Photo by Mike DeZarn
By Ed Peak
No love lost between these two schools, and the outcome is always unpredictable.
I’ve been fortunate to cover the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry since it was renewed in 1994. Thank goodness for former coaches, Louisville’s Howard Schnellenberger and Kentucky’s Bill Curry and athletic directors Bill Olson and C.M. Newton.
Kentucky needed a boost in attendance to renovate Commonwealth Stadium to 65,000 seats in 1994. Schnellenberger would play anyone, anywhere. He just wanted to play. Capacity at the renamed Kroger Field has since been reduced 60,000 seats.
The first several years the game was in Lexington because of the size of the fairgrounds stadium.