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If one made the mistake of going to the concession area, one was likely find his seat occupied upon return.
The University of Louisville is going to have to find another location for the annual football signing party based on the turnout for Wednesday’s celebration. Standing room only at the Brown & Williamson Club. An estimated 1,200 fans on hand, shoulder to shoulder they were there to celebrate.
The level of support just keeps growing, impressing Coach Bobby Petrino. “This is quite a turnout, he said, adding that it reminded him of UofL’s attendance at the Music City Bowl in Nashville. “That was like another home game for us,” he said.
As he spoke, the thoughts of at least one long-time fan flashed back to one of Vince Gibson’s signing events at the old football complex at Fairgrounds Stadium. Between 75 and 100 people would show up, everybody knew everybody, busying themselves with small talk, munching on cheese and cold cuts, just happy to be there, but dreaming of better days for UofL football.
A few of those fans were probably at Wednesday’s event but they wouldn’t been able to find each other. But they are happy people, continuing to marvel about how far the program has come.
Petrino said during an earlier press conference that the passion of UofL fans is important to recruiting success. “The best thing we have going for us is to get recruits on campus and get them to the city of Louisville,” he said. “Last weekend we had a great weekend with many of the recruits in town. It certainly solidified us with some of the guys who had opportunities to go to other schools.”
The recruits in Louisville over the weekend also attended the UofL-Virginia basketball game, which was a white-out event, attended by 21,714 fans. They entered in front of the student section, where many students were holding up signs personally welcoming the recruits by name. “It was a great experience for the recruits,” he said.
After the recruiting party, Petrino said he and the assistant coaches would be meeting with a boosters’ group that is assisting with another expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. “Today is just a great day,” he said.
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From UofL: The University of Louisville Athletics Department will conduct a press conference on Thursday, February 4 at 11 a.m. in the recruiting lounge of the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex. Vice-President/Director of Athletics Tom Jurich and Senior Associate AD Mark Jurich will provide an update on the expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the football complex.