| Louisville Cardinals | |
| University | University of Louisville |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Big East |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Tom Jurich |
| Location | Louisville, KY |
| Varsity teams | 21 |
| Football stadium | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium |
| Basketball arena | KFC Yum! Center |
| Baseball stadium | Jim Patterson Stadium |
| Mascot | Cardinal Bird |
| Nickname | Cardinals |
| Fight song | Fight, U of L! |
| Colors | Red and Black
|
| Homepage | UofLsports |
The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally for its men's basketball. In recent years, the football team has gone 80-44 record since 2001, but have only gone 21-27 since the 2006 season culminated in playing Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.
Since 2000 the Cardinals are the only NCAA team to win a BCS bowl game; to appear in the men's basketball Final Four, the College Baseball World Series (4 times), and the women's basketball Final Four and finish runner's up in the College Cup.
The total sales of U of L merchandise has tripled since 2001, now ranking 32nd nationally in sales. Since 1997, the school has spent more than $150 million in upgrading its sports facilities. Since 2004, U of L has won conference titles in eight sports. U of L currently fields 13 women's teams and 10 men's teams.
U of L finished the 2010-2011 year ranked 34th in the NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.[1]
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The Louisville Cardinals Baseball team had a dream season in the 2007 season under the guidance of first year Head Coach Dan McDonnell. The Cardinals finished 47–24 and finished the season ranked as high as 6th in some major polls while advancing to the College World Series for the first time in school history. Throughout the NCAA Tournament the Cardinals were considered the Cinderella of the tournament and made national headlines for their powerful offensive play. Louisville also hosted an NCAA Super Regional for the first time in school history at Jim Patterson Stadium.
| National Championship Years |
|---|
| 1980, 1986 |
| Final Four Years |
|---|
| 1959 |
| 1972 |
| 1975 |
| 1980 |
| 1982 |
| 1983 |
| 1986 |
| 2005 |
UofL's basketball tradition was established by Muhlenberg County native, Coach Bernard "Peck" Hickman. The Cards never had a losing season in Hickman's 23 years, prior to his arrival the team had only had 11 winning seasons. In 1956, Hickman's team won the NIT, then considered a national championship on a par with the NCAA tournament. After retiring he became the school's A.D. and hired, then John Wooden assistant and future Hall of Famer, Denny Crum, who led the team to two NCAA's Division I basketball championships in 1980 and 1986 and six Final Fours. The men's basketball team currently ranks fifth in all-time NCAA Tournament wins and has been in the top five in average attendance each year since the 1982–83 season. Perennial rivals include the University of Kentucky, University of Cincinnati, and the University of Memphis. Over the past 12 years, Marquette University has also become a heated rival.
The Cardinals' hired former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino in 2001. In the 2004–2005 season, Pitino led the Cardinals return to the Final Four after a 19-year absence.
The cheerleading squads are also a powerhouse, with the co-ed squad winning 15 non-NCAA Cheer Association championships (1985-86, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998-99, 2003-05, 2007-09, 2011) and the all girl squad winning 9 championships (1998-99, 2001-05, 2009, 2011).
The teams are coached by James Speed, Todd Sharp, Misty Hodges.
The Cardinal Bird Mascot also falls under the jurisdiction of the University of Louisville Spirit Groups. The "Bird" also competes with the cheerleaders in national competitions and makes regular appearances in the Louisville Metro Area.
The University of Louisville Spirit Groups hold more national titles than any other sport offered at the University.
The UofL women's field hockey team received the NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award for their 3.65 GPA, which was the highest in the nation.[2] The team also won two MAC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004 and finished one game back in their first Big East season.
Under the guidance of head coaches John L. Smith (1998–2002) and Bobby Petrino (2003–2007), the Louisville football program went to nine consecutive bowl games, a streak that ended in the 2007 season.
Under Coach Smith, the Cardinals spent 11 weeks in the AP Top 25, including a #17 final finish in 2000.
Under Coach Petrino, the Cardinals were ranked in all but three of the weekly AP polls since the beginning of the 2004 season. This includes a #6 final finish in both 2004 and 2006, as well as a #19 final finish in 2005.
In the 2004 season, the Cardinals went 11–1 and won the Conference USA Championship; their only loss was against third-ranked Miami, a game in which the Cardinals led by 17 in the third quarter before falling. The Cardinals went to the Liberty Bowl, where they defeated #10-ranked and previously-undefeated Boise State.
