January 8, 2007
Louisville hires Steve Kragthorpe as new coach
When Bobby Petrino left Louisville for the NFL, one name was at the top of Cardinals A.D. Tom Jurich's list: Steve Kragthorpe, head coach at Tulsa. According to reports, Jurich got his man.
UofL officials are preparing a big release for later today on the Cardinals' new coach....
Earlier Monday morning, Jurich said he'd like to have a new coach installed as quickly as possible. When asked if that could be tomorrow (Tuesday), Jurich replied, "sure, it could be tonight."
Jurich seems intent on holding true to that extremely fast timetable, as sources indicate the deal is nearly complete and travel arrangements are being made.
Kragthorpe took on one of the worst programs in the nation at Tulsa and has led the Golden Hurricane to three bowl games in four years. He is 29-22 in four years at Tulsa, with a C-USA championship in 2005.
Prior to Tulsa, Kragthorpe spent two seasons as the QB coach for the Buffalo Bills, plus stints as OC for Texas A&M, Qb coach for Boston College, and OC Northern Arizona.
Comments:
posted on January 8, 2007 4:17 PM — 74.130.22.211 — link — abuse?Pete Holiday said:
Maybe Alabama can hire Jurich to replace Mal Moore. I like his style.
PreProSports.com said:
posted on January 8, 2007 4:40 PM — 68.21.103.162 — link — abuse?
I guess the big questions for Louisville now are:
1) Will Brian Brohm leave the nest?
2) Will Matt Simms keep his early commitment?chuck said:
posted on January 8, 2007 5:12 PM — 74.129.133.229 — link — abuse?
Makes me wonder how much slight of hand is going on at UofL. Tom J had to know a few days ago, Coach P was on the way out, or maybe he just wanted to be prepared when it ultimately happened. The stable is full at UofL, with or without Simms, Brohm, and Bush. What I don't get is Mike Vick and Bobby P playing well together...
posted on January 8, 2007 5:36 PM — link — abuse?
The loss of Petrino just cost Louisville one of their top recruits: Matt Simms won't be a Cardinal.
So Cal USMC said:
posted on January 8, 2007 6:38 PM — 204.62.68.23 — link — abuse?
Damn!
That was quick... didnt even give me a chance to post That Very Suggestion on here.Kragthore/Tulsa, Patterson/TCU, Peterson/Boise St, Amstutz/Toledo are all primed for a move up -- its almost Expected. The way it was with Urban Meyer jumped (BG/Utah/Florida)... the way Saban jumped (M State, LSU, NFL, Alabama)... the way Erickson jumped (Wyg, Wazzu, Miami, NFL, O State, NFL, Idaho, Arizona St) among others.
With guys like Petrino/Louie, Richt/Geo, Tedford/Cal, Stoops/Oklahoma, Ferentz/Iowa, Johnson/Navy, you "hope" that they doNT leave their respective programs, but would wouldnt blame em too much if they did (jumping to a bigger program or to the NFL)
And there are other Coaches like Beamer/VTech, Brown/Texas, Bellotti/Oregon, Tressel/Ohio St, Rodriguez/WestVU, Schiano/Rutgers, Pat Hill/Fresno St, that for better or worse have defined what their Programs have become and should Never Leave for another program (Barry Alvarez should be the Wisconsin AD til he retires; no Coaching anywhere else)
Of course the Bobby Bowdens, Joe Paternos, and even Fisher DeBerrys, Chris Aults are Coaches that have reached legandary status at their respective programs already (maybe Beamer belongs here too).
Cape Cod Tom '84 Rutgers said:
posted on January 8, 2007 6:43 PM — 24.218.208.81 — link — abuse?
Hey Kevin:
Matt Simms sucks.
I know Rutgers doesn't want him. He's just riding on Daddy's coat tail, just like big bother. Hell; even the old man wasn't setting the world on fire when he was at Morehead State. Phill Simms wasn't hot for many years after becoming pro.
So the question is, who really wants a late bloomer?
NCAA is all about the here and now. There's no time for waiting.
FanoftheGame said:
posted on January 9, 2007 3:54 PM — 12.43.234.14 — link — abuse?
According to rivals, Phil Simms, the father of Matt (and Chris) Simms has denied Matt's decommit to Louisville.
Personally, I think Phil understands that his son is not as highly touted as many of the QB's coming out of high school this year and he would probably be smart to keep his commitment to Louisville. We all know that a good(not great)QB can flourish in the right system, it maybe, Phil understands that Louisville may be Matt's best chance to excel as a QB.
