-by Dave Jennings (@davejennings790)

ANOTHER DEFINING MOMENT HAS ARRIVED FOR UOFL ATHLETICS. A BCS BOWL IN YEAR THREE OF THE CHARLIE STRONG ERA AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEFEAT A TOP 5 OPPONENT OUT OF THE MIGHTY SEC. WIN OR LOSE, IT’S A TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT. BUT WHERE DOES THIS MOMENT RANK IN THE HISTORY OF UOFL SPORTS? MANY LISTS LIKE THIS HAVE BEEN COMPILED AND MOST FEATURE MOMENTS IN TIME…BIG SHOTS, AMAZING COMEBACKS AND UNFORGETTABLE PLAYS. THIS LIST ATTEMPTS TO DEFINE A PROGRAM. HOW DID LOUSVILLE GET TO WHERE IT IS TODAY? LET THE DEBATE BEGIN…

 10. NON-REVENUE SPORTS SUCCESS

YOU CAN’T GO FAR WITHOUT A DEEP AND TALENTED BENCH AND UOFL FEATURES ONE OF THE FINEST ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY. MOST OF THE TOP 10 FOCUSES ON THE TWO PRIMARY REVENUE SPORTS BUT I’D BE REMISS NOT TO MENTION THE 2007 TRIP TO THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES AND THE NATIONAL TITLE NEAR-MISSES OF THE MEN’S SOCCER AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS. WHATEVER REMAINS OF THE OLYMPIC SPORTS IN THE BIG EAST WILL BE HAPPY TO SEE UOFL LEAVE THE CONFERENCE. IT’S A CAR CRASH AND THE SWING OF A GOLF CLUB FROM AN ANGRY SPOUSE MOMENT FOR THOSE TEAMS. NOW THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO PICK UP A TITLE OR TWO.

9. CONFERENCE FROGGER

UNLESS YOUR NAME IS NOTRE DAME, YOU GENERALLY DON’T GET TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM INDEPENDENT STATUS TO MEMBER OF A PREMIER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WITHOUT PAYING YOUR DUES. JOINING CONFERENCE USA IN 1995 PUSHED YOUR BELOVED FOOTBALL COACH OUT THE DOOR AND ALL THE WAY TO OKLAHOMA BUT IT WAS THE BUILDING BLOCK FOR WHAT WAS TO COME. THE BIG EAST INVITE IN 2005 MADE YOUR BASKETBALL COACH EXTREMELY HAPPY AND SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING GAMES IN THE HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM FOLLOWED. BUT THAT’S ANOTHER LIST FOR ANOTHER DAY.

8. HIRING HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER / 1991 FIESTA BOWL

HE MADE A FAN BASE BELIEVE THAT THEY COULD BE SO MUCH MORE THAN THEY THOUGHT POSSIBLE. YES VIRGINIA, THAT LITTLE TEAM THAT PLAYS IN A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STADIUM CAN COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN NCAA FOOTBALL. PAPA JOHN’S CARDINAL STADIUM AND EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWED LIKELY DOESN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT THIS MOVE. POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DAY ALLOWED UOFL TO SLIDE INTO THE FIESTA BOWL IN 1991 AND THROTTLE ALABAMA. A NICE, LITTLE GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE…

7. HIRING CHARLIE STRONG / 2013 SUGAR BOWL

REALLY? HIGHER THAN HOWARD? AFTER JUST THREE SEASONS AND 24 WINS? THESE TWO COACHES AREN’T JUST ABOUT SUCCESS ON THE FIELD BUT ACTUAL SURVIVAL OF A PROGRAM. AT ONE TIME, ELIMINATING FOOTBALL WAS A DISTINCT POSSIBILTY AT UOFL. ENTER HOWARD. TODAY, CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT EITHER ENSURES YOUR PROGRAM’S VIABILITY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OR SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE. IF CHARLIE STRONG ISN’T BROUGHT ON BOARD IN 2010 TO BRING LOUISVILLE OUT OF THE ABYSS THAT WAS THE KRAGTHORPE ERA, UOFL IS UCONN. OR SOUTH FLORIDA. STILL LIVING IN THE STICK HOUSE. TO PUT CARDINAL FOOTBALL IN THE BRICK…HOUSE (owwww, mighty mighty) IN JUST THREE SHORT SEASONS, IS THE MAIN REASON WE’RE STILL PLAYING FROGGER. AND TO MAKE A BCS BOWL A YEAR AHEAD OF SCHEDULE ISN’T BAD EITHER. THE GUY CAN COACH.

6. HIRING RICK PITINO

OH WHAT A DISASTER 2001 COULD HAVE BEEN. TO SAY THE “RETIREMENT” OF DENNY CRUM WAS A BIT AWKWARD WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. BUT TO REPLACE BEAR BRYANT WITH NICK SABAN? SHAZAM! UOFL BASKETBALL EXCELLENCE WILL CONTINUE UNABATED. TWO FINAL FOURS AND A TEAM THAT IS POISED TO CONTEND FOR NATIONAL TITLES FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE IS MORE THAN ANYONE COULD HAVE HOPED FOR. RICK IN THE ACC? PRETTY COOL. AND UH, SALLY FIELD…ANOTHER COACH LOVES YOU. HE REALLY LOVES YOU. WIN A TITLE OR TWO AND WE MIGHT HAVE TO REARRANGE THIS LITTLE LIST HERE…

5. HIRING BOBBY PETRINO / 2007 ORANGE BOWL

41 AND 9. AT LOUISVILLE!? SERIOUSLY, WHO DOES THAT? THE MIAMI HURRICANES AREN’T SHOCKED. THIS MOVE HAD LOUISVILLE FANS BELIEVING THAT A NATIONAL TITLE WASN’T JUST THE PIPE’S DREAM. AND THE TEAM THAT KNOCKED OFF WAKE FOREST IN THE ORANGE BOWL WAS TALENTED ENOUGH TO DO IT. BUT LET’S NOT OPEN THAT WOUND. TO BELIEVE THAT EXCELLENCE WILL CONTINUE IS CONTINGENT UPON YOU ACTUALLY ACHIEVING IT FIRST. ONCE YOU REALIZE THE PINNACLE IS NOT OUT OF YOUR REACH, COMFORT IN INVESTMENT AND EXPANSION CAN FOLLOW. ASK ARKANSAS. JUST DON’T GET KRAGGED ON A HARLEY.

