February 18th: On this date...

Honus Wagner was the coach.

... in 1903, your University of Kentucky Wildcats, officially competing as State College (Kentucky), got their first ever win as a “basket ball” program, an 11-10 beatdown of the Lexington YMCA. The head coach was the Administrator of Men’s Physical Education at the University, WWH Mustaine. He was a Centre College graduate (class of 1899) and was originally from Horse Cave, Kentucky. The win was the only one in season number one of Kentucky basketball, finishing the year with a 1-2 mark. The other games were played against Georgetown College (15-6) and Kentucky University (42-2). Are we sure we aren’t Kentucky University? I remember the ‘03 team being BAD ASS. The writeup of the game (according to Jon Scott’s never-ending site) consisted of the Lexington Herald-Leader saying, “The game was a most exciting one and well contested and the result was a doubt until the game had finally ended.” The contributor from the Herald-Leader that day...Jerry Tipton.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach