Signs along the way that Charlie Strong wasn’t going to stay at the University of Louisville.
- Declared a media ban on spring football practice when the Courier-Journal ignored a scrimmage when the University of Louisville and Kentucky were playing a Final Four basketball game.
- Derided the fans for lack of participation in Card March, despite the fact that he had cancelled the pre-game ritual at least once on a rainy Saturday.
- Criticized fans for low attendance on Senior Day even though attendance for a late November game was the highest ever for a late season game. This after every game had been sold out, more than 55,000 attended three games, and UofL set an all-time attendance record.
- Comparing Kentucky fans to UofL fans at one point, suggesting they were more loyal, demonstrating a lack of understanding about the history of the rivalry or a lack of sensitivity or both.
- Getting defensive about fan concerns about the lack of offense late in the regular season, defending an offense that was often anemic and boring to watch.
- Argued for the expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, wanting to turn the stadium into a bowl despite statements by Tom Jurich that he never wanted to close in the stadium.
- Entertaining job offers already after his first season, following it up with cliffhanging drama after ever season thereafter. There were reports that he had accepted the Tennessee job last season before turning it down and proclaiming his undying love for Jurich and UofL.
Steveko, your quote of Briles’ loyalty to Baylor sounds vaguely familiar. Is that not about what CS said when he turned down the UT job? Go Cards!
Despite Strong gone, I believe it’s a great time to be a Cards fan! Athletic program moving ahead regardless of coach.
It’s too bad Strong didn’t believe in Louisville like Briles has for Baylor. Now that’s something special. Hope the next coach for the Cards has the class and passion as Briles. I’m hoping for Morris or smart unless cards steal a major head coach.
Briles left no doubt in a statement released by the school.
I have no desire to pursue other coaching positions. As I’ve said many times, I am both humbled and honored to be the head coach at Baylor University, and believe we have something special going here. I look forward to leading the Bears onto the field next fall at McLane Stadium and defending our Big 12 championship that our players and coaches worked so hard to win this season.
There is tremendous excitement for our program’s future, and I look forward to many more great seasons at Baylor. There is tremendous commitment from our University leadership, athletic administration, coaches and student-athletes – it truly is a great time to be a Baylor Bear.
Count me as someone who is glad that this dude’s drama is now someone else’s problem. He was telling fans how they should act from the day he was hired (be in your seat 15 minutes prior to kickoff, attend Card March even when we don’t have it, act like UK fans, etc.). He struck me as someone who looked down his nose at us and always wanted to be at a “football school.” Well, you’re at the ultimate football school now and that same passion can backfire on you, Charlie. And if it’s true that he isn’t meeting with the team prior to leaving town it’s a bush league move and shows him to be no different than every other mercenary coach out there. I really hope we play Texas in a bowl game in the near future.
We’re fortunate to have the best AD in the business running the coaching search, no 8 person CYA search committees here. Next man up…
Total agreement, Larry. Another good thing about UofL fans is that they aren’t sheep blindly following coaching dictates. Think Charlie will schedule Louisville in football now? Only if it serves his purposes. The next football coach has some other challenges to overcome, thanks to Mr. Strong.
Care to elaborate on your last sentence?
The more coaches mislead fans, the less likely fans are to put much trust in their successors. What these coaches want is best for them and their resumes even if it coincides with what’s best for UofL at the time. Less trust every time a coach proclaims how much he loves the community and then takes off for another job. The guy who follows him had better not tell us how much he loves us, prostituting himself and the profession.
Preach it, brother
Charlie ,I agree with everything you said, and wanted to add that I guess I really feel sad and angry about Charlie leaving. I believed that he was a man of integrity, and that when he talked about his loyalty to his players and to Jurich for giving him his first HC position he would at least stayed on to get us started in the ACC. But alas I was wrong, as you said I guess with most HC fame and fortune come before integrity and loyalty!
Norman, football coaches have a funny way of defining integrity and loyalty. Doesn’t resemble anything in the dictionary. Thanks for the feedback.
The criticism of the fans is getting old. Almost every game, if not every game was a sellout this year even with a sub par schedule. 20K plus fans made their way 1800 miles to see them play in a 2nd tier bowl on a day we were playing our biggest rival in basketball (I was one of them). While I wish more fans would get in their seats prior to kickoff, I have seen significant improvement over the years. Continue to put a good product on the field and the fans will continue to improve. I’m most disappointed because I believed Charlie was different and would become the Denny Crum of Louisville Football. Obviously I was wrong. This is all about ego and nothing else. I understand it, but don’t like it.
Rob, I think ego is the driving force for many football coaches. There’s something about the occupation, the desire for success and fame that overrides loyalty to fans, believing they can attain anything.
The ability to walk away from players you’ve recruited, in this case convincing more than 30 players from Florida to go to Louisville, is something that most of us couldn’t even fathom. The father complex they foster, the hard work and loyalty they demand from their players is contradictory when they walk out the door for a little more money. Which life lesson are they going to remember most? Obviously, the last one.
The criticism of the fans indicates that the coach had little understanding of the history of UofL football, about how far it has come in such a short time. Maybe it’s too much to expect a football professional to give a damn. It’s a quality that is lacking in sports.
Coaches know fans are only with them when they’re winning and quickly turn their backs in losing situations. They do try to keep their distance from fans, recognizing that results are what count most. Why a coach would leave a successful position in which he has total fan support is growing for a program like Texas, with even higher expectations and no patience with disappointing results, is beyond comprehension. Maybe one has to be a football coach to understand.
Follow the money. Power. Strong has had 2 good seasons thanks in large part to teddy. Played a very weak schedule and never won conference outright. Petrino still the best coach Louisville has had. I seriously doubt he’ll be successful in Texas. Don’t really care. I do care that Louisville gets a great coach. A better coach. Hope it isn’t Cutclifffe! And I hope it isn’t four-and-done! Someone who wants to be there. A destination not a stepping stone.
The only way Petrino comes back is if Tom Jurich can’t get someone better. Not that BP isn’t an excellent coach, but TJ doesn’t want to divide the fan base on someone that controversial. Petrino needs to suffer a little while longer to be credible.