Louisville Cardinals football
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
For current information on this topic, see 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team |
| Louisville Cardinals football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| First season | 1912 | ||
| Staff | |||
| Head coach | Steve Kragthorpe | ||
| 1st year, 6–6 | |||
| Stadium | |||
| Home stadium | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium | ||
| Stadium capacity | 42,000 | ||
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky | ||
| League/Conference | |||
| Conference | Big East | ||
| Team records | |||
| All-time record | 431–411–17 (.510) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 6–7–1 | ||
| Awards | |||
| Conference titles | 6 | ||
| Pageantry | |||
| Colors | Red and Black | ||
| Fight song | Fight! UofL | ||
| Website | UofL Sports | ||
The University of Louisville Cardinals football team is a member of the Big East Conference. The football program is on the rise, having its best success and gaining its greatest prominence over the last decade. Entering the 2007 season, the Cardinals have made nine straight bowl game appearances and have won 41 games over the last four years. UofL went 12-1 in 2006, winning the Big East championship and the Orange Bowl, which was the school's first Bowl Championship Series bowl game. The 2007 Cards, tabbed as the nation's No. 5 team in the 2007 preseason by Sports Illustrated, ended the season 6-6. The football Cardinals have also earned national rankings as high as sixth in 2004 and 2006. The team plays its home games at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Contents |
[edit] Team information
Nickname: Cards; The Ville
Uniforms:
- Home: White
- Road: Red
- Alternate home: all black
- Alternate road: all white
Stadium: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium 42,000 cap.
Fight Song: Fight! UofL
Mascot: Cardinal Bird
Marching Band: Cardinal Marching Band
Traditional Rivals: Kentucky, Cincinnati, Memphis
National Championships: None
Conference Championships: Six (Missouri Valley Conference in 1970 and 1972; Conference USA in 2000, 2001 and 2004; Big East in 2006)
Conference History:
- 1963-1974 Missouri Valley Conference
- 1975-1995 Independent
- 1996-2004 Conference USA
- 2005-present Big East
[edit] Chronology of Louisville head coaches
|
|
[edit] Louisville bowl history
Louisville has been to 14 bowl games, amassing a record of 6-7-1. Louisville attended a bowl each season from 1998-2006.
| Year and Bowl | Winning team | Losing team | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Sun Bowl | Louisville | 34 | Drake | 20 | Won |
| 1970 | Pasadena Bowl | Louisville | 24 | Long Beach State | 24 | Tie |
| 1977 | Independence Bowl | Louisiana Tech | 24 | Louisville | 14 | Lost |
| 1991* | Fiesta Bowl | Louisville | 34 | Alabama | 7 | Won |
| 1993 | Liberty Bowl | Louisville | 18 | Michigan State | 7 | Won |
| 1998 | Motor City Bowl | Marshall | 48 | Louisville | 29 | Lost |
| 1999 | Humanitarian Bowl | Boise State | 34 | Louisville | 31 | Lost |
| 2000 | Liberty Bowl | Colorado State | 22 | Louisville | 17 | Lost |
| 2001 | Liberty Bowl | Louisville | 28 | BYU | 10 | Won |
| 2002 | GMAC Bowl | Marshall | 38 | Louisville | 15 | Lost |
| 2003 | GMAC Bowl | Miami (Ohio) | 49 | Louisville | 28 | Lost |
| 2004 | Liberty Bowl | Louisville | 44 | Boise State | 40 | Won |
| 2006* | Gator Bowl | Virginia Tech | 35 | Louisville | 24 | Lost |
| 2007* | Orange Bowl | Louisville | 24 | Wake Forest | 13 | Won |
*A January bowl. The regular season that this bowl is part of is actually the year prior.
[edit] Notable players
- David Akers — current Philadelphia Eagles placekicker
- Bruce Armstrong — former offensive lineman, notably with the New England Patriots
- Ray Buchanan — former defensive back, notably with the Atlanta Falcons
- Deion Branch — former wide receiver, 2005 Super Bowl MVP with the New England Patriots, currently with the Seattle Seahawks
- Brian Brohm — former quarterback, 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl Offensive MVP, drafted in 2008 by the Green Bay Packers.
