All Entries Tagged With: "Tom Jurich"

Jurich, Strong Discussed Louisville Job In October

New U of L Football Coach Wows Churchill Downs Crowd

By Paul Sykes

University of Louisville football coach Charlie Strong held an overflow crowd of Churchill Downs Turf Club members and guests in the palm of his hand during a three-hour meet and greet Wednesday evening.

Accompanied by his wife, Strong was greeted with a rock star ovation and literally had to fight his way to the stage to speak to the raucous and appreciative crowd.

Strong was introduced by Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich, who told the crowd:

• The plan to replace Steve Kragthorpe as football coach intensified after former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy repeatedly confirmed Jurich’s beliefs about Strong as the ideal candidate to take over Cardinal football.

• U of L  maintained contact with Strong during his final season as Florida defensive coordinator. Strong told Jurich after the Florida vs. Arkansas game in October, “There comes a time when you have to make a change in your life and Louisville is the place I want to be.”

Strong told the crowd returning players are on a strict conditioning and workout routine under the guidance of strength coach Pat Moore, who was also in attendance. He guaranteed to the crowd “we will play hard. I can’t tell you how many games we will win our first year..but we will play hard in each and every one of them.”

Strong also went on to say that “I have never been anywhere where I have been so welcome. My family and me. People are honestly thankful I am here and that’s an incredible feeling.”

After his remarks, Strong worked the crowd, shaking hands, posing for photos and signing autographs. He was still hard at work when this attendee left at 9 p.m.

My minute of fame with Charlie tonight? A vigorous handshake and discussion of the fun appearance he had at the Parrish House on signing day. He will be back there this fall for a preseason analysis of how the team is doing in fall practice.

His words for me to share with our Card Game followers:

“Paul, tell them that I want them in the seats. Loud and crazy.”

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Urban Meyer Suspense Boosts Louisville Football

by Tom Stosberg

Okay, so Urban Meyer gave University of Louisville football fans a scare. He also gave us a boost.

“Not so fast, my friend.” (Where’s Corso when you need him?) Hold everything! Meyer checks the call at the podium and he decides to stay. Kind of.  So, Strong stays, Stoops stays, Butch Jones stays, Favre stays (ooops, sorry).

Florida president, Bernie Machen talks Meyer into calling an audible at the last second by convincing him that a leave of absence might be a better solution than chucking the $4 million-a-year-best-college-head-coaching-job in America. Yes, even better than at that school often referred to as, “Didn’t you used to be Notre Dame?”

But let’s be fair to Meyer. He’s had health issues. Headaches – perhaps of the migraine variety. Some chest pains after the Alabama game. Though I’m sure Nick Saban and the Tide can have that effect on opposing coaches. It’s true that Steve Spurrier set the bar pretty high in Gatorland increasing the pressure. So high in fact, that Ron Zook couldn’t reach high enough, fast enough. Then, when Urban Meyer won his own 2 National championships, he set the bar even higher for himself.

So how does Strong fare in all of this? He comes out smelling like a rose.  For over 24 hours all the national sports talking heads were sounding like Charlie has a shot at the Florida job! So, once again, Strong’s name was all over ESPN, Fox Sports, SB Nation, CBS Sportline.com and all the major sports websites. Some top recruits in the country were once again hearing the name Charlie Strong mentioned in very favorable terms.

What looked like a liability actually became an asset for U of L recruiting. Again, it appears that Tom Jurich made a terrific hire. It makes no difference whether Strong would actually have been on Florida’s short list. The big media made it APPEAR that he might be and that served only to increase his stature with recruits and their parents. It was a plus for Strong and a plus for the U of L football future.

And we’ll take it.

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Urban Meyer Steadies The Dominoes, For Now

The ground beneath the college football world was quaking, the coaching dominoes teetering, athletic directors shaking, fans hyperventilating …

But wait a minute. Florida football coach Urban Meyer, well, now he’s just going to take an indefinite leave of absence. Not retiring just yet. Gator fans not sure how to handle the news, may never entirely forgive him for the uncertainty … unless he returns as a winner, of course.

A lot of people can relax, at least for a while, especially the athletic directors at Arkansas, Mississippi State and Oklahoma, the respective homes of Bobby Petrino, Dan Mullen and Bob Stoops. Their coaches may have been at the top of the list for Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley’s list if Meyer had stayed retired.

Foley’s first instinct may have been to hire a replacement with head coaching experience for Meyer.  However, the pressure to hire Charlie Strong would have been huge. Immensely popular with Florida fans and recruits, he was the logical choice, having been an integral part of the program’s success the past seven seasons.

A huge reprieve for Tom Jurich at the University of Louisville. Twelve hours of uncertainty over Strong’s future. After three-nightmarish seasons during the Steve Kragthorpe era, Jurich had to be dreading still another coaching search. The latest episode, though mercifully brief, underscores the scale of Jurich’s challenges in maintaining a successful football program at Louisville.

Tomorrow’s another day, and Urban Meyer could change his mind again.

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Word From Kenny Klein

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Happy Thanksgiving U of L Fans

by Sonja Sykes

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, this time of year gives us an opportunity to reflect on the many things for which University of Louisville fans can be thankful. Here is a brief list of the things that give us reason:

• Jeff Walz and the Lady Cards. A trip to the final four, the excellent play of Angel McCoughtry and the encouraging start to the 2009-10 season.  The electric atmosphere in Freedom Hall for games is something you need to experience.

• Rick Pitino and the men’s team. A trip to the regional finals and good times in Indy. A new team that has 10 guys that may not have the NBA draft status of T-Will and Earl, will give Cardinal fans plenty to get excited about in the upcoming season. An exciting mix of the new and old, and a coach that can get it done.

• Dan McDonnell and the baseball team. The fun involved with watching Chris Dominguez, the tight pitching staff and another run at Omaha is a blessing and another dynasty in Cardinal athletics is evident.

• Tom Jurich for the coaches he has hired, the wise decision making he has displayed and the patience to make a studied and informed decision on the future of a particular program that needs some changes.

• A football team that produced and developed some exciting playmakers. Trent Guy, Scott Long, Vic Anderson, Darius Ashley and my defensive heroes gave me a reason to go and cheer, despite the dismal season results.

• Leonard Yelin and the overachieving volleyball team. Learning and growing as the season progressed, they were the best in the Big East tournament and will play in the NCAA Championships.

• Ken Lolla and the men’s soccer team. Another Big East trophy to put in the showcase and the promise of more things to be grateful about next year.

• Pam Bustin and the field hockey team. Perennial top 10 rankings and a stellar performance from a young and rebuilding squad. Another sport you need to go out and watch life. You’ll be thankful that you did.

• Sandy Pearsall and women’s softball. The Lady Bat Cards are building a roster that is second to none in the Big East and play in the best facilities in the Big East, if not the nation.

• Track and field, women’s soccer, swimming, golf, all nationally competitive, too. Lacrosse coming on. That’s what happens when you start a list, wow.

Finally, a thank you to all those involved with this site. Whether a contributor, observer or occasional guest, you make the show here and we thank you for your wise council, excellent columns and comments and discussion that far outshine any other Cardinal sports site on the Internet.

May the joy of the Thanksgiving season, time with friends and family and reflection on all the things we can truly give thanks for fill your heart with happiness and cheer your hours during this holiday season.

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