All Entries Tagged With: "Howard Schnellenberger"

Keep It In The Family

by Tom Stosberg

Excuse me. What would be wrong with a “bloodline” staff? … A coaching staff that includes former University of Louisville football players who are now successful coaches. Guys who have the red and black bloodline are out there and available. It could make plenty of sense.

Start with Jay Gruden as Head Coach and Jeff Brohm as Offensive Coordinator. Both played quarterback for one of the best offensive minds in the game, Howard Schnellenberger.

These two have very impressive pro football backgrounds. Gruden won three AFL championships as a coach and three more as a quarterback. Jeff was a pro player for five-plus years working with a wide variety of pro coaches under several offensive systems. They both know the latest spread offenses.

If Brohm won’t come back, Marty Lowe could be an outstanding offensive coordinator. Marty is in his second year as head coach at Western Carolina but he might consider coming back home if it fit his ultimate career path. He also played and coached in the Arena Football League.

Consider Ty Scroggins, the super successful Head Coach at Central High as Defensive Coordinator. Ty could bring in Mark Sander as Linebackers Coach. Mark is a former player with the Miami Dolphins and in NFL Europe. He also coached for Howard at Florida Atlantic and is currently the head coach at DeSales High School.

Mix in some coaches Jay Gruden would bring and you have a staff bound to be loyal and definitely committed to winning big time.

I personally think Jay Gruden’s track record indicates that he is a winner. And after recruiting in the AFL where the players have to hold down part time jobs to help support themselves, college recruiting could seem a whole lot easier. Think about it. Jay might possibly be a better choice than you thought “Chuckie” would have been. He might even win big and actually stay here.

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Why Louisville Football Is A Magnet

Reasons the observer can hardly wait to pack the car and head out to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium for the kickoff Saturday:

• Another opening game for University of Louisville football, the 54th for the observer since first hearing Ed Kallay broadcast the games on WAVE radio. No Louisville football on TV in those days. The games would have been in black, white and grainy.
• A return to a great stadium, a possibility that was never even imagined before Howard Schellenberger. Seemed unlikely in 1985 to the observer, sitting behind that post blocking the view of the 50-yard line at old Fairgrounds Stadium.
• The observer and his first date with Barbara, the girl he would later marry, occurred at a Louisville football game on Nov. 28, 1972. Took a while to ask her if she liked football, less than a minute for her to say yes.
• Attending a meeting in the mid-seventies with U of L athletic director Dave Hart, Jr. about a tailgating concept he wanted to introduce at football games. He claimed it would enhance the social atmosphere at games.
• The observer lifting his son high in the air after touchdowns, still wincing from the binoculars banging into the nostrils on one occasion. Watching him grow into a bigger U of L fan than the observer, his reveling in a win over Miami.
• The observer introducing his first grandson to Louisville football, his excitement at Eric Shelton running 90 yards for a touchdown on the first play against Cincinnati.
• Bowl game after bowl game, the apex coming in Miami for an Orange Bowl, the jets shaking the stadium after the National Anthem, the observer surrounded by approximately 40,000 U of L fans.
• The optimism of team members, despite the grumbling, that comes with this season. The observer likes the positive attitude, the talent at several key positions, and wants whoever happens to be the University of Louisville football coach to be wildly successful.
• Watching the steel rising above the east side of the stadium, the promise of a future that the University of Louisville intends to keep.

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Head Trainer Leaving Louisville Football

The swinging doors continue at the University of Louisville football complex, with the start of pre-season practice scheduled to begin Aug. 5th.

Dwayne Treolo

This time the person leaving is Dwayne Treolo, who has been the Head Trainer of the U of L football program since 1993. He left a job as an assistant trainer at UCLA to come work with Coach Howard Schnellenberger.

Treolo told Card Game that he is leaving to accept a sales position with Donjoy Orthopedics, a leading global provider of rehab devices, including knee braces. He assumes his new job on August 1, and will continue to live in the Louisville area.

Treolo always exhibited a distinguished presence on the Louisville sidelines, working closely with many players over the years. Michael Bush and Brian Brohm were two of his favorites, requiring ongoing attention for serious injuries. He has obviously been intricately involved in the rehabilitation of current players Scott Long and Trent Guy.

He said his decision to leave was not an easy one to make, and he wishes U of L well.

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Louisville Football: How About Some Reality

By Sonja Sykes

Any fan who doesn’t think Tom Jurich is painfully aware of the slip, slide and fall of University of Louisville football over the last two seasons is not giving him enough credit for realizing there is a problem.

The point is…what good would firing Kragthorpe right now accomplish? What recruits we do have coming in would bail faster than a Justin Marks fastball.

The old adage … give someone enough rope and they’ll eventually hang themselves comes to mind here. One more season of declining football and Tom will most likely make the proper move. But, if for some reason, we do improve…say a 7-5 or 8-4 season (I know…sounds impossible, but play along with me here) then it’s a scenario where he just might be headed in the right direction.

Bottom line is this: We gave Ron Cooper three years, it took Howard Schnellenberger three years to get things righted and Krags will get his third year. My guess is that if we go 3-9 or 4-8, Krags will resign. Even a 5-7 or 6-6 may get him out of here. But, don’t look for it to happen until the season is over.

In the meantime, cheer for the players. It’s not like they want to be .500 or worse.

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