I've also heard reports that Phil has stated that Matt is further along in his development as a QB than Chris was at his age. This I find very hard to believe. I think this is just a famous father's attempt to raise his son's recruitment status.Frozen Cards Alum said:
posted on January 9, 2007 5:37 PM — 64.62.46.162 — link — abuse?
BP was a great fit for the cards and brought them to the next level but few felt that he was going to be around for long. Tom J new this when BP's contract was drafted last summer with the provision that there was no penalty if BP left to coach a pro team. Given Tom J's relationship with Kragthorpe, there should finally be some stability at the coaching position and, if Kragthorpe has a decent inagural season keeping the Cards around the top 15 or so, I think potential recruits will be more comfortable signing with Louisville than they ever were when BP was coach.
cardman steve said:
posted on January 9, 2007 9:31 PM — 74.131.211.89 — link — abuse?
i like the new guy already. he talks with the media better. while he was at tulsa, his Off put up alot of points and with the talent at louisville i vision rockets going off. i love what bobby p did for the cards. however,he was looking for a bigger paycheck from the start. i wasn,t shock about him leaving at all. the new guy his pro experince,good friends with the nat,l champs coach,and off cord at a and m. i love the hire and feel the redbirds will keep on flying to better dreams.
steve-O said:
posted on January 9, 2007 11:26 PM — 68.70.51.207 — link — abuse?
yes..I also wonder about Matt Simms.
But the Cardinals will have time to evaluate the young QB. Cantwell is more than capable, and you can expect his numbers to go up next year.
They also have Tyler Wolfe (very underrated), who is the most likely back up to Cantwell.
If we can escape a loss in the jungle next season, things could be very interesting in the BigEast.Get a clue said:
posted on January 10, 2007 9:43 AM — 64.207.240.90 — link — abuse?
You Cards have nothing to worry about. Our loss is clearly your gain. You're getting a class guy who knows how to keep it exciting. Every hot shot high school QB will be beating a path to your door to play for coach K. What he pulled off here at Tulsa is amazing. Louisville returning to average? I don't think so. I don't think your knew coach is very comfortable with average. We'll see.
cardman steve said:
posted on January 10, 2007 4:52 PM — 74.131.211.89 — link — abuse?
i wonder about the new staff at louisville. who is staying and gone? is the new coach bringing any recurits from tulsa? this is address to Get a clue. with coach k coming to louisville,have any any recurits waver and may come to louisville and who will coach tulsa? what caoches may join coach k off the tulsa staff? i listen to introduction yesterday on wkrd in louisville and heard he is good friends with the sooner coach and gators coach. he said he will recurit the state of texas as well and has fla. ties while he was on the BC staff. i feel he will do better than bobby p. what about his play calling compared to bobby p. i realize he likes to air it up as well,but what about the running game? what about D at tulsa?
antonio said:
posted on January 12, 2007 12:32 AM — 68.210.152.165 — link — abuse?
after countless years of petrino fans neglecting the inevitable leave, cardinal fans feel neglected. it seemed every time a better offer came up he interviewed for the job and left the team in shables not knowing of his future. yes, he was great for the program and i like his coaching style but he just wasn't the fit for the cards. atlanta, he will bring you the wins with a prolific offense but not the respect that you want out of a coach. likewise, jurich's last move on hiring kragthorpe was a must. i feel that not only will he pick up from were John L and Petrino left us but will continue to build the program with his character, morals, and respect that as we fans have been longing for in the last 15 years. as a fan i feel betrayed yet understandable that he left for the money but at a certain point does money even matter. come on, 1.6 million a year couldn't pay the bills. i hope pertrino finds happiness w/ his greenbacks because he won't find happiness with the UL faithful. thanks petrino but no thanks. the future looks bright. GO CARDS
bigtex said:
posted on January 20, 2007 12:36 PM — 70.143.49.190 — link — abuse?
Coach K is first class all the way. He is as much about character and doing it the right way as he is about innovative offense. Things look great for UL..a first rate AD, president, committment to excellence in athletics, and now a humble and hungry coach who demands excellence from everyone. I don't think people appreciate who much in the dumpster TU football was until Coach K's arrival and he worked his miracles at a school that does not have the same level of "institutional" support for big time football. Plus, his success came in a region of OSU, OU, Arkansas. UL will play for a national championship within the next 4 years.
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D Haysley said:
posted on January 8, 2007 2:43 PM — 64.12.116.199 — link — abuse?For the past year it has always been spectalation that the Good Coaches would have a price tag.
But is their ever a Cap.
The price at stake ever interfer with the players? Do they feel sold out for being loyal.
I guess really what I'm trying to say How do you make a concience decision in a legacy that has helped your career. So the quote goes all good things come to an end. And may the best return. maybe humble....