Sports in Louisville, Kentucky

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Sports in Louisville, Kentucky, include amateur and professional sports in baseball, football, basketball, horse racing, horse shows, ice hockey, soccer and lacrosse. The city of Louisville and the Louisville metropolitan area have a sporting history from the mid-19th century to the present day.

Contents

Louisville Slugger Field, where the Louisville Bats play Louisville slugger field evening 2002.jpg
Louisville Slugger Field, where the Louisville Bats play

Professional sports

Louisville is now home to two minor-league professional men's teams, and one major-league professional women's team. The Louisville Bats are a baseball team playing in the Triple-A East as the Class AAA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The team plays at Louisville Slugger Field at the edge of the city's downtown.

Louisville hosts two soccer teams. Louisville City FC began play in the United Soccer League in 2015, sharing Louisville Slugger Field with the Bats. Louisville City was the reserve side for Major League Soccer's Orlando City SC in 2015, but no longer fills that role after Orlando City launched a team-owned reserve side for the 2016 season.

In October 2019, the National Women's Soccer League announced that it would award an expansion franchise to Louisville that would begin play at Lynn Family Stadium in 2021. [1]

Minor League Professional Sports Teams
ClubSportBegan PlayLeagueVenue
Louisville Bats Baseball 1982 International League Louisville Slugger Field
Louisville City FC Soccer 2015 USL Championship Lynn Family Stadium
Racing Louisville FC Soccer 2021 National Women's Soccer League Lynn Family Stadium

College sports

College basketball and college football are very popular in Louisville, which prides itself on being one of the best college sports towns in America.

The city is home to the University of Louisville Cardinals, who compete in the NCAA's Division I and are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The U of L men's basketball team won the NCAA Division I basketball championship in 1980 and 1986 under head coach Denny Crum, and recently achieved the NCAA Final Four in 2005, 2012, and 2013 under head coach Rick Pitino, and winning the National Championship in 2013 which would later be vacated. The women's basketball team, under head coach Jeff Walz, reached the final of the NCAA women's tournament in 2009 and 2013, losing both times to Connecticut. The 2008–09 team featured 2009 WNBA draft #1 pick Angel McCoughtry. Both basketball teams ended their tenure at Freedom Hall in 2010 and moved to the new KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville for the 2010–11 season.

The U of L football team, with coach Bobby Petrino, finished No. 7 in the nation for the 2006 season, 19th in the final BCS rankings of 2005 and 10th in 2004. After winning the Orange Bowl—the school's first Bowl Championship Series game—in January 2007, Petrino left the Cardinals to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Steve Kragthorpe was hired to replace Petrino less than two days later. Kragthorpe was fired after three years and replaced by University of Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Petrino returned for a second stint with the Cardinals in 2014, after Strong left for the head coaching vacancy at Texas. The U of L football team plays on campus at Cardinal Stadium. U of L won the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2013, upsetting the Florida Gators.

The U of L baseball team advanced to the 2007 and 2013 College World Series in Omaha, where eight teams competed for the national championship. In 2012–13, U of L became the first school ever to appear in a BCS bowl game, the men's and women's Final Fours in basketball, and the College World Series in the same school year. [2]

Bellarmine University, home of the Knights, moved all sports up to the NCAA Division I level in the 2019–2020 academic year. Spalding University, home of the Golden Eagles, plays in NCAA Division III as members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Louisville Universities
UniversityNicknameLeagueDivision
University of Louisville Louisville Cardinals Atlantic Coast Conference NCAA Division I
Bellarmine University Bellarmine Knights ASUN Conference NCAA Division I
Spalding University Spalding Golden Eagles St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference NCAA Division III

Horse racing and equestrian events

Churchill Downs is home to the Kentucky Derby, the largest sports event in the state, as well as the Kentucky Oaks, which together cap the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. Churchill Downs has also hosted the renowned Breeders' Cup on eight occasions, in 2011, and most recently in 2018.

Besides racing there is the World's Championship Horse show. This show is mostly for Saddlebred horses and is held in conjunction with the Kentucky State Fair. This is the premier event of the year for Saddle seat Pleasure and Equitation.

Louisville is also the home of Valhalla Golf Club which hosted the 1996, 2000, and 2014 PGA Championships, and hosted the 2008 Ryder Cup. It is also home to one of the top skateparks in the U.S., David Armstrong Extreme Park.

