The University of Louisville began playing football in 1912 where the Cardinals went 3-1. Louisville had played several years at club level and teams were mostly composed with medical students. Beginning in 1914 the Cardinals joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) and they would participate in Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). Due to financial difficulty Louisville didn't not participate 1917-1921 seasons.
Tom King would be the first coach to attempt to build a program at Louisville. Being a Notre Dame grad he quickly developed a spread wing offensive so his undersized players could be better utilized. His first standout out was Fred Koster, at only 160 pounds and not big enough to play at Male High School, Koster would draw national attention to Louisville 1926 by setting the scoreboard on fire with racking up 68 points in his first 2 games of the season. In only 6 games Koster would score 18 touchdowns, 10 extra points and 2 field goals and would go on to finish 2nd in scoring for college football with 124 points. Koster was an all-around athlete and was a letterman 16 times, 4 times in each baseball, basketball, football and track. Koster was a standout forward for the basketball team leading the team in scoring 2 years. In baseball Koster would go on to play for 10 years professionally one being for the Phillies and would see time with the Louisville Colonels and St. Pauls Saints in the Anerican Association.
Tom King had the program going in the right direction until he decided to play Detroit for $10,000. Knute Rockne who was head coach at Notre Dame and a fellow grad called up King and ask if he would take the Detroit game because Rockne felt his team wasn't up to it. When King asked what was in it for Louisville Rockne replied $10,000, which was a substantial sum of money in 1928 for an athletics department. Louisville started the season with a 72-0 win over Eastern Kentucky but when they traveled to Detroit they were hammered with injuries wouldn't win another game or score for the rest of the season, as Detroit would go undefeated and claim a share of the national title.
King would serve as head football coach for only two more year but he would also serve as track, baseball, basketball and athletic director during his tenure at Louisville. Louisville athletics took a step back when Dr. Raymond Kent was announced as new President of Louisville and he was outwardly opposed to collegiate sports, King on the advice of his friend Rockne moved on and in 1933 became assistant coach at Michigan State.[1]
Louisville would fall quickly back into the dark ages of football and would only post 1 winning season until WWII. With the onset of WWII Louisville like many college athletic programs around the country, many athletics programs was put on suspension until 1946. During this time Louisville played mostly within KIAC and posted a 73-118-8 record with a .378 winning percentage.
Notable Games
Largest Victory: 100-00 vs Washington College (TN) on Oct. 18 1913
Largest Defeat: 00-105 vs Murray State on Oct. 8 1932
Undefeated Season: 1925 8-0 allowing 2 points to be scored all season.
Frank Camp revived the Cardinal Program in 1946 after WWII ended. Camp was collegiate player at Transylvania in both football and basketball went on to accumulate a 102-35-04 record as a high school coach before he was tabbed for the head job at Louisville. Camp was responsible for moving away from the traditional KIAC competition and moving towards a more competitive schedule including match up against powerhouse traditional teams. Camp would see success early after going 7-0-1 in his second year and was accredited for being able to gel current players with the new recruits return from war.
Camp like King would see another President pull resources and scholarships in the early 50's would see both Knop, who at the time was being recruited by Bear Byrant of Kentucky, and Johnny Unitas, who was being recruited by Indiana, elect to stay at Louisville and play for Camp. Louisville did see a lot of talent leave and they went into a slump from 1950 to 1954. Camp would only suffer 2 losing season for the rest of his career. The loss of the scholarships saw a loss talent on the team. So when scholarships were again available Camp would start to recruit black players and start integration in the sports program in at Louisville.
Camp would introduce the rivalry of Memphis, bring Louisville into the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC)and lead the Cards to their first bowl game during his tenure. Camp's legacy is tied to three players he brought to Louisville Johnny Unitas, Lenny Lyles, and Otto Knop. Camp coached the Cardinals until his retirement following the 1968 season. Camp is the Cardinals' all-time wins leader among head coaches in Louisville football history.
Camp would also see the Cardinals leave Parkway Field and move to Manual Stadium which held 17,000 and was relief for players because they no longer had to play on a baseball field and it was well lit. The Cards would then move to Cardinal Stadium in 1957 and it would serve as their home until the moved to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in 1998. In their inaugural season at Cardinal Stadium the Cardinals finished the season 9-1 with their first bowl appearance winning in the Sun Bowl against Drake 34-20. Louisville ended I-A independence by joining the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in 1963 only to leave independence again in 1974.
The most enduring legacy Camp left behind was pioneering integration in the southern athletics. Camp's first african-american player was Lawrence "Bumpy" Simmons, a local product from Central High School. He only played on year 1952 and left on good terms. Camp would bring in Andy Walker, George Cain and Lenny Lyles in 1954 and they would become the first scholarship players at Louisville. Once Louisville was integrated in 1951 Camp and his assistant coach Wood sought out potential recruits. Coach Wood would be integral in bring in Lyles who was also a track star. All three players would go on to become starters and Lyles and Cain would become a dangerous tandem in the backfield.
During Camp's tenure at Louisville he amassed a 118-95-2 record with a 1-0 bowl record to become the all-time winningest coach at Louisville. He retired following the 1968 season.