In 2005, the Cardinals finished 9–3 after falling to Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl and completed the season ranked #19 in the AP Poll and #20 in the Coaches' Poll.
In 2006, the Cardinals began the season ranked #13 in the AP poll and finished the season with a 12–1 record, their first Big East Conference title and completed the season with a 24-13 victory over the Atlantic Coast Conference champion Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. The Cards finished the 2006 season ranked #6 in the AP Poll and #7 in the Coaches Poll, while being ranked #6 in the Bowl Championship Series Poll.
On January 9, 2007, Steve Kragthorpe was introduced as the new head coach of the Cardinals, within 48 hours after Bobby Petrino announced his departure to take the head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. The Cardinals went 6–6 in Kragthorpe's first season and the second season 5–7. He was fired after his third season (2009) ended with a disappointing 4-8 record. Kragthorpe's replacement is Charlie Strong, formerly the defensive coordinator at Florida, and the second African American to head the Cardinals program.
None of the football program's recent success would have been possible without the vision and efforts of former Kentucky All-American and national champion coach (at the University of Miami) Howard Schnellenberger, who was the head coach from 1985–1994. His greatest achievement at U of L was a 34–7 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl (Alabama finished 7-5), which culminated in U of L's first national ranking (11th) and a 10–1–1 record.
The University of Louisville football program's home is Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
| Football All-Time Bowl Appearances |
|---|
| 1958 - Sun Bowl |
| 1970 - Pasadena Bowl |
| 1977 - Independence Bowl |
| 1991 - Sunkist Fiesta Bowl |
| 1993 - St. Jude Liberty Bowl |
| 1998 - Motor City Bowl |
| 1999 - Humanitarian Bowl |
| 2000 - AXA Liberty Bowl |
| 2001 - AXA Liberty Bowl |
| 2002 - GMAC Bowl |
| 2003 - GMAC Bowl |
| 2004 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl |
| 2005 - Toyota Gator Bowl |
| 2006 - FedEx Orange Bowl |
| 2010 - Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl |
| 2011 - Belk Bowl |
Louisville Finishes Historic Season as NCAA Runner-Up
The top-ranked Louisville men's soccer team fell 1-0 to Akron in the NCAA national championship game on Sunday afternoon in front of 9,672 in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Cardinals, who appeared in the College Cup for the first time in program history, finished the season with a 20-1-3 overall record. Prior to reaching the NCAA Tournament, Louisville won the BIG EAST Red Division regular-season title and captured the BIG EAST Tournament title.
(http://www.uoflsports.com/sports/m-soccer/lou-m-soccer-body.html)
Volleyball has traditionally been one of UofL's most successful programs, led by head coach Leonid Yelin, whose .772 career winning percentage ranks 9th among active coaches. During the 2005 season, UofL was ranked as high as #6 en route to a 30-3 record, a regular season tie for the Big East title, and a second straight trip to the Sweet 16. The team also had an average attendance of 1,215 per game in their 840 seat Cardinal Arena, with fans turned away at several games. Currently UofL is seeking state funding to expand the arena to better meet fan demands and prevent unsafe "standing room only" crowds. UofL also hosted both the 2005 Big East Volleyball tournament and the first two rounds of NCAA volleyball tournament at the Kentucky International Expo Center in Downtown Louisville, and will host the Women's Final Four in 2012 at the KFC Yum! Center.
In 2005, two Cardinals, seniors Lena Ustymenko and Jennifer Hoffman, were named second team All-American. Previously only one Big East volleyball player had been named an All-American.[3] Ustymenko was also named the 2005 Big East player of the year and Hoffman led the nation in hitting percentage in the Card's 6-2 offense.[3] The program has won 14 of its last 15 conference titles (with another in 1983) and has been to the NCAA tourney 16 times since 1982, with 44 players making their all-conference team. The team has a 153-19 all time record at Cardinal Arena.
