One Monday morning in December of 2022, the University of Louisville football program received the Christmas miracle the whole athletic department and morosely forlorn fan base had needed. Ever since the nets were cut in Atlanta, CardNation morale had been in a free fall, thanks to some morally repugnant decisions made up 65 North via 64 East. Coach Scott “.500” Satterfield had extinguished the fire that Bobby Petrino had left in the football program’s Floyd St. dumpster, and securely elevated it to the ceiling of mediocrity. Better than he found it, but much to be desired.
The atmosphere on Belknap Campus was gloomy. UofL needed a hero.
Behind every hero, there is a sidekick. An accomplice. An facilitating instigator, at times. Batman had Alfred. Spiderman had Aunt May. Opie had Aunt Bee. The list goes on and on.
Enter Coach Jeff Brohm. We all know what Brohm, and family, was/were to the history of the program. We all know what he’s done since he took over. A lot of diehards even know what influence Brohm’s family played in his homecoming, such as his son Brady’s persistence to the cause. All these are out in the open and documented.
Another maybe even more foundational piece of the movement to bring Brohm home was a social media influencer named @BringBrohmHome. And if you spent anytime on X, twitter at the time, there was no way you didn’t run into the movement. One of the most singlehandedly persistent, devoted, tenacious propaganda campaigns of the digital age. You could find him, BBH, everywhere.
The person behind the account has elevated himself (?) to urban-legend status of the fan base. A lot of speculators feel it could be Brady. Others have been named, accused.
Whoever it is, the almost superhero persona played a part of the return of Louisville’s prodigal son. There is no denying it, but just how much can be left to individual interpretation. And once he conquered the challenge of actually bringing Brohm home, he altered his ego. He alternated his alias. Not only did he (?) rename his profile from “@BringBrohmHome” to “@BroughtBrohmHome” He switched gears to the botheration of basketball.
Without muddying this expose with the details of the basketball’s cliff dive of an experiment that is Coach Kenny Payne, and all the conspiratorial precipitating factors of the demise and inevitable rabbit hole, we’ll get to the disaster response at hand.
Cue the BBH signal.
Now, BBH has donned a new mask. His cape is a different color. His superfan, supercharged vehicle is now in warp speed to fix the Louisville hoops.
And if you’ve remained on X, you’ve inescapably stumbled upon his new crusade. I was even reading through some of the comments of one of President Biden’s tweets the other day and there he (?) was in his glory.
Mick is the Pick.
You’ve seen it. No further explanation is needed, that’s why you’re here.
Channeling my inner-Lois Lane, I sought after the endless enigma that was named the 2022 Card Chronicle Person of the Year and was named specifically by Louisville Athletic Director Josh Heird when hiring Brohm.
I asked BBH the following questions hoping, not expecting, he’d (?) reveal his identity. Or at least present the chance for the fan base to recognize who to give the glory to. Who maybe even Jeff himself could give thanks for making it happen. Maybe it’s Jeff. Maybe it’s Mick. Maybe he’s a mega-troll of the school down the road who thought Brohm would fail and is thoroughly disappointed by now.
Whoever it is, he’s (?) set his steadfastness on leading the charge for former Louisville Basketball and Rick Pitino assistant coach, Murray State head coach and current UCLA coach Mick Cronin to Denny Crum Court.
Read the answers and make your own assumptions. Or just appreciate the legend that is and is to come:
What is your name?
My name would give this whole thing away. I’m not famous by any means, but people may know who I am from past jobs.
How old are you?
Sexagenarian
Where are you from/where do you live now?
I’m from the Louisville area. I’m currently living in the east end.
What is your profession?
I can’t tell you exactly, but what I will say is that I do like speaking and getting paid for it.
How long have you been a Card fan?
A large majority of my life.
How did you become a Card fan?
I grew up around both Cats and Cardinal fans like a majority of us, some of my family members even rooted for the blue. I always wanted to counter their arrogance, so naturally I became a UofL fan. You are obviously a huge and dedicated Card fan.
What do you attribute this to?
For me it’s about the swagger UL has always had, you’re talking about Denny Crum and Howard Schnellenberger. I’ve always gravitated towards figures like that.
Why were you such a big proponent of Jeff Brohm?
I’m a huge supporter of Jeff Brohm because I believe in his pedigree. He’s played and coached under winners like Dennis Lampley, Bobby Petrino, and Howard Schnellenberger. He’s a great teacher of the game and he’s an even better person. I think when you have that combination you can win at a high level.
Do you know or have a connection with him personally, or any of the other Brohms?
There is a connection there, without getting into too many specifics, I was able to interact with the Brohms through previous jobs I held. It made it pretty easy, I’ll just say that.
How were you able to mastermind the BBH campaign so relentlessly before he was hired?
I had a strong indication he would return for a variety of reasons, which made my effort level even greater because I knew this could be executed. Many thought the ship had sailed on hiring Jeff, but I knew we we’re just leaving the harbor. Your attempt to BBH the first time failed and we were stuck with Satt for another year.