Five games into Johnny Unitas’ freshman season (Unitas was allowed to play as a freshman because Louisville didn't belong to the NCAA), head coach Frank Camp knew he had something unique. Tossed in against St. Bonaventure when Louisville was trailing 19-0, Unitas completed 11 consecutive passes, 3 for touchdowns, in a steady rain and helped put the Cards in front 21-19.But the Cards couldn't stop St. Bonaventure from kicking a last-ditch field goal and Louisville lost 22-21. Despite the loss, nothing could detract from Unitas’ astonishing performance. With Unitas leading the way, Louisville went on to win its next four games, including a 35-28 victory over Houston. Louisville was a 19-point underdog against the Cougars.
One of the greatest plays of Unitas’ career took place in that game when the Cardinals were leading 28-21 and had the ball on their own eight-yard line in the fourth quarter.After two unsuccessful running plays, Unitas dropped back into his own end-zone, sidestepped two defenders and threw a pass to Babe Ray who scored a 92-yard TD.
In the next day’s Louisville Courier-Journal, reporter Jimmy Brown wrote: “If Coach Frank Camp is smart, he’ll take Unitas, enclose him in a cellophane bag and put him away with the Cardinals’ uniforms for safekeeping over the winter.
In his sophomore season, Unitas completed 77 of his 154 passes and threw 12 TDs. Louisville went 3-8 that year. At Florida State, Unitas had one of his best games, completing 17 of 22 passes in a 41-14 victory. Louisville, though, almost fumbled away Johnny Unitas after his sophomore season. After an administrative hassle which saw 15 players dismissed from school, leaving the Cardinal roster empty.
Unitas thought about leaving and transferring to Indiana.But Unitas decided against leaving the Cardinals when he was reminded that Indiana shunned him earlier in his career.Unitas now holds just a few records at Louisville, most of them eclipsed by quarterbacks John Madeya, Ed Rubbert, Browning Nagle, Jeff Brohm, Marty Lowe, Chris Redman, Dave Ragone and Stefan LeFors. Unitas finished his career completing 247 of 502 passes for 2,912 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The rest of Unitas’ story is well documented. He left Louisville when he was the ninth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955 and was cut by them in a numbers game. The Steelers had four quarterbacks; they only needed three. Unitas was the odd man out.
Unitas took a job with a Pittsburgh tiling company following the cut and then he latched on with the Bloomfield Rams, a semi-pro team. He made six dollars a game. But Unitas didn’t linger long in the bush league. The Colts got wind of him and invited him for a tryout. He made the team—signing for $7,000 and the Steelers made history for one of the biggest blunders of all time.
Unitas was inducted
into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1979 and his record 47-consecutive game touchdown passes is a record compared to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.[2]
A trailblazer in the integration of the Louisville Cardinals football program, Lenny Lyles was an outstanding player on both sides of the football from 1954-57. He although he faced many unwelcoming crowds in his time at Louisville he all ways had the support of his coaches and his teammates. On a recruiting trip to IU track star Milt Campbell would advise Lyles against IU so eventually Lyles would settle in his hometown university and play for Camp. The Central High was a prize recruit for Louisville not only for his skill on the field but also to help attract other black players to the school. Louisville was coming out of a de-emphasis on sports and scholarships were now available to offer.
A four-year starter for the Cardinals, Lyles totaled 2,786 yards on the ground and scored a school-record 42 touchdowns in his storied career including 18 in 1957 to set a single season record which stood for more than 40 years. He is the school’s second all-time scoring leader with 300 points in his storied career. He became the first Cardinal to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. In 1957, his 1,207 yards not only earned him Little All-America acclaim but led all of college football. He was selected in the first round of the ‘58 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts, where he teamed with Johnny Unitas.
A four-year letterwinner at linebacker and center from 1949-1952, Otto Knop earned honorable mention Associated Press Little All-America honors as a sophomore and United Press International All-America his junior year. He was inducted into the UofL Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 in its second induction class, and was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. His most memorable highlight was a fumble recovery that led to the tying touchdown in a stunning 13-13 deadlock at heavily favored Miami (FL) in 1950.
Notable Games
File:Louisville Football 1949.jpgUniversity of Louisville Cardinals play the Washington University Bears at Manual Stadium for U of L's homecoming game. A referee appears to be making a call; there is also a coach on the sidelines. There is a crowd in the stadium seats on the other side of the field. A press box rises above the back of the stadium. The final score was U of L 35, Washington 12.
