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Limited-edition bobblehead commemorates rivalry between UK Wildcats, UofL Cardinals


As the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals prepare to renew on of college basketball’s most intense rivalries today, fans can now purchase a playful memento.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled an officially licensed, limited edition bobblehead featuring Kentucky mascot “Wildcat” and Louisville mascot “Louie the Cardinal.”

The mascots are standing with their arms raised ready for a playfully battle while standing on a base that says “Kentucky vs. Louisville” with the logos of both schools.

The bobbleheads are being produced exclusively for the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum by FOCO, an official licensee and manufacturer of University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and NCAA merchandise.

Each dual bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,020 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads are $60 plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order and are expected to ship in April.

Considered one of the most intense rivalries in sports, Kentucky-Louisville was ranked the second-best rivalry in college basketball by Bleacher Report and the third-best rivalry in all of college sports by Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale.

The intensity of the rivalry is captivated by the proximity of the schools and the state of Kentucky’s interest in college sports with no pro-affiliated teams.

The teams first met on the hardwood in 1913 but stopped playing each other in the 1920s, playing only 12 times between 1913 and 1983. The rivalry was generally dormant with only occasional matchups until the teams met in the NCAA Tournament in 1983.

Since then, the teams have met each year in late December or early January each year. The 53rd meeting between the teams is slated for December 28 in Lexington. Kentucky has won six of the last seven meetings and leads the all-time series, 36-16.

“We’re thrilled to be releasing this bobblehead commemorating Kentucky and Louisville’s rivalry,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Kentucky vs. Louisville is one of the most passionate rivalries in all of sports, and there is no better way to celebrate a rivalry than with a bobblehead.”

This is the first bobblehead in a series celebrating some of the nation’s biggest college rivalries with additional bobbleheads scheduled to be released throughout 2020.

The series follows a successful launch of MLB Rivalry Bobbleheads offered by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st. St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. 

The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals and teams across the country. For more information, click here. 

National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum


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