The nickname “Wildcats” was given to the club in 1909, after a football road victory over Illinois. The earliest truly memorable Kentucky logo appeared in 1973. The emblem, which looked really aggressive, depicted a wild cat with an open mouth. The outline of the Kentucky state was placed at the background.
For today, the Wildcats primary logo is a combination of two interlacing letters, “U” and “K.” First used in 1997 as an alternative logo and moved then to the primary logo. In 2016 there was a shift in the color scheme as well as a modification of the shape of the two letters "UK."
2016 - Present
A royal blue with white trim interlocking letters “UK.”
2005 - 2015
A blue with white trim interlocking letters “UK.”
1989 - 1994
A brown wildcat about to attack on a interlocking blue with black trim letters “UK.”
1973 - 1988
A blue Wildcat’s head on the state of Kentucky.