These occasions never get old, the ones where Tom Jurich pulls off still another unbelievable feat.

An outsider would get the impression that it’s just another day on the job. People close to the university know days, months and years of preparation precede the successes.

That’s probably why Jurich and Charlie Strong never discussed salary or contract at any point during the four hectic days leading up to Strong’s decision to remain as University of Louisville football coach.

“We just began work on a new contract an hour and a half ago,” said Jurich at an 11 a.m. press conference Thursday. “He knows we will take good care of him and his assistants. Always have and will continue to do so.”

Jurich learned of Strong’s final decision around 7 p.m. Wednesday, saying he was greatly relieved to get the word. “It was emotional. He’s a man of high integrity and that shone though in his actions.

“What he does on the football field is terrific. It’s grandiose and it’s wonderful but what I really take notice of is what he does off the football field. You look at the kids in his program. You don’t read a lot about them for the wrong reasons. They’re going to class. He doesn’t do it because he’s their football coach; he does it because he believes in them.”

Jurich said the UofL football job is now among the top 10 jobs in the country, largely as a result of Louisville being accepted into the Atlantic Coast Conference a week ago. “When John Swofford called us last week this became one of the top 10 football jobs in the country,” he said. “I firmly believe that. Somebody please debate me on that please. I’ll debate that until I drop dead.”

He added that Charlie Strong’s success was essential to getting the bid. “It was important. I think all of your programs need to be excelling.  We don’t want to be a one sport school, we want to be excelling in all 23 sports. And I think the ACC caught wind of that.”

Jurich said he and Strong still haven’t discussed a number. “He at a very high level, and I’m going to pay him what he’s worth. I can promise you his daughters will have lunch money tomorrow.”

“Charlie told me, ‘Don’t worry about me, take care of my coaches,'” he said. “We will fight everybody tooth and nail to keep him. He loves it here, his family loves it here.”

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

8 thoughts on “Jurich: Louisville football now a top 10 destination”
  1. I will back the idea that Louisville is becoming a top 10 college sports program which would includes football. Tom has made the cards a school that keeps their word, by offering Charlie a extended contract when the team was 2-4 last year. By joining the ACC we can now play teams such as Clemson and Florida State, and we are taking Florida recruits from the state of Florida. Charlie has proven he can recruit top players, and will continue to make the program better. The Cards have one of the best quarterbacks with the strongest desire to win. Plus the city of Louisville is a lot nicer than many of the top 10 programs towns. now only if we could get the fans to be top 10 in attendance and staying power.

  2. They may be taking him literally, but those are big words and those words are not true. If one of those 10 that Paul named came open, I’m sure it would be hard to turn down because U of L could match the money but they couldn’t match the prestige and the importance of those programs in the college football world. That’s why the statement is proposterous.

    1. I see where you’re coming from (about 70 miles away). Tom Jurich has big ideas. That’s why he tackles monumental tasks. If that’s his vision for the future, it’s a good one. The guys who run the football world right now (which includes some of “those programs”) obviously aren’t the smartest in the world. Maybe the most powerful, but not the smartest.

  3. I’ll take it a step further. Here’s a bunch more desirable jobs right off the top of my head.

    Alabama
    LSU
    Notre Dame
    Oklahoma
    Nebraska
    Texas
    USC
    Florida
    Florida State
    Ohio State
    Georgia
    Oregon
    Michigan
    Wisconsin
    Tennessee (Don’t care that Strong turned it down)
    Auburn
    Oklahoma State
    WVU
    Texas A&M
    Clemson
    South Carolina

    1. You guys are taking him too literally. I think he was rating the jobs in terms of best places to work, without the exorbitant expectations and the threat of getting fired, for example, three years after winning a national championship.

      1. I will not debate it. Tom says that he’ll debate it until he drops dead. I don’t want Tom to die. Too much work ahead. (Or am I taking him too literally again?) It’s UofL Football, I get confused easily on this subject.

        Paul

  4. I’ll take the debate to Tom.

    Alabama
    LSU
    Notre Dame
    Oklahoma
    Nebraska
    Texas
    USC
    Florida
    Florida State
    Ohio State

    These are 10 schools that Louisville would have a hard time cracking the Top 10 on.

    Top 25. Definitely. Louisville is there.

    Paul

  5. Tom Jurich is a genius, and will be a good candidate for the next President of the University of Louisville. That is all.

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