1958 Sun Bowl
Louisville 34, Drake 20 on January 1, 1958 | El Paso, Tx
The University of Louisville made its first bowl appearance Jan. 1, 1958, as Frank Camp’s squad battered Drake 34-20 in the Sun Bowl. The victory over the Drake Bulldogs capped a near-perfect season for the Cardinals. UofL finished with a 9-1 record. Louisville’s squad was headed by Lenny Lyles, the nation’s leading rusher. Unfortunately, Lyles went down in the first quarter with an injury. He managed just six yards on two carries. In Lyles’ absence, Ken Porco and Pete Bryant stepped forward offensively. Porco ran for a game-high 119 yards on 20 carries. Bryant added 80 yards on 14 carries, while also tossing a 20-yard scoring pass.[3]
The Miami Game
Louisville 13, Miami 13 on November 10, 1950 | Miami, Fl
Louisville had played Miami they previous year at Manual Stadium and suffered a 0-26 drubbing. When they meet in Miami the following year, Miami was ranked 9th nationally with a 6-0 record and was looking forward to the Orange Bowl at the end of the year. Louisville felt they had a chance against Miami when their quarterback was injured in Miami's previous game. Louisville played excellent defense and played all 35 players that went on the trip. The Cards kept the game close with 0-7 score at the half. Louisville would tie it up in the third quarter only to see Miami retake the lead early in the fourth. Louisville would come back and score late putting the capacity crowd of 28,824 into a dead silence. On the extra point attempt Louisville split the upright and would have taken a 14-13 lead but a penalty was called for not having enough men on the line. On the scoring play a Louisville player left the game with and injury and in the excitement of the touchdown the assistant coach forgot to send in his backup. The game would end in a 13-13 tie but was still consider a huge victory for the Cards. Camp credited the Louisville defense and bench of playing a complete game. Louisville would come home to 5,000 fans at Staniford Field and would greeted by the mayor. This game would become the greatest forgotten game in Louisville history.
Johnny Unitas Comeback Game : 21-22 vs St. Bonaventure Oct. 27 1951
Undefeated Season: 1947 7-0-1 one year after revival
Lee Corso Era (1969-1972)
Following Frank Camp's retirement, Navy defensive backs coach Lee Corso was hired to take over as Louisville's head football coach. Under Corso, the Cardinals went 28-11-3. Corso's final season saw the Cardinals finish 9-1 and ranked #18 in the final AP Poll. Corso would be the last coach until John L. Smith to leave Louisville with a winning record overall. After four seasons at Louisville, Corso left to become the head football coach at Indiana. Today, Corso is a well-known college football analyst for ESPN College Gameday.
Tom Jackson spent three seasons as a linebacker for the Cardinals leading the team in tackles all three campaigns. He earned All- Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors in 1970 and 1972. He played all three seasons under the watchful eye of the colorful Lee Corso as the Cards posted a 23-7-2 mark in Jackson’s three seasons as an active player. Jackson was drafted in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He played 14 seasons in the NFL.
Notable Games
Louisville 24, Long Beach State 24
December 19, 1970 | Pasadena, Ca (21,097)
In 1970, the University of Louisville’s Missouri Valley Conference Championship team tied Long Beach State 24-24 at the Pasadena Bowl to close the season. Long Beach trailed Lee Corso’s Cardinals almost the entire game after John Madeya scored a pair of touchdowns. On the strength of a safety and some nifty running by fullback Leon Burns, LBSU managed to forge a fourth-quarter tie. A strange play near the end of the game had the Louisville faithful thinkingthey just might secure a victory. Madeya threw a screen pass to tailback Tom Jesukaitis, who was supposed to go out of bounds. Instead Jesukaitis put the ball in the air again, throwing a pass to Cookie Brinkman who went in for a touchdown. The rulebook prohibits more than one pass on a single play, however, and UofL was penalized five yards. Louisville’s Paul Mattingly was named Defensive Player of the Game. He blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter and was in on a game-high 17 tackles.
T.W. Alley Era (1973-1974), Vince Gibson Era (1975-1979), and Bob Weber Era (1980-1984)
Following Lee Corso's departure Louisville's football program struggled mightily as fan support grew weaker and weaker. The years between Corso's departure and Howard Schnellenberger's arrival are considered the dark years for Louisville football. Louisville only made one bowl appearance during the tenures of T.W. Alley, Vince Gibson and Bob Weber, the 1977 Independence Bowl, which they lost to Louisiana Tech. All three of those head coaches had losing records at Louisville. T.W. Alley was hired to replace Corso, but was fired after two unsuccessful seasons. Vince Gibson was then hired to lead the football program. During Vince Gibson's tenure at Louisville, Gibson nicknamed his team the "Red Rage". Although the moniker is no longer used to describe the football team, several other university organizations over the years have used the "Red Rage" nickname. Gibson had the best overall record of the three coaches between Corso and Schnellenberger at 25-29-2. After Gibson came Bob Weber, who went 20-35 in five seasons. After Weber's tenure, athletic officials considered dropping from Division I-A (now FBS) to I-AA (now FCS) in football, due to the program's on-the-field struggles and low attendance and fan support, but decided to stay at the I-A level.
Following five unsuccessful seasons under the guidance of Bob Weber, Howard Schnellenberger, a native of Louisville and 1983 National Champion as the head football coach at Miami, was hired as head football in to build a college football contender for the first time ever. Prior to accepting the Louisville job, Schnellenberger turned a lowly Miami football program that was nearly dropped from the athletic department into a national champion in five years. Schnellenberger also played at Kentucky for and served as offensive coordinator at Alabama under Bear Bryant. His hiring brought excitement to Louisville football that had never been seen before among the Louisville fan base. His top team finished 10-1-1 and defeated Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl, the highlight of the most successful decade in U of L football history. His teams earned 90 percent of the school’s all-time TV appearances, and one of its top bowl bid ever, helped increase attendance by nearly 40 percent, an average over the past six years of more than 1,000 above stadium capacity.
