Louisville Cardinals

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Louisville Cardinals
Louisville Cardinals logo.svg
University University of Louisville
Conference ACC
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic directorJosh Heird
Location Louisville, Kentucky
Varsity teams23
Football stadium L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
Basketball arena KFC Yum! Center
Baseball stadium Jim Patterson Stadium
Soccer stadium Lynn Stadium
Mascot Louie the Cardinal
NicknameCardinals
Fight song"Fight! U of L" [1]
ColorsRed and black [2]
   
Website gocards.com
Atlantic Coast Conference logo in Louisville's colors ACC logo in Louisville colors.svg
Atlantic Coast Conference logo in Louisville's colors

The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Conference from 2005 through 2013, the Cardinals captured 17 regular season Big East titles and 33 Big East Tournament titles totaling 50 Big East Championships across all sports. On November 28, 2012, Louisville received and accepted an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and became a participating member in all sports in 2014. [3] In 2016, Lamar Jackson won the school its first Heisman Trophy.

Contents

Since 2000 Louisville is the only NCAA team to win a BCS bowl game; to appear in the NCAA Division I men's basketball Final Four, the College World Series, and the NCAA Division I women's basketball Final Four; and to finish as runner-up in the Men's soccer College Cup. It is one of only six schools that has appeared more than once in each of the following events—a BCS bowl game, the men's and women's basketball Final Fours, and the College World Series—and Louisville's span of seven school years (2006–07 to 2012–13) is the shortest among these schools. [4] Also, it is the first school ever to win a BCS bowl game, appear in the men's and women's basketball Final Fours, and appear in the College World Series in the same school year, doing so in 2012–13. [4]

Louisville finished the 2015–16 year ranked 29th in the NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. [5] The 2015–16 season began with Louisville ranked 24th through the final fall standings. [6]

Varsity teams

Louisville competes in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Cross country Field hockey
Football Golf
Golf Lacrosse
Soccer Rowing
Swimming & divingSoccer
Tennis Softball
Track and fieldSwimming & diving
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor.

Baseball

Team Established: 1909
All Time Record: 1,874–1,484–10
Playing Facility: Jim Patterson Stadium (2005)
Head Coach: Dan McDonnell
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 13
Last NCAA Appearance: 2019
College World Series Appearances: 5 (2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019)
Super Regional Appearances: 8 (2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
Conference Titles: 10
Conference Tournament Titles: 2
Drafted Players: 50
Players In The MLB system: 5

The 2006 Baseball Cardinals broke the Big East Conference Tournament record with a .409 batting average. [7]

In 2007, the Cardinals finished the season with a 47–24 record and ranked as high as 6th in some major polls while advancing to the College World Series for the first time in school history.

Men's basketball

National Championships
1980, 1986, 2013*
Final Four Years
1959, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1982
1983, 1986, 2005, 2012*, 2013*
Graph of U of L's cumulative all-time wins and losses ULcmlt wins.JPG
Graph of U of L's cumulative all-time wins and losses
Team Established: 1911
All Time Record: 1,825–915 (66.6%)
Playing Facility: KFC Yum! Center (2010)
Court: Denny Crum Court (2007)
Head Coach: Kenny Payne
NCAA Men's Basketball Championships: 3 (1980, 1986, 2013)
NCAA Final Fours: 10
NCAA tournament Appearances: 43
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2019
Conference regular season Championships: 23 (7 Missouri Valley Conference, 12 Metro Conference, 1 Conference USA, 2 Big East, 1 American Athletic Conference)
Conference Tournament Champions: 19 (2 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, 11 Metro Conference, 2 Conference USA, 3 Big East, 1 American Athletic Conference)
NIT Appearances: 15 (Won 1956 NIT Championship)
All-Americans: 21
Drafted Players: 70
Players In The NBA: 6 (Gorgui Dieng, Montrezl Harrell, Damion Lee, Donovan Mitchell, Terry Rozier, Ray Spalding)

[8] [9]

Louisville'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, Hickman became the school's Athletics Director and hired then John Wooden assistant and future Hall of Famer Denny Crum, who led the team to two NCAA Division I basketball championships (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.

Women's basketball

Jeff Walz Jeff Walz - Louisville coach.jpg
Jeff Walz

The team was established in 1975.

