Smiles all around upon entering the University of Louisville football complex, members of the administrative staff, staffers in the athletic department knowing they are a part of history as UofL calls a press conference to get the word from Commissioner John Swofford.
Not a sense of relief although there is some that the day has finally arrived. A great sense of anticipation is in the air, with everyone connected with UofL or working at the University congratulating each other on arriving in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Today has been a long time in the making, and I’m pleased to be here to officially welcome the University of Louisville as the newest member of the Atlantic Coast Conference,” said John Swofford, the Commissioner. “The University of Louisville and its athletic program continues to reach new heights and ranks among the nation’s most competitive, making it a perfect fit for the ACC.”
With the addition of UofL, the ACC geographic area includes the most television households and the highest population of any conference nationally. It is projected by 2030, approximately 55 percent of the population of the United States will lie within the Northeast and Southern states, prime ACC territory.
Swofford indicated that the University of Louisville had been on the ACC’s radar for quite some time, as indicated by the fact that the University received an invitation to the ACC only 11 days after Maryland indicated it was headed to the Big Ten Conference. “The success and growth of the UofL athletic department was pretty obvious,” said Swofford. “What the University has accomplished over the past decade and a half is quite remarkable. The selection of UofL as the newest conference member was unanimous.”
Much of the credit for Louisville’s entry into the ACC rightly goes to Tom Jurich, the person James Ramsey against introduced as the finest athletic director in the country.
“It really didn’t sink into me until early this morning,” said Jurich. “The most fruitful phone call I ever made was to call you and ask you to consider the University of Louisville … It’s so exciting for the university, this community and the state.. It really feels like we’ve been a part of the conference for 18 months because the ACC has included us in everything since you extended the invitation.
“I stand here so very grateful to you and thankful that everything came together for us.”
Landmark day in the history of UofL.
Kudos and congrats and thanks to all the hard work of anyone and everyone involved.