All Entries Tagged With: "Football"

Ramsey oversees building boom at University of Louisville, more to come

Under construction.

Almost overlooked with the nearing completion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium football expansion and the KFC Yum Center basketball palace has been all of the other construction occurring in recent years at the University of Louisville.

The growth in new physical improvements has been phenomenal, adding up to more than $1.2 billion in capital projects since James Ramsey became U of L President in September 2002, according to a recent report in Business First Louisville.

Unprecedented growth during a period in which budget cuts in state funds have become the norm. New student housing, clinical and research buildings, athletic facilities and parking structures.

“But perhaps more important, the improvements are enabling the university to attract better students, create a stronger work force and work toward the state legislature’s mandate to become a premier metropolitan research institution … By teaming with private developers and tapping various sources of nontraditional funding, U of L is reshaping not only its Belknap, Shelby and Health Sciences campuses but the neighborhoods that surround them.”

Here’s Business First’s listing of projects completed since 2002:

• Delia B. Baxter Biomedical Research Building — A research facility on South Preston Street on the U of L Health Sciences Campus: $41 million.
• Herman and Heddy Kurz Hall — 400-bed student housing complex at 1900 S. Fourth St: $8.7 million.
• Billy Minardi Hall — 38-bed student housing complex at 2040 S. Fourth St.: $4.6 million.
• Chestnut Street garage expansion: $4.8 million.
• William F. Ekstrom Library Addition — Renovation of U of L’s main library facility included new entrance facing Third Street, robotic book-retrieval system: $14.2 million.
• Ralph R. Wright Natatorium — Aquatic center located at 2216 S. Floyd St.: $10.8 million.
• Reynolds Lofts — 72 privately developed condominiums and apartments at 2500 S. Third St.: $8 million.
• Jim Patterson Stadium — 2,500-seat baseball facility: $6.8 million.
• Shumaker Research Building — A 103,000-square-foot facility for microtechnology research, education and technology transfer: $47.8 million.
• Cardiovascular Innovation Institute — A 67,000-square-foot facility that includes research labs, operating and recovery rooms, diagnostic equipment and training facilities and offices: $28.4 million.
• Trager Center Indoor Practice Facility — Contains full-length football field, track, jump pit, pole-vault area and batting cages: $8.1 million.
• Community Park — A 350-bed residence hall on South Fourth Street: $15.1 million.
• Yum! Center — Training space for men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and women’s lacrosse: $16.1 million.
• James Graham Brown Cancer Center renovation: $29 million.
• Trager Field Hockey Stadium –Complex includes Marshall Center, a strength and conditioning facility for Olympic sports: $4.2 million.
• U of L Health Care Outpatient Center — Facility at 401 E. Chestnut St. for medical and dental offices: $63 million.
• Cardinal Station acquisition — U of L Foundation bought a facility that houses primary care and medical specialty programs and a sports medicine program: $8 million.
• Health Sciences Campus Parking Garage II — 1,711-car facility at Clay Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard: $30.7 million.
• Phoenix Place acquisition — Purchase of downtown apartment complex now used for housing for 225 students: $9.5 million.
• The Bellamy –192 student apartments in Park Hill neighborhood: $30 million.
• Center for Predictive Medicine — Regional biosafety lab developed on U of L’s ShelbyHurst Research and Office Park: $34.6 million.
• The Province –A privately developed student residence complex capable of housing up to 858 students: $54.2 million.
• Clinical and Translational Research Building — 287,000-square-foot facility at 505 S. Hancock St. supports oncology research: $143 million.
• Infrastructure improvements on Eastern Parkway: $7.1 million.
• Kentucky Trailer property acquisition — U of L Foundation’s purchase of 33 acres between J.B. Speed School of Engineering and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium for future development: $19.5 million.

Still in the pipeline: a 10,000-square-foot Westside Dining on Third Street, a $43 million expansion of the Dental School, a $2.7 million boathouse for the rowing team, a $9.7 million expansion of Preventive Medicine on Shelby Campus, and a $55 million redevelopment of the old Masterson’s Restaurant property.

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How About A Basketball-Driven Realignment

None of the recent changes in proposed or actual college conference realignments have had anything to do with basketball. Not even one. In fact, Kansas, one of the leading basketball programs, came perilously close to being relegated to the scrap heap.

Hard to fathom in parts of the country where the following for basketball closely resembles the most fanatical of cults, with an intensity among its frenetic followers that rivals that of some hardened fundamental and radical groups.

Brendan Prunty, of the Star-Ledger in New Jersey, envisions a realignment that would merge the Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences into what he convincingly argues would be the best basketball conference in the nation while also being a respectable football league, as follows:

Big Atlantic Conference

NORTH — Boston College, UConn, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Temple, Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown, St. John’s and Maryland.

SOUTH — Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, Louisville, Central Florida, South Florida, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Memphis.

Under this scenario, Villanova, Notre Dame, Georgetown and St. John’s would be basketball-only schools. Miami, Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech would have joined the SEC, and Syracuse, Rutgers and Pittsburgh would have gone to the Big Ten.

