Wildcats Headed for the Field: After reporting to campus on Monday, the Wildcats had a full day of activity scheduled for Tuesday.
The players and coaches took part in the annual Kentucky Football Media Day on Tuesday morning, with the first practice scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. During the first few days, practice will be split into two sessions in order to give players increased attention.
Brooks Pleased With Off-Season Strength Program: Coach Rich Brooks is encouraged by the progress made by the team during the summer strength and conditioning program.
As shown by the chart below, many players made remarkable improvement from March to July.
?We?ve obviously stronger and more explosive than we were in March, on top of improvements made during the winter,? Brooks said.
March 2004 July 2004 Change in number of players Bench Press 300+ pounds 52 players 61 players +17.3 percent 400+ pounds 7 players 10 players +42.9 percent Squat Lift 500+ pounds 23 players 30 players +30.4 percent 600+ pounds 2 players 4 players +100 percent Power Clean 300+ pounds 17 players 29 players +70.6 percent 325+ pounds 4 players 8 players +100 percent Vertical Jump 30+ inches 57 players 74 players +29.8 percent 35+ inches 17 players 21 players +23.5 percent
How Do the Figures Compare to a Year Ago? An analysis from the July 2003 testing suggests that the Wildcats should be a stronger team than last season.
As shown in the chart below, the Wildcats are the same or improved from last season in seven of the eight categories measured. Those numbers are especially encouraging in light of the fact that UK lost a total of eight senior or junior offensive and defensive linemen from last season. Linemen, of course, tend to be the strongest players on the team.
July 2003 July 2004 Change in number of players Bench Press 300+ pounds 61 players 61 players same 400+ pounds 13 players 10 players -23.1 percent Squat Lift 500+ pounds 28 players 30 players +7.1 percent 600+ pounds 3 players 4 players +33.3 percent Power Clean 300+ pounds 21 players 29 players +38.1 percent 325+ pounds 5 players 8 players +60 percent Vertical Jump 30+ inches 45 players 74 players +64.4 percent 35+ inches 6 players 21 players +250 percent
Fans? Day on Sat. Aug. 14: The annual Kentucky Football Fans? Day will be held Saturday, Aug. 14, at Commonwealth Stadium.
Activities begin outside the stadium at 9 a.m. with the ?Wildcat Refuge? children?s play area.
Stadium gates open at 10:30 a.m., when Wildcat gift bags and prize tickets will be given away. Posters, schedule cards, meal tickets, and other goodies will be in the gift bags. Meal tickets can be redeemed for free Kroger hot dogs and Pepsi while supplies last.
Coach Rich Brooks and the team will be introduced at 11 a.m., followed by an autograph session with the Wildcat coaches and players. During the autograph session, there will be drawings for grand prizes, such as season tickets, a golf outing, game jerseys, and other memorabilia.
The autograph session ends at 12:45 p.m. Fans are invited to remain at the stadium and observe practice, which will begin at 1:20 p.m. Fans? Day will be the only practice that will be open to the general public this season. The remainder of the team practices will be closed to the public.