The Schnellenberger Era generated support for the University’s recently announced 42,000-seat, on-campus stadium. His teams played a coast-to-coast schedule against the top conferences in the nation and produced victories over such teams as Texas (1), Alabama (1), Michigan State (1), North Carolina (1), Virginia (1), NC State (1), West Virginia (1), Boston College (1), Arizona State (2), and Pittsburgh (4). Schnellenberger also would see a lot of talent going on to play in the NFL. Some of his notable talent was Ray Buchanan, Ted Washington, Sam Madison, Jeff Brohm, Roman Oben and Joe Johnson.
At the press conference announcing his hiring, Schnellenberger drew laughs when he said the Cardinals were “on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time.”
Schnellenberger turned around the Cardinals and in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl soundly defeated Alabama 34-7. Louisville also took Louisville to the Liberty Bowl in 1993, where it defeated Michigan State.
1993 would become a reflection of what the coach was trying to build by scheduling Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Arizona St., Pittsburgh and West Virginia. With the coming announcement of Louisville leaving independence status and joining Conference USA, a weak football conference, Schnellenberger left to take Oklahoma head football coach position, leaving Louisville after ten seasons with a 54-56-2 overall record.
Schnellenberger’s lasting legacy at U of L however, is Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, which he proposed from the minute he arrived. Schnellenberger planned and raised the money for the construction of Papa John’s Stadium, but left for Oklahoma before the stadium opened. In 2006, Louisville named the Cardinals’ football fieldhouse the Howard L. Schnellenberger Football Complex with Schnellenberger in attendance before U of L’s game against Florida Atlantic University.[4] The most valuable player award for the UofL and UK is also named after him because he was born and raised in Louisville and he played college at Kentucky.
Notable Games
1991 Fiesta Bowl
Louisville 34, Alabama 7
January 1, 1991 | Tempe, Az (69,098)
Playing in its first bowl game in 13
years, the Louisville football team felt it had something
to prove at the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. The squad proved its
point to the tune of a 34-7 thrashing of Alabama. The Cardinals
came out on all cylinders, scoring 25 points in the
first quarter. Browning Nagle tossed two long touchdown
passes and Ray Buchanan recovered a blocked punt for
a touchdown. Nagle threw for a Fiesta Bowl record 451
yards, including 223 during a 25-point first-quarter explosion.
He completed 20-of-33 passes and had three scoring
passes. Alabama’s offense did not experience much
more success. For the game the Tide rolled for just 189
yards of total offense. UofL defensive back Ray Buchanan
was tabbed as the game’s defensive most valuable player.
1993 Liberty Bowl
Louisville 18, Michigan State 7
December 28, 1993 | Memphis, Tn. (21,097)
The 1993 Cardinals put a cap on
an 8-3 regular season with an 18-7 victory over Michigan
State at the Liberty Bowl. Howard Schnellenberger’s
squad registered the first win ever by the Cardinals over a
Big Ten foe. The conditions were hardly ideal for an aerial
display, but quarterback Jeff Brohm checked in with one
of the guttiest efforts in the history of Cardinal football.
Brohm, playing with two steel pins and one steel plate in
the index finger of his throwing hand completed 19-of-
29 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown amidst 20- degree
temperatures and freezing rain. Most of that courage
was shown in the fourth quarter. Entering the final frame,
Louisville trailed 7-3.With 12:05 remaining, Brohm connected
on a 25-yard strike to Reggie Ferguson to put the
Cardinals in front for good. Just over three minutes later, it
was the defense’s turn to make a big play. Pinned back to
their one-yard line, the Spartans were merely looking to
get some breathing room for their offense. Running back
Craig Thomas took the handoff and was immediately met
by All-American defensive end Joe Johnson and reserve
linebacker Tyrus McCloud for a safety. On the ensuing
possession, the Cardinals marched down the field for an
insurance touchdown when Anthony Shelman bolted into
the end zone from 11 yards out.
1 2
Ron Cooper Era (1995-1997)
Following the departure of Howard Schnellenberger to Oklahoma, Ron Cooper was hired away from Eastern Michigan, where he had a 9-13 record in two seasons as the head football coach. Cooper had also been an assistant at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz. Cooper was the first African American head football coach in Louisville football history, and also the youngest. He was 32 years old when he was named head coach. The committee responsible for hiring Cooper was very impressed with Cooper's optimism and vision for the program. Louisville went 6-5 and 5-6 in Cooper's first two seasons, but fell to 1-10 in Cooper's third and ultimately final season, prompting newly hired athletic director Tom Jurich to fire Cooper.
John L. Smith Era (1998-2002)
After the firing of Ron Cooper, Jurich hired Utah State head coach John L. Smith as the new Louisville head football coach. Smith kick-started the program and went 7-5, 7-5, 9-3, 11-2 and 7-6 in his five seasons as head coach. Following the 2002 season, Smith accepted an offer to become the head football coach at Michigan State.
Smith's teams were known for offensive prowess. "John L.", as he was called, would also begin the cycle of bring great college quarterbacks to Louisville starting with Chris Redman (1996–99), Doug Ragone (1998-01) and Stephan LeFors (2000–03). On the receiving end would see great receivers including all-time NCAA reception setter Arnold Jackson (1997-00), Ibn Green (1996–99) and a future Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch (2001–02).