4. HIRING DENNY CRUM

LOUISVILLE WAS A SOLID PROGRAM IN 1971. IT REALLY WAS. BUT LURING COOL HAND LUKE AWAY FROM HIS BELOVED SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO A PLACE HIS ALLERGIES ARE ALLOWED TO FLOURISH TOOK THE UNIVERSITY TO THE MOUNTAINTOP. AND SO BEGAN A THREE DECADE LOVE AFFAIR BETWEEN A COACH AND A CITY THAT IS AS STRONG AS EVER TODAY. NO ONE HAS ACCOMPLISHED MORE ON THE COURT AND GIVEN INFINITELY MORE OFF OF IT THAN DENNY CRUM. HIS COMMITMENT TO THE UNIVERSITY AND THIS CITY AFFRIMED WHAT GENERATIONS OF FANS SUSPECTED. YES, WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO WIN IT ALL, AND AS A CITY, WE DO OFFER ENOUGH TO HAVE ONE OF THE GREATEST COACHES IN THE HISTORY OF ANY SPORT CHANGE HIS LIFE’S AMBITION. HE WOULD NOT RETURN TO UCLA. EVER. LOUISVILLE IS HOME. WE LOVE YOU, BROTHER.

3. HIRING TOM JURICH

IT’S 1997 AND UOFL NEEDS AN ATHLETIC DIRECTOR. MANY UNIVERSITIES FACE THIS DECISION EVERY YEAR. JUST FIND ANOTHER PERSON WHO WILL KEEP THE SHIP ON COURSE, AVOID THOSE PESKY BOOSTER-MINES AND HIRE A FEW GOOD CAPTAINS WHEN THE NEED ARISES. EASY ENOUGH. THESE GUYS COME AND GO. ENTER TOM JURICH, THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FROM COLORADO STATE. BRILLIANT! WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN THAT LOUISVILLE JUST BROUGHT ON BOARD THE MOST AGGRESSIVE, VISIONARY ADMINISTRATOR THAT WOULD NOT JUST KEEP THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM VIABLE, BUT GUIDE IT THROUGH ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PERIODS POSSIBLE WHILE BUILDING NEW FACILITIES ALONG THE WAY. OLYMPIC SPORTS HAVE THRIVED ACROSS THE BOARD. HE REPLACED ONE HALL OF FAME BASKETBALL COACH WITH ANOTHER AND PUT HIM IN THE FINEST ARENA IN THE COUNTRY. AND GIVING CHARLIE STRONG HIS FIRST SHOT AT BEING A HEAD FOOTBALL COACH WAS THE PERFECT MOVE AT PRECISELY THE RIGHT MOMENT. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR LIST DOES NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT TOM JURICH.

2. JOINING THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE IN THE ACC? HAUGHTY SNICKER, HAUGHTY SNICKER. (THAT’S WHAT DOOKIES DO). I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY MIGHT FEEL THIS IS TOO LOFTY A PLACE FOR THIS LATEST ROUND OF CONFERENCE FROGGER. WHO KNOWS WHAT THE ACC WILL LOOK LIKE IN FIVE YEARS AND HOW LOUISVILLE WILL FARE IN IT. BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT JUST HAPPENED. YOU JUST FOUND OUT THAT YOU WERE THE LAST EMPLOYEE RETAINED AT THE PLANT AND, OH BY THE WAY, YOU WERE ALSO PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT. THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT COMPETING IN ONE OF THE, FOR NOW, FIVE POWER CONFERENCES AND IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC PROFILE OF THE UNIVERSITY. THIS IS SIMPLY PURE, UNADULTERATED ATHLETIC SURVIVAL. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN AT THE EVER CHANGING FIELD OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS. UOFL NOW STANDS TO MAKE AT LEAST $200 MILLION MORE OVER THE NEXT DECADE AND A HALF THAN THEIR CURRENT BIG EAST DEAL WOULD HAVE PROVIDED. NOT BIG TEN OR SEC MONEY, BUT IT ALLOWS YOU TO COMPETE. AND NOW YOU’RE IN THE TREEHOUSE. “NO GIRLS ALLOWED” DOESN’T APPLY TO YOU ANYMORE. EVER AGAIN.

 1. 1980 AND1986 NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMIONSHIPS

NOT A LOT TO SAY HERE. IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. IN SPORTS, AS TEAMS AND PLAYERS, YOU ARE FOREVER DEFINED BY THE TITLES YOU BRING HOME. LOUISVILLE JOINED THIS ELITE CLUB IN 1980 AND MOVED INTO THE RARIFIED AIR OF MULTIPLE CHAMPIONSHIPS THANKS TO AN AMAZING RUN BY COACH DENNY CRUM AND THE UNFORGETTABLE ATHLETES HE RECRUITED AND COACHED. YOU COULD FRAME IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE AROUND THESE TEAMS AND THE GAMES THEY PLAYED! COUPLES MAY HAVE “THEIR SONG”. BUT LOUISVILLE FANS HAVE THEIR SOUNDTRACK. THIS IS IT, INDEED.