1989 Louisville Cardinals football team

1989 Louisville Cardinals football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Howard Schnellenberger (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gary Nord (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Rick Lantz (4th season)
Home stadium	Cardinal Stadium
Seasons ←  1988 1990  →

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)			–					11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame			–					12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State			–					10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia			–					8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse			–					8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana			–					7	–	4	–	0
Akron			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech			–					5	–	4	–	1
Army			–					6	–	5	–	0
Louisville			–					6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina			–					5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa			–					6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss			–					5	–	6	–	0
Tulane			–					4	–	8	–	0
Navy			–					3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers			–					2	–	7	–	2
Boston College			–					2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State			–					2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati			–					1	–	9	–	1
Temple			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cardinals, led by fifth-year head coach Howard Schnellenberger, participated as independents and played their home games at Cardinal Stadium.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	at Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	W 28–21	26,132	[1]
September 9	at Kansas	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 33–28	32,700	[2]
September 23	No. 9 West Virginia	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 21–30	39,132	[3]
September 30	Cincinnati	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (rivalry)	W 37–17	36,305	[4]
October 14	Southern Miss	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 10–16	38,484	[5]
October 21	at Tulsa	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 24–31	20,012	[6]
October 28	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	L 15–16	33,400	[7]
November 4	No. 15 (I-AA) Western Kentucky	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	W 55–7	36,126	[8]
November 11	at Memphis State	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (rivalry)	W 40–10	14,003	[9]
November 18	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 36–22	24,650	[10]
December 4	vs. Syracuse	Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan (Coca-Cola Classic)	L 13–24	50,000	[11] [12]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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References

1. "Cards head Cowboys off at the pass, 28–21". The Courier-Journal. September 3, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Louisville dodges KU upset". The Salina Journal. September 10, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Big plays put Mountaineers over the top of Cardinals". Messenger-Inquirer. September 24, 1989. Retrieved February 2, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Nagle leads Cards over Bearcats". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 1, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Hail Mary fling on last play shoots down U of L". The Courier-Journal. October 15, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "U of L comeback fails with incomplete pass at :04, Tulsa wins 31–24". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 22, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Field goal gives Virginia 16–15 win". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 29, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "With regrets, Cards flatten Hilltoppers". Messenger-Inquirer. November 5, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cardinal offense stays hot to burn up Tigers". The Paducah Sun. November 12, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Nagle yields three TDs in Cards' win". Messenger-Inquirer. November 19, 1989. Retrieved June 3, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Long bombs, unlikely hero allow Syracuse to shoot down U of L". The Courier-Journal. December 4, 1989. Retrieved January 18, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. Andrews, Cooper (December 5, 2024). "'The best 6 days of my life': Reliving Syracuse football's Tokyo trip 35 years later". The Daily Orange . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
13. "1989 Louisville Cardinals Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
14. "Louisville – 2018 Football Media Guide – page 204". www.guide.provations.com. University of Louisville. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
15. "Louisville – 2018 Football Media Guide – page 194". www.guide.provations.com. University of Louisville. Retrieved January 5, 2019.