Louisville is also the home of Ohio Valley Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that at different times served as the official developmental territory for WWE (2000–2008) [3] and TNA Wrestling (2011–2013). [4] Many notable WWE performers trained in OVW, such as Jillian Hall, Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista, CM Punk, and The Spirit Squad (which included the wrestler now known as Dolph Ziggler). [5]

High school

High school sports are also very popular in the city, especially football and basketball.

Louisville area high schools have been dominant in football in recent years. Trinity (1994, 2001–2003, 2005–2008, 2010–2013), Male (1993, 1998, 2000, 2015) and St. Xavier (1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2009) high schools have won 22 of the 24 football titles in Kentucky's largest enrollment class (4A through 2006, 6A since 2007) since 1992. Central has won five 3A titles since Kentucky's move to a six-class system (2007, 2008, 2010–2012). Manual also has a storied history, collecting 5 state titles (1925, 1938, 1948, 1959, 1966) and 2 national titles (1925 and 1938). Manual and Male are the oldest high schools in Louisville, and the 1st football game in the state was played between these two in 1893. Also, Trinity and St. Xavier have one of the fiercest rivalries in high school football. Every year, the Trinity-St. Xavier game draws an average of 35,000 fans to Cardinal Stadium, and is promoted by the schools as the largest attended regular-season high school football game in the country. [6] Currently, St. Xavier leads this storied rivalry with 31 wins, 26 losses and 2 ties.

The 2002 Kentucky state 4A Football Championship between Male and Trinity, a showdown between future UofL teammates Brian Brohm (Trinity) and Michael Bush (Male) that ended with a 59–56 Trinity win, is listed as one of the top 50 sporting events of all time by many critics. The "Old Rivalry" between Male and Manual high schools is one of the nation's oldest, dating back to 1893, and was played on Thanksgiving Day through 1980, with Manual winning the final T-Day game by a score of 6–0 in overtime.

Annual competitions

From 2007 to 2019, Louisville was host to the annual Ironman Louisville triathlon, in August until 2014 then in October afterwards. [7] In 2019, 2,366 participants finished the course. [8]

In early 2012, Louisville became the first American city to ever host the UCI Masters Cyclocross World Championships, and the following year became the first American city to host the Masters, Juniors, U23, and Professional Elite Women's and Men's UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships, the biggest races of the fastest growing form of bicycle racing. [9] The event was held at a new permanent cyclocross course at Eva Bandman Park. [10]

Historical teams

Louisville long ago hosted teams in the National Football League and Major League Baseball and fielded a strong franchise, the Kentucky Colonels, in the American Basketball Association before the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976. The Colonels won the penultimate ABA championship in 1975, defeating their archrival, the Indiana Pacers, in the 1975 ABA Finals.

The Kentucky Colonels were the winningest team in the history of the American Basketball Association, but the Colonels were not included in the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976. A later team with the same name played in Louisville in the ABA 2000 league but moved to Murray, Kentucky, in 2007 before folding. [11] Louisville and the corporate community had also attempted to pursue the Vancouver Grizzlies franchise before their ultimate move to Memphis in 2001, [12] as well as the Charlotte Hornets franchise, which ultimately moved to New Orleans in 2002 but was revived in 2004 as the Charlotte Bobcats, regaining the Hornets name and the team's pre-relocation history in 2014.

Another soccer team, the Louisville Lightning, played indoor soccer in the Professional Arena Soccer League from 2009 to 2012 before folding. The city was home to two professional ice hockey teams in the East Coast Hockey League, from 1990 to 1994 the Louisville Icehawks, followed by the Louisville RiverFrogs from 1995 to 1998. The city also had an American Hockey League team from 1999 to 2001, the Louisville Panthers.

