Another wish has come true during Tom Jurich’s tenure as vice president of athletics at the University of Louisville with Friday’s announcement that UofL and Indiana University have completed scheduling arrangement to compete in both basketball and football.
A natural rivalry with only 92 miles separating Louisville and Bloomington. Long overdue and Jurich has been working on this for years. Don’t ever doubt TJ when it comes to getting things done.
Three-game series in each sport, with games to be played at Indianapolis, in Louisville and at Bloomington.
In basketball, the teams will tip-off in their first game at Bankers Life Arena in Indianapolis on Dec. 31, 2016, followed by games at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 2017 and at Assembly Hall in Bloomington on Sept. 2018.
“I’ve felt for a long time that these series were a natural for fans from both universities and I’m thrilled to see it come to fruition,” said Jurich. “We have played each other in most sports and it has been a very friendly rivalry. There are a lot of fans in Southern Indiana that support both schools who I know will particularly enjoy the competition.”
In football, the series will kick off on Sept. 23, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 7, 2024, and at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Dec. 8, 2025.
A pity that the football series is so far into the future, especially for some long time followers of UofL football, including this observer. At least we have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s going to happen. If we’re still around, don’t crowd us while we’re navigating those stadium steps.
Jurich has worked on this for so long that it had to be a monumental challenge. Not that IU will ever be a great football power, but it’s a series that needed to happen. Tom embraces the big challenges and, sooner or later, they become a reality. With everything he has accomplished at UofL, one wonders what’s left for him to work on. He’s paved the road for his coaches to follow through on the playing fields.