Florida's BCS title game rout over No. 1 Ohio State brought, among other accolades, talk of an historic achievement: becoming the first school to hold both the basketball and football national titles at the same time.
This is a mighty accomplishment, and one that rightfully deserves mention. But the truth is that, thanks to the convoluted methods through which the football champion is annually crowned (and if you think the BCS is complicated, you have to remember the pre-BCS poll era was worse), Kentucky actually has a legitimate claim to being the first school to accomplish this rarest of doubles.
UKathletics.com was right on top of the issue, posting the following in its detailed discussion of the facts.
I won't argue there is some revisionist history at play. But if UNC can claim two retroactive Helms titles, the Cats can talk about the 1951 Sugar Bowl, when coach Bear Bryant led the Cats to a monumental upset of undefeated No. 1 Oklahoma, snapping the Sooners' 31-game winning streak in the process.
Kentucky took home the 1951 NCAA title behind Bill Spivey, and combined with its 1950 Sugar Bowl win -- and it's recognition by the Sagarin rankings as the title winner for that year -- can point to the feat as the first time, and only other time, that the two championships were held by the same program at the same time.
I'm sure Gators fans are appreciative of our diligent work on this subject, no?