Chris Redman
Chris Redman closed his career as the NCAA all-time
leader in passes attempted and completed and was one of just three Division
I-A signal callers to throw for more than 12,000 yards in a career. The Parade
National High School Player of the Year at Male, Redman finished his Cardinal
career completing 1,031 of 1,679 passes for 12,541 yards and 84 touchdowns.
A first-team All-Conference USA selection and the league’s Offensive Player
of the Year in 1999, he also added the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award to
his mantle. As a junior, Redman rewrote the UofL and C-USA record books,
passing for 4,042 yards and 29 scores despite playing in just 10 regular season
games. His 44-of-56, 592-yard afternoon against East Carolina was the nation’s
top single game passing performance in 1998.
Deion Branch
A former junior-college
standout, Deion Branch played for the Cardinals
from 2000-01. Despite playing just two seasons,
Branch put up remarkable numbers. He stands
seventh all-time in receiving yards with 2,204,
ninth with 143 receptions and tied for fourth
with 18 touchdowns. Branch registered his best
season in 2001 when he caught 72 passes for
1,188 and nine scores. He also caught 71 passes
for 1,016 yards and nine scores in his initial
years with the Cardinals. Coming out of Louisville,
Branch was originally drafted by New England
in the second-round (65th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played four
years with the Patriots and is in his fifth with the Seahawks.
A native of Albany, Ga., Branch made his name in the post-season, totaling
21 receptions in two Super Bowls (XXXVIII, XXXIX). He recorded a game-high
10 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ 32-29 Super
Bowl XXXVIII victory over the Carolina Panthers. He was named the Super
Bowl MVP after tying a Super Bowl record with 11 receptions in the Patriots’
24-21 victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Bobby Petrino Era (2003-2006)
Bobby Petrino, Auburn offensive coordinator and a former Louisville offensive coordinator under Smith, was hired to be the new head football coach. Petrino also served as offensive coordinator for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin and tutored Jake Plummer while serving as an assistant coach at Arizona State. Petrino had a reputation for being an offensive juggernaut, and the results showed. The high-scoring offense that was seen during John L. Smith's tenure not only continued but got better under Petrino's guidance. The Cards earned national rankings as high as sixth in 2004 and 2006 during Petrino's tenure. Petrino went 41-9 in four seasons as head football coach, the best winning percentage (.82) of any head coach in Louisville football history.
Prior to the 2006 season, Petrino agreed to a ten year contract extension with Louisville, giving the impression he was going to be at Louisville for the long haul. Louisville went 12-1 in 2006, winning the Big East championship and the Orange Bowl, the school's first appearance in a Bowl Championship Series bowl game. The Cardinals had hopes of playing in the BCS National Championship Game before losing at Rutgers in November. After winning the Orange Bowl, and only six months after agreeing to a contract extension, Petrino left after accepting an offer to be the head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, a position he resigned before completing his first season, after 13 games.
Steve Kragthorpe Era (2007-2009)
Less than 48 hours after Petrino's departure for the Atlanta Falcons, Steve Kragthorpe was hired from Tulsa, where he had gone 29-22 in four seasons as the head football coach. Things began to go downhill in Kragthorpe's first season as the Cardinals, fresh off an Orange Bowl win with most of the players returning, began the season ranked in the top 10 in the AP and Coaches' Poll but struggled to a 6-6 record and weren't invited to a bowl for the first time since Ron Cooper's final season in 1997. A 5-7 2008 season followed that, and after finishing the 2009 season 4-8, Jurich fired Kragthorpe.
Charlie Strong Era (2010-Present)
On December 9, 2009, Charlie Strong was hired as Louisville's 21st head coach. Strong had been a defensive coordinator for 11 years at South Carolina and Florida, studying under the likes of Lou Holtz and Urban Meyer. Strong is the second African American head football coach in Louisville football history. Although obtaining his first head coaching position at the age of 50, Strong's energy immediately rejuvenated the Louisville fan base. After back to back 7-6 seasons in 2010 and 2011, Strong led Louisville to an 11-2 season in 2012 capped with a Sugar Bowl domination of Florida, Louisville's second BCS game victory in school history, and after the season, Strong agreed to terms on a new contract that made him the seventh-highest paid head football coach in the country.
On November 28, 2012, it was announced that Louisville would join the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in 2014.
Other Notable Games
Southern Miss, 1999
Louisville was tied 27-27 with Southern Miss with under two minutes to go with the 1999 Conference USA title on the line. Facing fourth and 5 at the Louisville 37, Southern Miss went into punt formation. Shawn Mills was leaving the field after getting into a heated discussion with head coach Jeff Bower. The punter, Jamie Purser, threw a 27-yard pass to Mills which led to a Brett Hanna field goal attempt that won the game.
Florida State, 2002
In a driving rainstorm, remnants of Hurricane Isidore, Louisville hosted the #4-ranked Florida State Seminoles to overtime with a 20-20 tie. In the first play of overtime, FSU QB Chris Rix threw an interception to Louisville's Anthony Floyd. On the second play of overtime, Louisville's Henry Miller took a hand-off from quarterback Dave Ragone and went 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown; the final score was 26-20. The PJCS crowd stormed the field and tore down the goal posts.