ClubSportPlayedLeagueVenue
Louisville Grays Baseball 1876–1878 National League Various
Louisville Lacrosse Club Lacrosse 1882– United States Amateur Lacrosse Association
Louisville Eclipse Baseball 1882–1884 American Association Eclipse Park
Louisville Colonels Baseball 1884–1891 American Association Various
Louisville African Americans Baseball 1887League of Colored Baseball PlayersVarious
Louisville Colonels Baseball 1891–1899 National League Eclipse Park
Louisville Colonels Baseball 1901Western AssociationVarious
Louisville Colonels Baseball 1901–1962 American Association Eclipse Park and Parkway Field
Louisville Brecks Football 1921–1923 National Football League Various
Louisville Colonels Football 1926 National Football League Various
Louisville Bourbons Football 1931–1936 American Football League (1934)  
Louisville Tanks Football 1935–1939 Midwest Football League,
Midwest Professional Football League,
American Professional Football League 		Parkway Field
Louisville Colonels Basketball 1947–1948Professional Basketball League of Americaunknown
Louisville Blades Ice hockey 1948–1950 International Hockey League
United States Hockey League 		Louisville Gardens
Louisville Buckeyes Baseball 1949–1950 Negro leagues Various
Louisville Alumnites Basketball 1950–1951 National Professional Basketball League Louisville Male High Gym
Louisville Shooting Stars Ice hockey 1953–1954 International Hockey League Louisville Gardens
Louisville Rebels Ice hockey 1957–1960 International Hockey League Louisville Gardens
Freedom Hall
Louisville Raiders Football 1960–1962 United Football League Cardinal Stadium
Kentucky Colonels Basketball 1967–1976 American Basketball Association Convention Center and Freedom Hall
Louisville Colonels Baseball 1968–1972 International League Cardinal Stadium
Kentucky Bourbons Softball 1977–1982 American Professional Slow Pitch League,
North American Softball League,
United Professional Softball League 		Bishop David Stadium
Kentucky Trackers Football 1979–1980 American Football Association Cardinal Stadium
Louisville Redbirds Baseball 1982–1998 American Association Cardinal Stadium
Louisville Catbirds Basketball 1983–1985 Continental Basketball Association Louisville Gardens
Louisville Thunder Soccer 1984–1987 American Indoor Soccer Association Broadbent Arena
Louisville Bulls Football 1988–2011 Hearts of Ohio Football League,
Mid-Continental Football League,
Elite Mid-Continental Football League		Various
Louisville Icehawks Ice hockey 1990–1995 East Coast Hockey League Broadbent Arena
Louisville Shooters Basketball 1991–1993 Global Basketball Association Louisville Gardens
Louisville Thoroughbreds Soccer 1994–1995 USISL / USISL Pro League
Louisville RiverFrogs Ice hockey 1995–1998 East Coast Hockey League Broadbent Arena
Louisville RiverBats Baseball 1998–2002 International League Louisville Slugger Field
Louisville Panthers Ice hockey 1999–2001 American Hockey League Freedom Hall
Louisville Fire Arena football 2001–2008 af2 Freedom Hall
Kentucky Colonels Basketball 2004–2006 American Basketball Association Louisville Gardens
Kentucky Retros Basketball 2007 American Basketball Association Freedom Hall
Louisville Lightning Indoor soccer 2009–2012 PASL-Pro Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club
Kentucky Stickhorses Lacrosse 2012–2013 North American Lacrosse League Freedom Hall
Kentucky Xtreme Indoor football 2013 Continental Indoor Football League Freedom Hall
Derby City Rovers Soccer 2011–2018 Premier Development League Centurion Soccer Fields, Woehrle Athletic Complex, and King Louie's Sports Complex

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Cardinals</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals 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. In 2016, Lamar Jackson won the school its first Heisman Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium</span> Stadium at the University of Louisville

L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, also known as L&N Stadium and formerly known as Cardinal Stadium and Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, is a football stadium located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on the southern end of the campus of the University of Louisville. Debuting in 1998, it serves as the home of the Louisville Cardinals football program. The official seating capacity in the quasi-horseshoe-shaped facility was 42,000 through the 2008 season. An expansion project that started after the 2008 season was completed in time for the 2010 season has brought the official capacity to 55,000. An additional expansion project aiming to close the open end of the horseshoe to add 6,000 additional seats was announced on August 28, 2015, and was completed in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Hall</span> Indoor arena in Louisville, Kentucky

Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals and, since November 2020, as the home of the Bellarmine University Knights. It has hosted Kiss, Grateful Dead, Chicago, AC/DC, WWE events, Mötley Crüe, Elvis Presley, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Creed, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and many more. As well as the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team from 1956 to 2010, the arena's tenants included the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association from 1970 until the ABA-NBA merger in June 1976, and the Louisville Cardinals women's team from its inception in 1975 to 2010. The Kentucky Stickhorses of the North American Lacrosse League used Freedom Hall from 2011 until the team folded in 2013. From 2015 to 2019 it has hosted the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship Finals yearly in mid-April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Hoosiers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Indiana University Bloomington

The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 24 sports and became a member of the Big Ten Conference on December 1, 1899. The school's official colors are cream and crimson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Gardens</span> Arena in Kentucky, United States

