Jurich was hired by Louisville in October 1997 to replace Bill Olsen who retired. He had previously held the same position at Northern Arizona and Colorado State.   In 2007 he was named the Athletic Director of the Year.  This is quite an impressive accomplishment.  One of the first tasks Jurich was responsible for was the firing of head football coach Ron Cooper.  Cooper was replaced with John L. Smith.  This move set the landscape for big things to come for Louisville Football.  His second major hire was Rick Pitino, who replaced legendary coach Denny Crum.  This hire gave Jurich a lot of credibility when luring coaches.  He definitely knows how to lure the best.  In the last couple of years just about every sport at the University of Louisville has been ranked in the Top 25 with the exception of women’s soccer and football.  The same football program that won an Orange Bowl four years ago.

This brings one to the next question….Why all the silence from Jurich this football season?   Obviously, the hiring of Steve Kragthorpe has not gone as planned.  Jurich has repeatedly supported him and said he is my man.  Most assume this will be Kragthope’s last season at Louisville and the real question is when will it be announced?  Jurich most likely wants to wait until the end of the season, but one has to wonder if that is a good idea with WKU and Memphis already announcing the firing of their coaches and Notre Dame doesn’t appear to be far behind them.  It could put Louisville in a tough place for finding what fans will consider a “home run” hire if the school is competing with football schools rich in tradition.  Jurich may want to consider making his move, but anyone who knows Jurich, knows he probably already has a list and has started the process.  His silence, to most, says it all.

Below is a series of two interviews with Jurich filmed a couple of years ago.  It really puts into perspective why he is considered one of the best at what he does.  Whatever decision Jurich makes regarding Louisville football you can bet is calculated and impressive.  Remember he’s only made ONE bad hire in twelve years.

Al Groh (Virginia)-  Coach Groh has been the head coach at Virginia since the 2001 season.  He was named the ACC coach of the year in 2002 and 2007.  He finished last season 5-7 and lost his opener this season to William and Mary.  Groh has 38 years experience as a football coach, 13 seasons in the NFL, and a super bowl championship on his resume.  The question is…will he be able to lead his team to victories this season?

Dan Hawkins (Colorado)- Coach Hawkins began his first season at Colorado in 2006.  His record during his three seasons there have been 2-10 (2006), 6-7 (2007) and 5-7 (2008).  He came to Colorado from Boise State where he was very successful as a head coach.  He was the WAC coach of the year for three years and holds a 31 game winning streak, the longest in the WAC history.  His season opener at Colorado this year, the Buffaloes lost a close game to Colorado State 23-17.  Can Coach Hawkins and the Buffaloes make a run in the Big 12 this year?

Paul Wulff (Washington State)- Coach  Wulff came to Washington State after 7 years as the head coach at Eastern Washington.  In his first season, the Cougars finished 2-11 and 9^th in the Pac-10 conference.  The Pac-10 conference is tough and one year might not be enough to recruit and to completely rebuild a program.  The question here is did coach Wulff do enough recruiting in the off season to turn this thing around?  Still he is only in his second season, so to be fair, he really deserves at least one more year to see if the program is trending upward. Can he get it done?

Mike Sherman (Texas A&M)-  Coach Sherman brought a wealth of coaching experience to Texas A&M in 2008.  The Aggies finished 4-8 that season and 5^th in the Big 12 conference.  The 2009 season kicked off with a 41-6 pouncing of New Mexico.  He has signed a 7 year contract with Texas A&M, and it appears he may have this headed in the right direction.  Regardless, his job wouldn’t appear to be in danger with a 5 year buyout looming.  Give him time and the Aggies might have found the right guy for the job.

Steve Kragthorpe (Louisville)-  Kragthorpe’s first season coaching the Louisville Cardinals was in 2007 when the Cards were fresh off the 2006 Orange Bowl.  The 2007 team was pre-season top 10 and finished 5^th in the conference with a 6-6 record.  In 2008, Louisville finished 5-7 and 8^th in the Big East Conference.  Kragthorpe came to Louisville with 4 years of head coaching experience at Tulsa where he was somewhat successful.  Louisville did win their opening game this season against Indiana State 30-10.  Keep in mind ISU had only won 1 game in the last three seasons.  Of the five coaches here Coach Kragthorpe’s seat appears the hottest.  We will have to wait and see how the season plays out.