All Time Record : 876–491 (64.1%)
Playing facility: KFC Yum! Center (2010)
Head coach: Jeff Walz (401-108 in fifteen seasons)
Conference titles: 10 (1983–84, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21)
Conference Tournament titles: 8 (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1993, 2018)
NCAA appearances: 24
Last NCAA appearance: 2022
All-Americans: 6
Drafted players: 19 (including 2009 #1 pick Angel McCoughtry 2014 first-rounder Shoni Schimmel and 2019 #2 pick Asia Durr)
Final Four appearances: 4 (2009,2013,2018,2022)

Cheerleading

The cheerleading squads have won multiple championships with the large co-ed squad coached by James Speed winning 18 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National championships (1985–86, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998–99, 2003–09, 2011, 2016, 2018), the all-girl squad coached by Misty Hodges winning 18 championships (2001–05, 2007–09, 2011–12, 2014–2019, no competition 2020, 2021–22) and the small co-ed cheerleading squad winning 12 championships (2005–06, 2008–09, 2011, 2013–17, 2021–22). [10] [11] The University of Louisville Spirit Groups hold more national titles than any other sport offered at the university.

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.

Cross country

Men's

Conference titles: 2 (2007, 2013)

Women's

Conference titles: 1 (1996)

Field hockey

Team Established: 1927
All Time Record: 334–373-16 (.462)
Fall 2016 record: 15-6
Playing Facility: Trager Stadium (2000)
Head Coach: Justine Sowry
Conference Titles: 6 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013)
Conference Tournament Titles: 4 (1977, 1978, 2003, 2004)
NCAA Appearances: 6
Last NCAA Appearance: 2016
All-Americans: 7

The Louisville 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. [12] The team also won two MAC tourney titles in 2003 and 2004 and finished one game back in their first Big East season. Between 2015 and 2017 Ayeisha McFerran was named three times as an NFHCA All-American while playing for the women's field hockey team. She was also a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final and was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament. [13] [14]

Football

Graph of cumulative all-time wins for the U of L football team ULcmlt ftbl.JPG
Graph of cumulative all-time wins for the U of L football team
Team Established: 1912
All Time Record: 514–469–17 (.523)
2019 Season record: 8-5
Playing Facility: Cardinal Stadium (1998)
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm
Conference Titles: 8
Bowl Appearances: 23
Last Bowl Appearance: 2019 Music City Bowl
All-Americans: 29
Drafted Players: 85
Players In The NFL: 34
Heisman Trophy Winners: 1

[15]

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
2012 – Allstate Sugar Bowl
2013 – 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl
2014 – 2014 Belk Bowl
2015 – 2015 Music City Bowl
2016 – 2016 Citrus Bowl
2017 – 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl
2019 – 2019 Music City Bowl

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. After a three-year hiatus under Coach Kragthorpe from 2007 to 2009 Louisville has been to eight consecutive bowl games under Coaches Charlie Strong and Bobby Petrino.

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 to 1994. His greatest achievement at Louisville was a 34–7 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl (Alabama finished 7–5), which culminated in Louisville's first national ranking (11th) and a 10–1–1 record.

Cardinal Stadium, as viewed from Central Avenue. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium exterior.jpg
Cardinal Stadium, as viewed from Central Avenue.

The University of Louisville football program's home is Cardinal Stadium.

Louisville winning percentage by year ULfootballyear.GIF
Louisville winning percentage by year

The Louisville football program annually plays for the Governor's Cup (awarded to the winner of the Louisville-Kentucky football game) and The Keg of Nails (awarded to the winner of the annual Louisville-Cincinnati football game).