- Doug Buffone — former linebacker, notably with the Chicago Bears
- Michael Bush — former running back, drafted in 2007 by the Oakland Raiders
- Hunter Cantwell — projected 2008 starting quarterback
- Art Carmody — former kicker, 2006 Lou Groza Award winner, NCAA all-time career points leader
- Mark Clayton — former wide receiver, notably with the Miami Dolphins
- Harry Douglas — former wide receiver, drafted in 2008 by the Atlanta Falcons
- Elvis Dumervil — former defensive end, 2005 Bronco Nagurski and Ted Hendricks awards winner, currently with the Denver Broncos
- William Gay — former cornerback, drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2007 NFL Draft
- Ernest Givins — former wide receiver, notably with the Houston Oilers
- Tom Jackson — longtime Denver Broncos linebacker and current ESPN sportscaster
- Joe Jacoby — former offensive lineman, notably with the Washington Redskins
- Stefan LeFors — former quarterback, 2004 AXA Liberty Bowl Offensive MVP
- Lenny Lyles — 1957 all-American, for cornerback, notably with the Baltimore Colts
- Sam Madison — former defensive back, notably with the Miami Dolphins
- Frank Minnifield — former cornerback, notably with the Cleveland Browns
- Roman Oben — former offensive lineman, notably with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Amobi Okoye — former defensive tackle, picked in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans
- Chris Redman — former quarterback, 1999 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner, currently with Atlanta Falcons
- Kerry Rhodes — former safety, currently with the New York Jets
- Kolby Smith — former running back, drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2007 NFL Draft
- Johnny Unitas — Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, notably with the Baltimore Colts
- Ted Washington — former defensive tackle, notably with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots
- Erik Watts — former quarterback and current professional wrestler
- Otis Wilson — former linebacker, notably with the Chicago Bears, member of the 1985 Super Bowl Champions
- Dewayne White — former defensive end, currently with the Detroit Lions
- Dwayne Woodruff — former defensive back, notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers
[edit] Notable past games
[edit] Southern Miss, 1989
After a missed field goal by Louisville that would have given them the lead Southern Miss was on its own 21-yard line with six seconds left in a 10-10 tie, in October 1989. Future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre threw a Hail Mary pass that was deflected, but it bounced off the helmet of Southern Mississppi's Michael Jackson and into the hands of wide receiver Darryl Tillman, who scored a touchdown with no time left. The play was later voted on as one of the "Top 5 Memorable Moments" in college football history in an online vote at ESPN.com.
[edit] 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. Officials later admitted that they missed penalties for Southern Miss not having enough players on the line of scrimmage, and Mills' shoulders not being parallel to the line.
[edit] Florida State, 2002
In a driving rainstorm, remnants of Hurricane Isidore, Louisville played 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 pro-Louisville crowd, which did not sit down the entire game, stormed the field and tore down the goal posts.
[edit] 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 Pat White and the Mountaineers.
[edit] Wake Forest, 2007 Orange Bowl
In its first BCS bowl game in school history, the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 24-13 in Dolphin Stadium in Miami, FL. It was the last Louisville game coached by Bobby Petrino.
[edit] School records
[edit] Team records
Consecutive wins: 11, 2004-2005
Consecutive wins at Home: 20
Consecutive games without being shut out: 89, 1992-2000
Consecutive shutouts of opponents: 6, 1912-1913
Consecutive bowl appearances: 9, 1998-2006
[edit] Individual records
Most rushing yards(game): 275 Anthony Allen against Middle Tennessee State 9/6/2007
Most rushing yards(season): 1,429 Howard Stevens in the 1971 season
Most rushing yards(career): 3,204 Walter Peacock 1972-1975
Most passing yards(game): 592 Chris Redman against East Carolina
Most passing yards(season): 4,042 Chris Redman in the 1998 season
Most passing yards(career): 12,541 Chris Redman 1996-1999
Most receiving yards(game): 223 Harry Douglas against Kentucky 9/15/2007
Most receiving yards(season): 1,209 Arnold Jackson in the 1999 season
Most receiving yards(career): 3,670 Arnold Jackson 1997-2000
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ESPN College Football Encyclopedia (pages 448-454)