The Triangle Hoops Journal, a North Carolina-based blog, has endorsed the concept, noting:

The “Big Atlantic Conference” would be a respectable football conference and would provide sufficient opportunities for the member schools to compete at the highest level.  More importantly, it would remain true to the history and tradition of the basketball-centric ACC and Big East by creating perhaps the best college basketball conference imaginable …

State, Duke, UNC and Wake would get to play each other twice each regular season.  Traditional rivalries in each league would be respected and promoted …

Imagine a conference tournament arranged as follows:  The South division plays two rounds in Greensboro, the North in Madison Square Garden.  The four semi-finalists from each division would then play out the tournament in Greensboro or the Garden, alternating each season.

Gotta love the name, The Big Atlantic Conference. However, the South division of the tournament would have to be played in the new 22,000-seat state-of-the-art arena in Louisville. And Notre Dame would not be pressured into playing conference football, enjoying a great new home for its other sports.

This lineup is one that makes a lot of sense and would generate a highly profitable television network, assuring that basketball remains a major power player on the college athletic landscape.

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No Movement On Big East Expansion

Despite Paul Tagliabue’s recent statements, the Big East Conference is not making a move anytime soon to protect the football schools. The former National Football Conference commissioner, a consultant to the Big East, has said the league would become proactive in expansion efforts.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said today:

It’s funny, we’ve been in existence as a football conference since 1990 and we’ve always had eight schools. We’ve never had nine. Nine would give us the balanced schedule. So it’s not a new issue, but we just keep coming back the issue that there’s no one we can bring in that brings us that value. I don’t want to say a school because I get in trouble every time I say a name. But if there was a school like that that fit from all the other standpoints, then we would certainly make the move and create a 17-team conference, a nine-team conference in football. So that dynamic would certainly help us.”

Apparently they are concerned about juggling the basketball lineup, but remain reluctant to shore up the football side — a shortcoming which leaves everything in doubt.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

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Bandwagon Time

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Get Started Now

Start memorizing the University of Louisville fight song, get the words down by Saturday, Sept. 5th There will be a quiz. No excuses accepted.

This is the older fight song, of course. When you’ve got it down, get to work on my favorite, All Hail U of L!

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Zack Stoudt Positioned For Louisville QB Role

By Paul Sykes

Hard to believe, but a month from now the Steve Kragthorpe-mentored University of Louisville football team will be in fall practice preparing for the 2009 season. Although many questions come to mind, one of the main ones revolves around the quarterback situation.

Gone is starter Hunter Cantwell. Transferring out of the program are his two backups, Matt Simms and Tyler Wolfe. Who will come out of the battle to lead the Cards onto the field against Indiana State two months from now? Let’s look at the three candidates:

Judging from spring practice and scrimmage, red shirt freshman Zach Stoudt would seem to have a slight advantage over the competition. He had the most impressive outing of the three during the scrimmage, and is a powerful passer who can also scramble when he gets into trouble.

This could be important, since the Cardinal offensive line must be reconstructed after losing George Bussey and Eric Wood to graduation. Check out the You Tube video of Stoudt throwing a football 75 yards downfield into a net. Impressive.

Sophomore Justin Burke is the only one of the three with Division 1 experience. The North Carolina State transfer has sufficient arm strength and can motor out of the backfield as well when in trouble. Displayed a few nice throws during the spring game and appears to be a “take charge” kind of guy on the field.

Adam Froman, a highly sought after junior college transfer from California, is the third candidate. Froman is an impressive physical specimen and display a very accurate throwing style during spring ball. Although his performance in the spring game wasn’t quite as good as that of Burke and Stoudt, let’s not forget he has two years of post high school experience in leading a team on the field. His scrambling skills maybe aren’t that of Burke and Froman.

We shouldn’t omit Will Stein, the fourth QB on the roster, from Louisville Trinity. Injuries play a significant role in college football these days. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen, but he could advance up the chart should any of the top three have misfortune. He’s led championship quality teams.

Although it appears that the Cardinal running game will be the most powerful offensive tool in Krag’s woodshed this fall, the old philosophy of being able to throw the ball to set up the run is still valid. A decent offensive attack needs the pass to keep the safeties and defense from “stacking the box” and clogging up a running game.

With Victor Anderson, Darius Ashley and Billal Powell returning…and the sweep abilities of Doug Beaumont, the Cards need a steady performanceat quarterback to keep defenses honest. Any winner of the QB Derby knows he must be effective from Day Oone during the schedule, because…more than I can remember for a long time, the position is far from sewn up.

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Kragthorpe Sorry For Missing Football Camp

The apology tour has begun for Coach Steve Kragthorpe after inexcusably missing an opportunity to represent the University of Louisville program at the Kentucky Football Coaches Clinic on Thursday. About 120 high school football coaches were stood up when Kragthorpe failed to make an appearance.

The observer was reminded of his first impression of Coach K about two weeks after he took the U of L post, the coach showing up more than an hour late for his first meeting with fans at the Neutral Zone in Middletown. Said he couldn’t find the place. Bad omen, the observer was thinking at the time. New guy, new town, let this one pass.

But this latest faux pas is flat out embarrassing. Take it, Coach K:

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