The film The Replacements was rumored to be based on former Cardinal quarterback Ed Rubbert (played by Keanu Reeves), who led the Washington Redskins' 1987 strike team to a 3–0 record en route to the franchise's Super Bowl XXII championship.[ citation needed ]

Retired jerseys and numbers

Louisville has retired the jerseys, although not their numbers, of the following former Cardinal football players: Bruce Armstrong, Ray Buchanan, Doug Buffone, Ernie Green, Tom Jackson, Joe Jacoby, Otto Knop, Lenny Lyles, Sam Madison, Frank Minnifield, Chris Redman, Otis Wilson, Roman Oben, Dwayne Woodruff, and Jeff Brohm.[ citation needed ] The Cardinals football program also has retired two numbers: 16, worn by Johnny Unitas, and 8, worn by Lamar Jackson.[ citation needed ]

Golf

Lacrosse

Team Established: 2008
All Time Record: 83–54 (.606)
Spring 2015 record: 10–8
Playing Facility: UofL Lacrosse Stadium (2006)
Head Coach: Scott Teeter

Rowing

Louisville is one of two universities in the state of Kentucky to have a women's rowing team, the other being Murray State University.

Conference Titles: 3 (2009, 2011, 2014)

Soccer

Women's

Team Established: 1985
All Time Record: 221–293-38 (.400)
Fall 2018 record: 12-7-0
Playing Facility: Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium (5300)
Head Coach: Karen Ferguson-Dayes
Conference Titles: 1 (2011)
All Americans: 1

Men's

Team Established: 1979
All Time Record: 309–342–77 (.421)
Playing Facility: Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium (5300)
Head Coach: John Michael Hayden
Conference Titles: 4
Conference Tournament Titles: 4
NCAA Tournament Appearances : 10
Elite Eights : 3
College Cup Appearances: 1 (2010)
2010 National Runners Up

Louisville Finishes Historic Season as NCAA Runner-Up

The top-ranked Louisville men's soccer team fell 1–0 to Akron in the 2010 NCAA national championship game 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. [16]

On February 21, 2013, Louisville announced that it would build a new soccer-only stadium on campus. The new stadium, with a capacity of 5,300, is set to open for the 2014 season, and will be known as Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium, after their donation of $5 million toward the $17.5 million project. [17]

Softball

Team Established: 2000
All time record: 685–351 (.663)
Playing Facility: Ulmer Stadium (2000; Capacity: 2,200)
Head Coach: Holly Aprile
Conference championships: 4 (2004, 2006, 2012, 2014)
Conference Tournament championships: 2 (2007, 2012)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15
Last NCAA Appearance: 2019
All-Americans: 8 [18]

Swimming

Lousville men's swimming freshman record times as of March 2, 2022, include Abdelrahman Sameh in the 50 freestyle (19.31 in 2020), Murilo Sartori in the 100 freestyle (42.18 in 2022) and 200 freestyle (1:32.38 in 2022), and Daniel Sos in the 200 individual medley (1:43.40 in 2018). [19] Olympians Denis Loktev and Denis Petrashov have also competed for the team. [20]

Tennis

Men's :

Coach- Rodrigo Da Silva
Established- 1980
Record- 576–401
Conference Championships- 5 (2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012)
NCAA appearances – 7 – most recent (08-09)

Volleyball

Team Established: 1975
All Time Record: 900–446 (.663)
Playing Facility: KFC Yum! Center (opened 2010, first used 2011); L&N Federal Credit Union Arena (1990)
Record at KFC Yum! Center: 17–7
Record at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena: 157–19
Head Coach: Dani Busboom Kelly
Conference Titles: 23 (1982, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Conference Tournament Titles: 10 (1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 27
National runner-up: 2022
Final Four: 2021, 2022
Regional Finals: 2019, 2021, 2022
Last NCAA Appearance: 2022
All-Americans: 27

Volleyball has traditionally been one of Louisville's most successful programs, led for 15 years by head coach Leonid Yelin, whose .772 career winning percentage ranked 9th among active coaches prior to his retirement after the 2010 season. He was replaced by former Louisville player Anne Kordes, who had spent the previous seven seasons as head coach at Saint Louis. During the 2005 season, Louisville 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. In the most recent 2012 season, the team averaged 2,341 fans while playing mainly at the KFC Yum! Center. Their traditional home of Cardinal Arena, with 840 seats, has become too small for the team's current popularity, with fans turned away at several games. While Louisville has sought state funding to expand Cardinal Arena to better meet fan demands and prevent unsafe "standing room only" crowds, it has more recently opted to move full-time into the KFC Yum! Center; of its 19 home matches in the 2012 season, 15 were scheduled for that facility. Louisville 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 hosted 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. [21] 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. [21] The program has won 15 of its last 16 conference titles (with another in 1983) and has been to the NCAA tourney 17 times since 1982, with 47 players making their all-conference team. The team has a 157–19 all-time record at Cardinal Arena, and is 17–6 at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinal volleyball team has won conference championships 19 times, from Metro, C-USA, Big East, American Athletic, and ACC.