What were your feelings the first go-round, and how were you able to regroup/reenergize and focus for the ultimately successful round two?
Just like anything in life, you’re going to have triumphs and failures, but you have to keep faith through it all. Even when the chips are down and everyone is telling you it’s a lost cause, you have to dig deep and go even harder.
What kind of support did you have from the fan base and how did it help you?
During the season, the support I received from fans on social media was minimal. Satterfield was winning just enough and the itch to replace him was not as strong. But I knew a change was inevitable and Brohm was our guy, so I continued my campaign. Tweet after tweet I battled on. The few that stayed by my side the whole way certainly are appreciated. They really helped me to keep going.
What were obstacles in your way?
There were detractors, people obviously trying to discredit me, there were naysayers that would nitpick Brohm’s credentials and so on. That was something I had to definitely power through. But I was having fun and I knew I was making a difference, so that didn’t bother me too much. I was going to get there no matter what. My focus was so great and so intense that I knew I would not be denied.
How are you able to spend so much time and be so persistent with your efforts?
My career allows me to be flexible with my time, so that helps a lot. Social media campaigning is a grind, as in, its very time consuming. It isn’t easy and you have to love the cause and be invested in it or you won’t be successful. My family also jumped aboard. My wife even tweets for me sometimes when she’s not working. You could say it’s a family affair.
What were your emotions like that Monday morning when Satt shocked the world and left for the University of Cincinnati?
That morning it was like a dream realized, but for me it wasn’t really shock, it was more like the next big step in the plan. I had indicators that it was likely coming throughout the season, but to finally have it happen in that way was very exciting because others started to understand why I was doing what I was doing.
Did you play any part in that miracle?
I feel I did play a part. People may not know this, but I was extremely aggravating to the Satterfield family. There were some things that let me know just how annoying I was, I will put it like that.
Have any of the Brohm family reached out to you thanking you for your efforts?
The Brohm family has reached out to me, thanking me for everything. It’s one of the most rewarding gestures I have experienced. It means a lot.
What is your infatuation with Mick Cronin?
In my opinion Mick Cronin embodies what a college basketball coach is all about. I just love the way he goes about his job. He wears his emotions on his sleeve and I think that matters to fans. It shows them that he really cares, too. On the court his teams play tough and physical on defense, they like getting to the rim. Mick just gets his guys to play really hard-nosed basketball all the time, they never take a play off.
Do you know Mick?
I know him through mutual friends of ours in the horse racing and coaching industries.
When it was it obvious to you that you needed to revamp your campaign and make it pro-Mick?
I wasn’t going to help with the basketball coaching search, but fans on Twitter kept reaching out to me, some jokingly and some serious, wanting me to help. So around October of 2023, I started to really think about who would be the best candidate to revive Louisville Basketball. Then in December of 2023 I started to hear murmurings of a particular name. One I had even pondered myself. A friend of mine who is in those close circles at UofL, said to me in a conversation about Louisville Basketball… “I’m hearing Mick Cronin is the pick to replace Kenny.” That’s the genesis of #MickIsThePick. I decided right then it was time to save Louisville basketball and Mick Cronin was the man to do it. It was my aha moment.
Why is Mick the Pick?
Much like with Brohm, Mick’s coaching pedigree is one of the best there is, having been under the tutelage of two greats, Bob Huggins and Rick Pitino. He has a wealth of experience and has been a perennial winner in college basketball at a high level. He has ties to UL, meaning he understands the program, its history, and the dynamics of the job. I truly believe he will turn UL Basketball around in year one.
The fan base is much more divided over who should be CKP’s replacement this time, as compared to Jeff being almost the universal choice for football. How does that make things different/more difficult/easier for you this time around?
Jeff certainly had supporters, there is no doubt. But he also had quite a few people that were not in favor of him. With Mick there are more detractors, so I think this time around I’m more inclined to educate people on specifically why he is the right coach to bring UL Basketball back to prominence.
If Mick is ultimately the pick, will you give yourself the credit?
I’ll leave that up to the people.
If he is not the pick, how will you respond?
If for some strange reason Mick isn’t the pick, I will be devastated. But I will move forward.
For future Cardinal coaching changes, will you always hitch your wagon to a candidate and advocate for them so vociferously, or is it just limited to these two hires?
Never say never, but I think after this campaign I will leave the rest to Josh Heird. I trust him.
After the next hoops coach is hired, what’s next for BBH?
I’m going to sit back and enjoy the show. My job will be done.
Will BBH venture into politics and pick the next president?
Don’s the Dude? Biden’s the Best? Haley’s our Hero? No politics for me, I stay with what I know and love. But I will say, if you want to win a campaign, Twitter is your best route.
Finally, what would it take for you to finally reveal yourself to the fanbase so you can get the much needed credit you deserve? Name your price for recognition?
I will probably never reveal my true identity. Just like Batman, I must remain anonymous.
And just like that, he (?) was gone in the night. Or until Mick Cronin’s veins are about to pop screaming on the sideline at the KFC Yum! Center. Or until the next time you open X, anyway.