I truly hope that all of these teams have successful seasons and I wish each and every coach on this list the best of luck.  For those who are not getting the jobs done…best of luck in your new endeavors, and to those who win and quiet the naysayers, congratulations!  Regardless of the outcomes, there is still almost 3 months left of college football season 2009 and this list can change quite a bit between now and then.

The day Petrino resigned as the University of Louisville head football coach was a sad day for not only the football program and the university, but also the fans.  There was no question who the replacement would be.  Athletic Director, Tom Jurich, had already made that decision a year before.   If, and when Petrino left, Steve Kragthorpe (Tulsa) would be the new head coach.  There was no public coaching search, not even sure there were other interviews, and if there were they were just a formality, as nothing was made public.  Kragthorpe’s father Dave was once a college coach, most notably at Oregon State and his brother Kurt is a sports columnist for The Salt Lake City Tribune, still fans were told he came from a coaching pedigree.  One has to wonder if bringing Tulsa from bad to average and never coaching at a BCS school, not to mention only four years head coaching experience are the qualifications to coach a then Top 10 team coming off a BCS win.  Keep in mind, Tulsa only won two games in 2002 and Kragthorpe took over there in 2003.  Here is how Tulsa finished with Kragthorpe as the head coach.  In 2003 they went 8-5 and played in the Humanitarian Bowl.  The first bowl game Tulsa had played in since 1991.  In 2004, Tulsa finished 6^th in the WAC conference with a record of 4-8.  Playing his season finally in 2005 at the AutoZone Liberty bowl Kragthorpe achieved his best record as a head coach at 9-4.  His final season at Tulsa they finished 8-5 and played in the Armed Forces Bowl.  His overall record as a head coach in the WAC conference was 17-9.   Should there be more of a proven track record?  The fans could only trust in Tom, as they say in Louisville.  Hey, he had lured Rick Pitino to Louisville…this guy must be pretty good, right? 

What has ensued there since is a travesty.  In his first season at Louisville the Cardinals finished 6^th in the conference with a 6-6 record for 2007 and in 2008 they slipped to 5-7 and finished 8^th in the Big East Conference.  Louisville has been plagued with losing numerous players to disciplinary action or just leaving on their own accord.  The assistant coaching turnover has been horrendous.  There is no sense of continuity in the program with coaches, players, staff, etc.  Dig deeper and you see what appear to be signs of a chemistry problem, whether it is amongst the team, or the team not connecting with the coach, that remains to be seen.  Consistently, over the last three seasons you see numerous penalties on the field showing lack of discipline.  The worst penalty seen repeatedly in 2008 was 12 men on the field which happened often, not just one game. This signals a larger problem equaling lack of communication amongst the staff.

Now, it has been said, “We are building things the right way.”  What was there to rebuild?  Louisville, once a top 10 team, is now completely off the radar?  Yes, now they are rebuilding! Also, they are building a stadium expansion as well.  How will you sell the extra tickets with the program on the decline?  Hmmm, things that Mr. Jurich must think about.  Surely this thought has crossed his mind a time or two and give him credit, he has stood behind his coach.  However, with fans wavering, it may be time for him to voice a little displeasure, or at least acknowledge that he himself, like many others, is also unhappy with the turn of events occurring within the University of Louisville Football Program.  Something he has yet to publicly acknowledge.

No matter what you think of Steve Kragthorpe as a coach, one should admire him for his faith, family and football attitude.  No one should be judged or berated for their religious beliefs and family should come first.  It comes down to having a balance that can still make you a successful football coach.  Can one argue that Coach Kragthorpe can’t find the balance? Not unless one is in the Howard Schnellenberger football complex to witness Coach Kragthorpe’s work ethic, this shouldn’t even be an issue.  No one knows the hours he spends in the office, the hours with his family, or the way he runs his coaching staff.  Every head coach is different in these aspects.  His style of play, his coaching ability, no one has to like, but why take personal jabs at a man who is obviously struggling with his career right now?  He does have a wife and children living in the city of Louisville and one can only imagine how hard this is on them based on the reaction by many of Louisville’s fans. 

It comes down to this.  Coach Steve Kragthorpe is the head coach of the University of Louisville Football Program.  Until Tom Jurich does anything to change that, this is how it is.  Good, bad, or ugly the players and recruits at this fine institution deserve better than the negativity surrounding the program right now.  Yes, Mr. Jurich has the ability to change this situation.   If he won’t, I challenge you as fans to support these young men on the field and keep your opinions of Coach Kragthorpe strictly football related and not personal. Are you up for the challenge?