More recently, after the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014, the Cardinals won the 2015 ACC title, the first ACC crown ever won by any Louisville team. [22] Senior setter Katie George, also notable as that year's Miss Kentucky USA, [23] was named ACC Player of the Year and Setter of the Year. [24] In addition, Kordes was named Coach of the Year, and libero Molly Sauer was named Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. [24]

The Cardinal volleyball team moved back into the newly expanded Cardinal Arena in 2017. [25] In April 2019, the local L&N Federal Credit Union donated $2 million to the athletic program, leading the university to rename the venue L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. [26]

In 2021, the Cardinals won the ACC title and entered the NCAA tournament undefeated. Setter Tori Dilfer and middle blocker Anna Stevenson were named first-team All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, becoming the program's first-ever first-team All-Americans, and outside hitter Anna DeBeer was named a third-team All-American. Dilfer was also named ACC Setter of the Year. [27] The Cardinals' only loss was in the national semifinals to eventual champion Wisconsin. [28]

Ladybirds

The University of Louisville Ladybirds dance team has won 20 national titles. The Ladybirds have won nine of the last ten national competitions, including the last four years, in the National Cheerleading Association Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Ladybirds also added the 2014, 2016, 2017 Hip Hop national title to their trophy case. In the years 2016-18 the Ladybirds won a double title, placing first in both the team performance and hip hop categories. Louisville won the Universal Dance Association title in 1995 and 1997. The Ladybirds have long been successful, placing in the top five in their national competition 21 of the last 27 years. The group is under the direction of Sheryl Knight.

Championships

NCAA team championships

Louisville has won three NCAA team national championships, although the third win in 2013 was vacated by the NCAA. [29]

Other team championships

Notable non-varsity sports

Ice hockey

The University of Louisville Ice Hockey team was founded in 1995. The University of Louisville Hockey team is a club sport, participating in the Southeast Conference in Division II of the American Collegiate Hockey Association and also the TSCHL. [30] Louisville has 3 back to back TSCHL championships in 2015, 2016, and 2017. [31] They also have 2 ACHA Southeast Regional Appearances (2016, 2017). Recent success can be contributed to recent additions such as coach Brian Graham, who is a two time TSCHL Coach of the Year (2015, 2016), [32] and captain Yannis Soukas, who is the Cardinals' all-time leader in points, winner of the 2016 TSCHL MVP Award, 2016 TSCHL Rookie of the Year Award, and was named to the 1st team All-Conference in 2016, 2017, and 2018. [32]

Rugby

The University of Louisville Rugby Club was re-founded in 2009, and was promoted to Division II of college rugby in 2011. [33] Louisville Rugby is led by head coach Eric Raney. Louisville Rugby has an active recruiting program, yielding recruits from Kentucky high school rugby all stars. [34] Louisville offers scholarships and grants, funded by the Louisville Rugby Old Boys' Association, to incoming rugby recruits. [35]

Director's Cup

The University of Louisville has risen from 174th in the Director's Cup standings in 1999–2000 to 28th in 2006–07. Louisville finished the 2015–16 year ranked 29th in the NACDA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup.

All-time records by sports

UofL TeamAll-Time RecordWinning Percent
Men's Basketball1,825–91566.6%
Softball685–35166.1%
Volleyball900–46466.0%
Women's Basketball876–49164.1%
Lacrosse106–6860.9%
Men's Tennis576–40158.9%
Baseball1874–1484–1056.1%
Football514–469–1752.3%
Men's Soccer309–342–7746.3%
Field Hockey334–373–1646.2%
Women's Soccer239–317–4040.1%
Overall8089–5621–16058.4%
*As of June 26,2017.

