Louisville Cardinals football

NCAAFootballSchool
TeamName = Louisville Cardinals football


ImageSize =
HeadCoachDisplay = Steve Kragthorpe
HeadCoachLink = Steve Kragthorpe|
HeadCoachYear = 2nd
HCWins = 6
HCLosses = 6
HCTies =
Location = Louisville, Kentucky
Stadium = Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
StadCapacity = 42,000
StadSurface = FieldTurf
ConferenceDisplay= Big East
ConferenceLink = Big East Conference
ConfDivision =
FirstYear = 1912
AthlDirectorDisp =
AthlDirectorLink =
WebsiteName = UofL Sports
WebsiteURL = http://uoflsports.cstv.com/
ATWins = 431
ATLosses = 411
ATTies = 17
ATPercentage = .510
BowlWins = 6
BowlLosses = 7
BowlTies = 1
NatlTitles =
ConfTitles = 6
Heismans =
AllAmericans =
Color1 = Red
Color1Hex = CC0000
Color2 = Black
Color2Hex = 000000
FightSong = Fight! UofL
MascotDisplay =
MascotLink =
MarchingBand =
PagFreeLabel =
PagFreeValue =

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.

Team information

Nickname: Cards; The Ville
Uniforms:
*Home: Red
*Road: White
*Alternate home: all black
*Alternate road: all whiteStadium:" 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

Chronology of Louisville head coaches

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.*A January bowl. The regular season that this bowl is part of is actually the year prior.

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

Notable past games

outhern 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.

outhern 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.

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.

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 runningback Steve Slaton, took charge. With 8:16 left in the fourth quarter, and Louisville leading 24-7, West Virginia reeled off 17 unanswered points (including a controversial onsides kick recovery) 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 yardline. 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 Pat White and the Mountaineers.

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.

chool records

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

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

ee also

*Kentucky-Louisville rivalry
*Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
*Sports in Louisville, Kentucky

References

*ESPN College Football Encyclopedia (pages 448-454)