West Virginia, 2005
Louisville was the preseason favorite to win the Big East in 2005, their first season in the league. The then-#19 Cardinals got off to a great start, leading the unranked Mountaineers 17-0 at the half, and limiting the Mountaineers to just 56 total yards in the first half. Louisville continued to hold steady until WVU quarterback Adam Bednarik left the game with an injury. The Mountaineers' dual-threat backup QB Patrick White entered the game and, along with running back Steve Slaton, took charge. With 8:16 left in the fourth quarter, and Louisville leading 24-7, West Virginia reeled off 17 unanswered points to send the game into overtime. The extra periods were heated, with each team matching the other step-for-step. During the third overtime, West Virginia's Slaton ran in a touchdown, with wide receiver Dorrell Jalloh pulling in the 2-point conversion. Louisville answered back, with Michael Bush scoring on a 3-yard run. During UL's 2-point attempt, the Mountaineers covered all of Louisville's wideouts, forcing Brohm to tuck and go. West Virginia defensive back Eric Wicks spotted Brohm rushing, and stuffed him at the 3 yard-line. The Mountaineers defeated the Cardinals in three overtimes, 46-44. Louisville would go on to face Virginia Tech in the Toyota Gator Bowl.
West Virginia, 2006
On a freezing night in early November, the undefeated, #5-ranked Louisville Cardinals played the undefeated, #3-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in front of the largest national audience to watch an ESPN-broadcast college football game. Louisville was the first team all season to physically match West Virginia's running game, and this resulted in an injury to Steve Slaton. This affected his ball handling, causing him to fumble the ball three times. One was recovered for a Louisville touchdown by linebacker Malik Jackson. Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm threw for 354 yards and one touchdown in a 44-34 Louisville victory over the Mountaineers.
Unexpectedly placed in a BCS bowl game with the University of Florida Gators (11-2). The University of Louisville Cardinals (11-2) [5] were primed to take advantage of Florida's rebuilding season. Louisville fans claimed that they would "shock the world" by finally earning a win against an SEC opponent.[6] Louisville was victorious 33-23 in a game which was more lopsided than the final score suggested.
The Louisville Cardinals football team plays its home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Prior to that the team played its games at Cardinal Stadium. The stadium was constructed with a capacity of 42,000 in 1998 for $63 million. However, the university completed a major expansion and renovation for the 2010 season. The $72 million project, which began in December 2008, features an elevated south-end terrace connecting the east and west sides of the stadium, 33 additional suites, 1,725 additional club seats, a second 100-yard-long club room, and 13,000 more chairback seats, bringing the total capacity to 55,000-plus.
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium will play host to its 14th season of Cardinal football in 2011 and has become one of the best home fields in the country. Specifically, since 1998, the Cardinals are 61-21 at home. Louisville won a school-record 20 straight home games from 2004 to 2007 (Syracuse snapped the streak with a 38-35 win in 2007). The Cardinals have won 17 of their last 19 non-conference home games since 2003. The structure, which sits on the south end of the metropolitan campus, is constructed with the ability for future expansion to more than 80,000 seats.[7]
The Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex which honors the former Cardinal head coach, also sits inside the stadium area and houses the team's coaches, staff, training room, strength and conditioning area and academic services for the student athletes. Schnellenberger initially proposed building the on-campus Papa John's Cardinal Stadium during his tenure at Louisville and is credited with keeping the project alive.[8]
Attendance Records for Papa John's
1. 55,386 Kentucky Sept. 2, 2012 W, 32-14
2 .55,327 Kentucky Sept. 4, 2010 L, 16-23
3. 55,106 Cincinnati Oct. 15, 2010 L, 27-35
4. 53,334 North Carolina Sept. 15, 2012 W, 39-34
5. 53, 271 Cincinnati Oct. 26, 2012 W, 34-31
Old Cardinal Stadium
Cardinal Stadium is the name of a former college and minor league baseball and college football stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. It is on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, and was called Fairgrounds Stadium when it first opened its doors to baseball in 1957.
The lone Bluegrass Bowl was held here in 1958. Cardinal Stadium was home to the Louisville Raiders football team from 1960 through 1962. It was the home to two minor league baseball teams in Louisville: the Louisville Colonels in 1968-1972 and the Louisville Redbirds in 1982-1999. It was to be the home of the American League Kansas City Athletics when their owner Charles O. Finley signed a contract to move the team to Louisville in 1964, but the American League owners voted against the move. The Kentucky Trackers of the AFA played at Cardinal Stadium 1979-1980. It also served as the home of the University of Louisville football team from 1957-1997 and their baseball team 1998-2004. It was also used heavily as a high school football stadium, hosting state championship games from in 1964-2002, including hosting all four state championship games played annually 1979-2002. Several local schools also played some games in Cardinal Stadium prior to 1998, including the annual St. Xavier-Trinity rivalry featuring the two major boys Catholic high schools in the city.