Sport facilities

FacilityTeamCapacityYears used
Cardinal Stadium Football61,800 (55,000, 2010–2018) (42,000, 1998–2010)1998–present
KFC Yum! Center Men and Women's Basketball22,0902010–present
Jim Patterson Stadium Baseball4,000 (2,500, 2006–2012)2005–present
Cardinal Park Soccer and Track StadiumSoccer and Track & Field teams through 2013–14 school year; track and field only since fall 20142,2002000–present (track)
2000–2013 (soccer)
L&N Federal Credit Union Arena [25] Women's volleyball home, Women's Basketball practice facilities8401992–present
Ralph Wright NatatoriumSwimming8002005–present
Ulmer StadiumSoftball7002000–present
Trager Stadium Field Hockey15002000–present
Bass-Rudd Tennis CenterTennis4001994–present
Lacrosse FieldWomen's Lacrosse3002006–present
Trager CenterFootball indoor practice facility2006–present
The Yum! CenterMen's Basketball/Women's Volleyball practice facilities2007–present
Marshall CenterSoccer/Track/Field Hockey strength and conditioning2008–present
Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium Soccer5,3002014–present

Average per-game attendance by sport

Jim Patterson Baseball Stadium and Sports Medicine Complex Jim Patterson Stadium and Jewish Hospital Sports Medicine Complex.jpg
Jim Patterson Baseball Stadium and Sports Medicine Complex
Team2013–142012–132011–122010–112009–10
Football52,91449,99148,53850,64832,450
Men's BasketballNot yet released21,57121,50321,83219,397
Women's BasketballNot yet released9,35810,67010,8596,398
VolleyballNot yet released2,3411,527
Men's SoccerNot yet released2,2153,5482,7681,300
BaseballNot yet releasedNot yet released1,5281,940
SoftballNot yet released511441
Women's SoccerNot yet released949625712
Field HockeyNot yet released370294435282

Fan support

TeamNational Attendance Rank
Men's basketball3rd (2016–17) [36]
Women's basketball3rd (2012–13) [37]
Women's field hockey5th (2012) [38]
Men's soccer7th (2012) [39]
Volleyball14th (2012) [40]
Women's soccer22nd (2012) [41]
Softball34th (2013) [42]
Football38th (2013) [43]
Baseball25nd (2016) [44]

Attendance ranks are based on average per home game.

In 2005, Louisville was among only a handful of schools to average better than 97 percent attendance to capacity in volleyball, men's basketball, and football.[ citation needed ]

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); Craig Swabek (color analyst) and Doug Ormay (sideline reporter).

Louisville 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 Louisville broadcasts

SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Nelligan Sports Marketing, the University of Louisville and CSTV: College Sports Television announced an agreement on January 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

Rivalries

Kentucky Wildcats

UK has more wins in the basketball rivalry than does U of L. Battle4bluegrass.GIF
UK has more wins in the basketball rivalry than does U of L.

The Louisville Cardinals rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats is widely considered one of the most intense college rivalries in the United States. [45] 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 and did so again in 2012. Kentucky has completed the double four times, in the 2009, 2011, 2018 and 2019 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 one another. They did play frequently from the 1900s to the 1920s. Since the renewal of the men's basketball rivalry in 1983–84 UK leads the modern rivalry 28–13 and the all-time series 37–16. Since the two teams resumed playing football in 1994, Louisville leads the modern series 15–11 but the all-time series is led by UK at 17–15.

Within the intrastate rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats, the team that has won the football game has lost the following basketball game every year, except in 2003 and 2012 (when Louisville won both) and 2009, 2011, 2018 and 2019 (when UK won both).

Cincinnati Bearcats

Known more for an intense basketball rivalry and tradition, Louisville and UC have a football rivalry that has stretched over the span of four conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to the Metro Conference to Conference USA, and more recently in the Big East Conference, which in 2013 was renamed to the American Athletic Conference. It is believed to be the oldest rivalry for the Louisville football team and the second oldest for Cincinnati, only behind the annual game with the Miami RedHawks.

On the gridiron, the two teams compete for the Keg of Nails, currently held by Louisville as winner of the most recent game in the 2022 season. The Bearcats lead the overall series 30–22–1.

Other rivalries

Louisville also has dormant rivalries with University of Memphis Tigers and Marquette University, which have been on hiatus since 2017 and 2018, respectively.

