iDEn
— Kyle Robbins (@kylerrobbins) July 26, 2016
Kentucky Football Is Now Among SEC Football Elite By Making 1950 Championship Trophy: https://t.co/XFTJ4rTeTL pic.twitter.com/JQnm0LZCV5
— Total Frat Move (@totalfratmove) July 27, 2016
Barstool Sports also got in on the fun today…
A stat guy invented a computer ratings system in 1978…
He used that model to go back and award titles to teams…
Got to the 1950 season (played almost a full 30 years before this system was invented) and the data showed Kentucky as #1, even though Oklahoma was the consensus champion that year, while Princeton and Tennessee also received votes, and UK was 7th in the final AP poll…
And now Kentucky is not only using this one dude’s statistical model to claim an NCAA National Championship title…
The Barstool blog goes on to say how people will continue to make fun of Kentucky fans for a few days, but ultimately, it will be a good thing, as 17-year-old recruits will not know the difference and just think that it is actually a cool-looking piece of hardware in an awesome new practice facility. SB Nation had their own take as well.
My take: I tend to completely agree with the Barstool article that the criticism will eventually go away making it a worthy investment. The only fans who should keep their mouths shut about this trophy are those located about 80 miles west of Lexington, who awarded championship rings and played “One Shining Moment” for a couple of fifth-year senior basketball players, when the team decided to sit out from last year’s NCAA Tournament because of a sex scandal.
But we want to know what our readers think. Is it worth the short-lived criticism?