Louisville Gardens is a multi-purpose, 6,000-seat arena, in Louisville, Kentucky, that opened in 1905, as the Jefferson County Armory. It celebrated its 100th anniversary as former city mayor Jerry Abramson's official "Family-Friendly New Years Eve" celebration location. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament</span> Edition of USA college basketball tournament

The 1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A total of 63 games were played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky–Louisville rivalry</span> Sports rivalry between the Universities of Kentucky and Louisville

The Kentucky–Louisville rivalry refers to the rivalry between the University of Kentucky Wildcats (Kentucky) and the University of Louisville Cardinals (Louisville). The Kentucky–Louisville rivalry is one of the most passionate rivalries, especially in men's college basketball. It is considered one of the most intense rivalries in the NCAA. The intensity of the rivalry is captivated by the proximity of the two schools and the commonwealth of Kentucky's interest in college sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Cardinals football</span> College football team representing University of Louisville

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The U.S. State of Kentucky is currently home to two professional soccer teams: Louisville City FC, which plays in the USL Championship, and Racing Louisville FC, which plays in the NWSL. Kentucky has had professional sports teams in its past, such as the Louisville Brecks/Colonels of the NFL in the early 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in New Orleans</span>

New Orleans is home to a wide variety of sporting events. Most notable are the home games of the New Orleans Saints (NFL) and the New Orleans Pelicans (NBA), the annual Sugar Bowl, the annual Zurich Classic and horse racing at the Fair Grounds Race Course. New Orleans has also occasionally hosted the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff semifinal game and the NCAA college basketball Final Four.

Athletes and sports teams from North Carolina compete across an array of professional and amateur levels of competition, along with athletes who compete at the World and Olympic levels in their respective sport. Major league professional teams based in North Carolina include teams that compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The state is also home to NASCAR Cup Series races. At the collegiate and university level, there are several North Carolina schools in various conferences across an array of divisions. North Carolina also has many minor league baseball teams. There are also a number of indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, and minor league ice hockey teams based throughout the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Memphis, Tennessee</span>

Sports in Memphis, Tennessee are supported in the city by Memphis Park Services, which offers a wide range of public facilities, including 17 swimming pools, 8 public golf courses, 48 athletic fields hosting a range of 510 youth and 269 adult teams, 130 basketball courts, 7 tennis centers and a soccer complex.

Evansville, Indiana is the home to two minor league professional sports teams and one amateur sports team. The city is also the home to two NCAA collegiate teams, and nine high schools that participate in the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Evansville is also the host to the annual Hoosier Nationals and Demolition City Roller Derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in St. Louis</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Middle Tennessee State University

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Samuel Chestley Smith Sr. was an American professional basketball player who played four seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played for the Minnesota Muskies, Kentucky Colonels, and Utah Stars from 1967 to 1971. Prior to turning professional, he was noted for being one of the first three African American basketball players at the University of Louisville. He later transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan College and helped the school win its first NCAA Division II championship in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarmine Knights</span> Intercollegiate athletic teams of Bellarmine University

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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Beatty</span> American football player and coach (born 1955)

Robert Beatty is a football coach and the former head football coach for the Trinity Shamrocks, a high school American football team located at Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the most successful High School Football coach in Kentucky state history by championships won, with 15 state championship titles and one national championship during his nearly forty-year-long career.

References

  1. ↑ "National Women's Soccer League announces expansion to Louisville in 2021" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  2. ↑ "North Carolina A&T vs. Louisville – Game Recap – March 21, 2013 – ESPN". Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ "WWE to cease affiliation with Ohio Valley Wrestling". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 7, 2008. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2008.
  4. ↑ Marshall, Anne (December 7, 2011). "Learning the ropes". Louisville Eccentric Observer . Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Ohio Valley Wrestling Alumni". Ohio Valley Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  6. ↑ Patrick, Dick (September 21, 2005). "High school rivals are like family". USA Today . Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ironman Louisville/". ironman.com/. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ "2019 IRONMAN Louisville". Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Louisville to host 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships". Cyclocross Magazine. January 29, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Louisville Moving Forward with Permanent Cyclocross Course". Cyclocross Magazine. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  11. ↑ "American Basketball Association team looks to bring new energy to Murray". The Murray State News. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Report: KFC owner offers to buy Grizzlies". Usatoday.Com. March 21, 2001. Archived from the original on August 22, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
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