See also

Related Research Articles

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program representing the University of Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have officially won two NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986 ; and have officially been to 8 Final Fours in 39 official NCAA tournament appearances while compiling 61 tournament wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Walz</span> American basketball player-coach

Jeffrey Jacob Walz is the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Louisville. In his second year as a head coach, he guided his team to a national championship appearance at the 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, and led the Cardinals to a second championship game appearance in 2013.

The 2011–12 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 98th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, who was in his 11th season. The team played their home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals finished the season with a record of 30–10, 10–8 to finish in sixth place in Big East play. They defeated Seton Hall, Marquette, and Notre Dame to advance to the Big East tournament championship. In the championship game, they defeated Cincinnati to win the tournament for the second time. As a result of the win, the Cardinals received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the West region. Louisville defeated Davidson and New Mexico to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they defeated No. 1-seeded Michigan State and Florida to advance to the Final Four for the ninth time in school history. In the Final Four, they lost to the eventual National Champion Kentucky.

The 2012–13 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 99th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the Big East Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino in his 12th season as head coach at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals finished the season 35–5, 14–4 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East regular season championship.

The Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represents the University of Louisville in women's basketball. The school competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Cardinals play home basketball games at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

The 2013–14 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 100th season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in the American Athletic Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino in his 13th season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center.

The 2014–15 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Louisville's 101st season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his fourteenth season at U of L. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville.

The 2014–15 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team will represent the University of Louisville during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Walz, play their home games at the KFC Yum! Center and were in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 27–7, 12–4 in ACC play to finish in third place. They advanced to the semifinals of the ACC women's tournament where they lost to Florida State. They received at-large bid of the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated BYU in the first round, South Florida in the second round before getting upset by Dayton in the sweet sixteen.

The 2015–16 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team will represent the University of Louisville during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by ninth-year head coach Jeff Walz, play their home games at the KFC Yum! Center and were in their second year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 15–1 in ACC play to finish in second place. They advanced to the semifinals of the ACC women's tournament where they lost to Syracuse. They received at-large bid of the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated Central Arkansas in the first round before losing to DePaul in the second round.

The 2015–16 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was Louisville's 102nd season of intercollegiate competition. The Cardinals competed in their second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 15th season at U of L. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 23–8, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in fourth place.

The 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by tenth-year head coach Jeff Walz, played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center and were in their third year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 29–8, 12–4 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the ACC women's tournament where they lost to Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated Chattanooga and Tennessee in the first and second rounds before losing to Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen.

The 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 16th and final season at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Jacksonville State in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Michigan.

The 2017–18 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by 11th-year head coach Jeff Walz, played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center in their fourth year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 36–3, 15–1 in ACC play to win a share of the regular season title. They defeated Virginia Tech, NC State, and Notre Dame to win the ACC women's tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Lexington region, they defeated Boise State and Marquette to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they defeated Stanford and Oregon State in the Elite Eight to advance to the school's third Final Four. In the Final Four, they lost to Mississippi State in overtime.

The 2018–19 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Chris Mack who was hired on March 27, 2018, after it was announced interim coach David Padgett would not be retained. They finished the season 20–14, to finish in 7th place. In the ACC Tournament, they beat Notre Dame in the Second Round before losing to North Carolina in the Quarterfinals. They received a at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and received a 7th seed before losing to 10th seed Minnesota in the First Round.

The 2018–19 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, led by 12th-year head coach Jeff Walz, played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center in their fifth year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 32–4, 14–2 in ACC play to win a share of the regular season title. They advanced to the championship game of the ACC women's tournament where they lost to Notre Dame. They received the at-large bid to the NCAA women's tournament as a No. 1 seed in the Albany region where they defeated Robert Morris and Michigan in the first and second rounds, Oregon State in the sweet sixteen before losing to Connecticut in the elite eight.

The 2019–20 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Chris Mack.

The 2019–20 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, were led by 13th-year head coach Jeff Walz, and played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center in their sixth year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The 2020–21 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Kentucky as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Chris Mack.

The 2020–21 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinals, were led by 14th-year head coach Jeff Walz, and played their home games at the KFC Yum! Center in their seventh year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. On January 18, 2021, following a 12–0 start, the Cardinals were ranked number 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in program history, garnering 20 of 29 first place votes.

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