Tom Jurich thrives on the big challenges

Going to make a prediction that the next time we see Tom Jurich, he will be standing behind Jim Ramsey as the University of Louisville President makes an announcement about UofL’s future conference affiliation.

Jurich disappeared from public view shortly after hugging Charlie Strong on the sidelines after UofL’s win over Kentucky in football two weeks ago. Few people inside or outside the University have seen or heard from him since, including members of the U of L Athletic Association and the U of L Board of Overseers.

We all think we know what he’s doing, however, and that is positioning the University as a prime candidate in the best conference spot available, which would appear right now to be the Big 12 Conference. Jurich has connections, his connections have connections, and they are working those connections hard. Relentless. No letting up, no matter how long it takes.

Connections are important but Tom Jurich is the man doing the heavy lifting. His one-on-one ability to work with and gain the trust of power brokers at all levels will be what finally clinches the deal. He is the third highest paid athletic director for good reason.

The list of candidates for Big 12 inclusion has expanded and contracted almost daily, with the names of possible candidates changing almost daily. Other than BYU, the school that has been mentioned most consistently is U of L. That in itself says much about his effectiveness.

When he finally does get to the podium, Jurich will say something about the University being easy to sell with the level of community support and with such incredible potential. Not so. Nothing easy about promoting your school when dealing with the egos of other much larger and more prestigious universities, each of them considering themselves better than the rest.

He will probably have done it again, achieving another milestone, bringing about what would have been deemed impossible before he accepted the U of L job on October 21, 1997