Attendance Records For Cardinal Stadium
1. 40,457 (11) Tennessee Sept. 5, 1991 L, 11-28
2. 39,826 (1) Penn State Sept. 20 1997 L, 21-57
Trager Center
The University of Louisville's Trager Center indoor practice facility just north of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, was officially opened on Thursday, Dec. 1 and used by the Cardinal football team. The indoor practice facility features a 120-yard FieldTurf field, a 100-meter four-lane sprint track, pole vault and long jump pits, as well as, batting cages for both baseball and softball. It's also equipped for the soccer, field hockey and lacrosse teams to use.[9]
Louisville Cardinals Football Seasons & Bowl Results
Current Series stands at 12-14 for Kentucky ( 12-8 for Louisville in Revival Era)
First Meeting: Oct 28 1912 L, 0 - 41 | Last Meeting:Sept 14 2013 W, 27 - 13 | Next Meeting: Nov 2014 @ Louisville
Louisville and Kentucky football series was revived in 1994 after the success of the basketball series that restarted in 1983. They played all games at Commonwealth Stadium until Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (PJCS) was competed in 1997. The all time series is 12-14 but in the revived series it is 12-8. Louisville played Kentucky in their 1st 4 seasons and twice in the 1920s holding the Cardinals scoreless in all contest. Kentucky then left the SIAA in 1922 and joined the Southeastern Conference and has limited its play of state schools since. It would be 70 years for these two schools to face each other.
The cardinal was chosen as the mascot in 1913 by Dean John Patterson wife to reflect the state bird of Kentucky. The suited mascot wouldn't appear until 1953 when cheerleaders first suited up T. Lee Adams for action.[13] Now the Cardinal Bird dubbed Louie appears at most Louisville sporting events and along with the spirit squad leads the crowds in cheers. During some home football games Louie could be seen parachuting into PJCS on occasion and in the stands starting the C-A-R-D-S chant to the crowd. Other duties are to lead the team onto the field at the start of the game and being apart of pregame and halftime marching band shows.
The cheerleading squads are a national powerhouse with the large co-ed squad winning 15 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National championships (1985–86, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998–99, 2003–05, 2007–09, 2011), the all girl squad winning 9 championships (1998–99, 2001–05, 2009, 2011) and the small co-ed cheerleading squad winning 7 championships (2005–11).[14] The University of Louisville Spirit Groups hold more national titles than any other sport offered at the University.The teams are coached by James Speed, Todd Sharp, Misty Hodges.
The University of Louisville Ladybirds dance team won its seventh national title in 2008, making back-to-back titles for the squad after the win in 2007. In 2004, they successfully defended their crowns from 2002 and 2003 at the National Dance Alliance Collegiate Championship and U of L also won the Universal Dance Association title in 1995 and 1997.The Ladybirds have long been successful, placing in the top five in the national competition 13 of the last 19 years. The group is under the direction of coach Todd Sharp.[15]
The University of Louisville RED RAGE! Marching Band is made up of students. The group has been featured on ESPN, ABC World News Tonight, Oprah, Sports Illustrated, Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, just to name a few. RED RAGE! also has various performance groups in the spring semester including a dance band, a brass band and a spirit band. RED RAGE! is the BAND of CHOICE! to perform My Old Kentucky Home each year at the prestigious Kentucky Derby.[16]
Cardinal Fight Song
“All Hail UofL” - By Allen Greener
All hail to thee our UofL, As we stand up for her fame.
All hail to thee our UofL, As we fight to win this game.
Sing praises for a victory, We wish our heroes well.
The University of Louisville football program created its annual Card March tradition prior to all home football contests to help bring fans out to the stadium earlier and to give the football team added inspiration before the game. The tradition began when the team buses would stop on Denny Crum Overpass on Central Ave and walked through the tunnel towards the stadium. Changes arrived in 2013 with the Card March beginning approximately two hours and 15 minutes prior to the announced (example 1:15 p.m. for Sunday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff). The team buses will drop the players off at Floyd Street at the south end of the stadium, which is the entrance to the Bronze D/E lots. After exiting the buses, the team will proceed to enter Gate 4 and then head into the stadium.Fans are encouraged to arrive early and greet the players with the assistance of the UofL marching band, cheerleaders, and Ladybirds. Fans should take note, if there are any bad weather conditions during the scheduled Card March times, that the team will proceed to the back of the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex and will not travel to the designated Card March location.
Right outside of the Schnellenberger Complex, before the north endzone of Papa John’sCardinal Stadium stands the legendary quarterback himself. One of UofL’s most celebrated athletes, Johnny U’s number 16 jersey is the only football Cardinal jersey with both it and the number retired. This statue helps commemorate Unitas’ stellar career, as football players give him a rub for good luck before taking the field.[18]
Spring Game
The Louisville spring game is usually held in early April at PJCS. The admission and parking are free for the event and the men's baseball team usually play before or after game. This event give opportunity for fans to see the team and any newcomers that may have come on campus early for spring workouts. 2013 spring game began later and offered dollar beers to draw more fans into attendance. This game has become more popular with the opening of PJCS and increasing higher ranked recruiting classes Louisville has brought in in recent years.
Helmets and Logos
Louisville has experienced a many changes over the years. Above is a list from 1960-present day. Before 1960 louisville would use the traditional brown leather helmets until they would wear all white facemaskless helmets. Louisville jerseys would stay traditionally the same with plain white jersy with red lettering or a red jersey with black lettering. As seen in the picture of Fred Koster vertical stripes was the look for many national teams at the time. With more games being called on the radio the advent of numbers on the helmet and sleves where made to help identify the players on the field.