Men's CC
2006: Finished 15th at NCAA Championships
2007: Finished 9th at NCAA Championships
The University of Lousiville has risen from 174th in the Director's Cup standings in 1999-2000 to 28th in 2006-2007. U of L finished the 2010-2011 year ranked 34th in the NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.[4]
| Facility | Team | Capacity | Year used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papa John's Cardinal Stadium | Football | 55,000 | 1998–present |
| Freedom Hall | Women's Basketball | 18,865 | 1975–2010 |
| Freedom Hall | Men's Basketball | 18,865 | 1956–2010 |
| KFC Yum! Center | Men and Women's Basketball (6 Volleyball games 2011/2012 season) | 22,000 | 2010–present |
| Cardinal Park Soccer and Track Stadium | Soccer and Track & Field teams | 2,200 | 2000–present |
| Jim Patterson Stadium | Baseball | 1,500 | 2005–present |
| Cardinal Arena | Volleyball | 840 | 1992–present |
| Cardinal Arena | Women's Basketball | 840 | 1992–1998 |
| Ralph Wright Natatorium | Swimming | 800 | 2005–present |
| Ulmer Stadium | Softball | 700 | 2000–present |
| Trager Stadium | Field Hockey | 600 | 2000–present |
| Bass-Rudd Tennis Center | Tennis | 400 | 1994–present |
| Lacrosse Field | Women's Lacrosse | 300 | 2006–present |
| Trager Center | Football indoor practice facility | 2006–present | |
| The Yum! Center | Men's Basketball/Women's Volleyball practice facilities | 2007–present | |
| Marshall Center | Soccer/Track/Field Hockey strength and conditioning | 2008–present |
| UofL Team | All-Time Record | Winning Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | 1,587-831 | 66.202% |
| Volleyball | 687-367 | 65.180% |
| Softball | 259-147 | 62.2% |
| Women's Basketball | 664-442 | 60.0% |
| Men's Tennis | 409-306 | 57.2% |
| Football | 431-411 | 51.1% |
| Baseball | 1,450-1327 | 52.2% |
| Field Hockey | 229-286 | 44.4% |
| Men's Soccer | 190-282 | 40.2% |
| Women's Soccer | 138-239 | 36.7% |
| Overall | 5843-4554 | 56.1% |
| Team | National Attendance Rank |
|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | 3rd [5][6] |
| Women's Field Hockey | 7th [7] |
| Men's Soccer | 17th [8] |
| Women's basketball | 25th [9] |
| Volleyball | 30th [10] |
| Football | 54th [11] |
| Team | 06/07 Attendance | 05/06 Attendance | 08/09 Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Football | 42,481 | 41,101 | 39,000 |
| Men's Basketball | 18,645 | 19,000 | |
| Women's Basketball | 2,649 | 11,000 | |
| Volleyball | 1,215* | ||
| Men's Soccer | 1,325 | 1,075 | |
| Baseball | 523 | ||
| Softball | 365 | ||
| Women's Soccer | 554 | 332 | |
| Field Hockey | 323 | 237 |
see: List of Louisville Cardinals radio affiliates
The broadcast team for Louisville men's basketball is Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano or Doug Ormay (color analyst). The broadcast team for Louisville football is Paul Rogers (play-by-play); Tony Stallings or Craig Swaback (color analyst) and Doug Ormay (sideline reporter).
U of L games are broadcast in Lexington KY on WWRW 105.5 FM and WKRD 790 AM & 101.7- Louisville, KY (Flagship Station)
For Women's basketball, Women's Play by play is provided by Jim Kelch, with Adrienne Johnson as the color analyst. All Women's Basketball games are heard on WKRD 790 AM or on FM 101.7 in Louisville.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Nelligan Sports Marketing, the University of Louisville and CSTV: College Sports Television announced an agreement on Jan. 10, 2005, making SIRIUS the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the University of Louisville. SIRIUS will broadcast select play-by-play sports of Louisville's nationally ranked college basketball and football teams
The Louisville Cardinals rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats is widely considered one of the most intense college rivalries in the United States.[12] It is also one of the few rivalries to be equally intense in basketball and football, and practically every other sport as well. The men's basketball game is called the Battle for the Bluegrass; the football game is officially called the Governor's Cup.
In the early years after the rivalry resumed whoever would win the football game would go on to lose the basketball game. In 2003 Louisville broke that tradition by winning both the football and basketball game. Since then, Kentucky has completed the double twice, in the 2009-2010 and the 2010-2011 seasons.
Unlike many in-state rivalries that have been played continuously for many decades, these two schools went through a long period from the 1930s to the 1980s of rarely facing each other. They did play frequently from the 1900s to 1920's. Since the renewal of the men's basketball rivalry in 1983–84 UK leads the modern rivalry 18-11 and 27-14 overall. Since the two teams resumed playing football in 1994, U of L leads 10-8 but UK leads overall 14-10.
Louisville's other rivals include the University of Cincinnati, West Virginia University, Marquette University, and the University of Memphis.
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