Consecutive wins: 11, 2004-2005
Consecutive wins at home: 22
Consecutive games without being shut out: 140 (Sep 30th 2000-currently) last shutout was at Florida State September 23, 2000 (L 0 - 31)
Consecutive shutouts of opponents: 6, 1912-1913
Consecutive bowl appearances: 9, 1998–2006
Largest Victory: 100-00 vs Washington College (TN) on Oct. 18 1913
Largest Defeat: 00-105 vs Murray State on Oct. 8 1932
Offense
Game
Season
Defense
Game
Season
Tot. Offence
779 yrds vs. Houston, 2003
6,468 yrds in 2004
Fewest Yrds Allowed
58 yrds vs. Murray State, 1990
2,106 yrds in 1972
Fewest Tot. Offence
13 yrds vs. Arizona State, 1992
1,989 yrds in 1964
Most Yrds Allowed
801 yrds vs. Kentucky, 1998
5,502 yrdsin 2003
Points Scored
73 points vs. Murray State, 2007
597 points in 2004
Fewest Rushing Yrds
-56 yrds vs. Grambling, 2000
879 yrds in 2000
Most Yrds Passing
615 yrds vs. ECU, 1998
4,498 yrds in 1998
Most Rushing Yrds
480 yrds vs. Army, 1999
3,167 yrds in 1975
Fewest Yrds Passing
26 yrds vs. Tulsa, 1991
719 yrds in 1976
Fewest Passing Comp.
2 comp. vs. Southern Miss. 2012
69 comp. in 1971
Most Yrds Rushing
445 yrds vs. Houston, 2003
3,005 yrds in 2004
Most Passing Comp.
43 comp. vs. Tulane, 2000
264 comp. in 2003
Fewest Yrds Rushing
78 yrds vs. Arizona State, 1992
459 yrds in 1964
Fewest Pts. Allowed
0 points 11 times
91 points in 1972
Rushing Att.
66 att. vs. NIU, 1995
685 att. in 1977
Most Pts. Allowed
68 points vs. Kentucky, 1998
429 points in 1985
^Records are from modern era
Individual records
Category
Game
Season
Career
Passing Yards
592 Chris Redman, ECU, 1998
4,042 Chris Redman, 1998
12,541 Chris Redman, 1996–99
Passing Comp.
45 Brian Brohm, Syracuse, 2007
319 Chris Redman, 1999
1,031 Chris Redman, 1996–99
Passing TD's
6 Chris Redman, ECU, 1998
30 Brian Brohm, 2007
84 Chris Redman, 1996–99
Passing %
90.5 T. Bridgewater, Kentucky, 2012
73.5 Stefan LeFors, 2004
66.9 Teddy Bridgewater, 2011-
Rushing Yards
275 Anthony Allen, MTSU, 2007
1,429 Howard Stevens, 1971
3,204 Walter Peacock, 1972–75
Rushing Attempts
40 W. Peacock, Wich. St., 1974 N. Poole, Wich. St., 1978
290 Walter Peacock, 1973
811 Walter Peacock, 1972–75
Rushing TD's
5 Eric Shelton, ECU, 2004
23 Michael Bush, 2005
43 Lenny Lyles, 1954–57
Receiving Yards
223 Harry Douglas, Kentucky, 2007
1,265 Harry Douglas, 2006
3,670 Arnold Jackson, 1997-00
Receiving Receptions
15 Ibn Green, ECU, 1998 A. Jackson, Cinci, 1999
101 Arnold Jackson, 1999
299 Arnold Jackson, 1997-00
Receiving TD's
5 A. Cummings, Cincinnati, 1990
12 Ibn Green, 1998
33 Ibn Green, 1996–99
Field Goals
4 Nate Smith, Houston, 2000 Art Carmody, Pitt, 2005
21 Art Carmody, 2006
60 Art Carmody, 2004–07
Field Goal %
---
.875 Art Carmody, (14-16), 2005
.822 Art Carmody, (60-73), 2004–07
Tackles
35 Doug Buffone, Kent State, 1965
201 Doug Buffone, 1965
488 Mark Sander, 1987–90
Tackles for Loss
7 Elvis Dumervil, Kentucky, 2005
23 Dewayne White, 2001 Elvis Dumervil, 2005
56.5 Dewayne White, 2000–02
Sacks
6 Elvis Dumervil, Kentucky, 2005
20.5 Elvis Dumervil, 2005
37.5 Dewayne White, 2000–02
Interceptions
5 Tom Giannini, EKU, 1933
10 Anthony Floyd, 2000
18 Anthony Floyd, 1999-02
Longest Passing Play: 94 yards from B. Karns to G. Sartini, Wash & Lee, 1950
Longest Rushing Play: 93 yards by Ken Porco, EKU, 1958
During the football season you can catch game coverage on the Cardinals on 840 WHAS or 790 KRD. The Pregame show begins an hour and a half before kickoff on 840, if Kentucky is playing at the same time then 790 will have the coverage that day.
Current Team:
Paul Rogers - Play-by-play (Voice of the Cards)
Joe Tronzo - color analyst (former Louisville Fullback)
Doug Ormay - Sidelines
Sid Jenkins - Host
Paul Rogers also host the Charlie Strong Show Thursday nights from 7p-8p on 840 and is live from Tumbleweed on the waterfront.
