Last night we reported that the University of Louisville had former Tampa Bay head coach Jon “Love You Bro” Gruden high on their list of potential coaches if (or when) they fire current head coach Steve Kragthorpe. Our report is accurate—and today we received a few calls from former Louisville players and current NFL players that know their school is dying to get Gruden to be their coach. Is it wishful thinking? If you know anything about the University of Louisville and its powerful alumni, you know anything is possible because they have the one thing everyone wants—MONEY.
Louisville is a big-time college sports town, the town loves football and some of the best high school football in the country is played in the city. The school has a very loyal, wealthy alumni base. And along with their wealthy local business leaders, they can move mountains when they set their mind and wallets to any problem. Being a BCS school affords the program the opportunity to win a national championship in football. All they need to do is get the right coach, the right players and they can easily accomplish this goal (As you can tell they are not hoping—they have a plan).
College football is not as it was twenty years ago. Smaller schools, because of the BCS, can compete on the highest level, thus increasing their brand recognition by winning football games. Louisville already has brand recognition from their basketball program, and before Bobby Petrino left for the Atlanta Falcons they were in the running for a BCS game every year. Their facilities are second to none, they have a beautiful stadium with 42,000 seats that are all chair backs and have the ability to expand to 80,000 anytime soon. This school thinks big time, because they are big time.
Therefore, the fundamental question is can they compete for Gruden? My answer is yes. To get Gruden to coach in college will take a lot of money and an administration that will not interfere with his ability to coach or recruit players. He needs to go to a school that only knows how to say one word—yes. Is Notre Dame a better spot? Yes, on the surface, because of the name and amazing tradition. But there are obstacles to overcome at Notre Dame that do not exist at Louisville. What about Virginia? Same as Notre Dame—great school, but it comes with restrictions. Florida State might be a great spot, but there seems to be some questions of who is actually in control.
Pete Carroll proved you can be very happy moving from pro football to college football, as you can control many more things in college—assuming you go to the right place. Ditto for Nick Saban at Alabama. College football programs are not cost cutting as they seem to be doing in the NFL, especially the teams that want to get to a BCS game. The rewards far outweigh any reason to save money on a coach. The NFL, meanwhile, seems to be on a mission to reduce the cost of the head coach as that investment comes directly from the owner’s pocketbook.
Here is what Jon “Love You Bro” Gruden had to say on Mike & Mike in the Morning today about his name being floated for jobs…
“I'm really respectful of the people that have those jobs," he said. "I got a job. I just got fired from a job. I'm trying to hang on to the one I've got, man. I'm gonna stick to my guns here and do my job, and don't believe everything that's out there. Just do the best you can, finish the job that you have and that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna work hard and try to do better at the broadcast this Monday night."
This won’t be the first time Gruden’s name comes up for a college job. However, I can assure you this: the Louisville job will pique his interest, and when he listens to their recruiting calls he will be impressed—assuming he has not been impressed already.
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Please, lots of schools have wealthy alumni that can afford Gruden. And lots of schools can afford to outspend Louisville if it comes down to it. This interest is just the tip of the iceberg, wait until after the season is over and see how many other schools come calling.
Reality is they are an average program with an all-time winning % of around 51%.
Actually Random UL is the most profitable revenue generating school in the NCAA..
A central location, bordering SEC and Big Ten turf. Perfect place to to snatch players from each conference.
Listen to Bo LO random dude. Check out Forbes top grossing collegiate programs the last 5 years and UofL is consistently in the top 10. Last fiscal year they were 3rd only behind Florida and UCLA. UofL, with the help of our great AD(Tom Jurich), has top notch sports in almost every category imagineable. 2007 track and field natnl champs, womens final 4 last year, 3 consectutive elite 8's in mens b-ball and the final four the year before that, college baseball world series last year, a top 10 mens soccer programs, top notch womens volleyball, I could go on but you get the hint. We definately have plenty of money and when it boils down to it if we put more zero's in our offer than I think that will go a LONG way, especially in these times where UofL is expanding and wants people in those extra 32,000 seats they are adding to the 46,000 we already have. The only reason we don't have more wins is due to caoches like Petrino and John L. not sticking around and then we get stuck with the likes of Ron Cooper or Steve Kragthorpe. You have to take into consideration the leaps nad bounds we have taken in football. Less than 30 years ago we weren't even D-1 and in '91 we won the Fiesta Bowl and in '06 the Orange Bowl. Say what you want but the town wants this team on top again regardless of cost.
Gruden's personality and coaching style is made for college ball. The respect, control, and authority that Gruden would have at UL or any college fits his persona perfectly. Although Gruden "loves" everybody the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Gruden is his snarl and his face right up against a player's face mask giving him the business. Players in the NFL seem to see that as disrespectful, while college players more often than not tend to look up to a person of his stature.
Hey Random, check out my name. That says all there is to say. Go back to Lexington and dream that you will finish with a winning $EC record some time in your pathetic life.
We're not talking about women's volleyball or skeet shooting, we are talking about football. When it comes to paying coaches, there are going to be other schools that are able to throw more money at Gruden than Louisville will.
I'm glad to hear that Louisville is running a profitable athletic program but the reality is that for most big-time coaches, only a fraction of their salary is paid by the athletic department. Much of the salaries are paid by booster clubs and endorsements and I still maintain it is far more likely that if he decided to move to the college game that other programs with more resources and tradition will be able to put together a better package for him.
For example, if Weis gets the axe, who do you think will be able to offer a better package, Notre Dame or Louisville?
I don't have anything against Louisville, my only point is that this article seems like a lot of hype. Let's wait until after the season is over and other jobs become available and we see who all is looking before we start making it sound like this is going to be an irresistible temptation for him.
I'm reasonably confident Dan Snyder can make him an offer Louisville can't touch. In addition to money, the Skins job would provide unlimited resources, access to a major media market, a chance to pave his way to Canton and the opportunity to rub the Glazer's noses in it. Plus, no recruiting, no NCAA looking over your shoulder, no university deans, no impatient alums. I'm not sure he is the right guy for the Skins, but if the job is offered in a format he can live with, he takes it over Louisville in a nanosecond.
Fact is, Louisville can afford to match or beat any school in the nation.
Did y'all see Chuckie at the South Florida - Cincy game tonight? Mike had mentioned how NFL teams might be worried that he was "scouting" them in connection with his booth duties. Doesn't the 'Ville make even more sense now? Yes I know he lives in Tampa, loves football and is part of the House of Mouse cross-promotional monstrosity, but this seems to be much more than coincidence!
This just in, UNLV is also going after Gruden after not being to happy with the way the interview went with Mike Shanahan. Wanting something and getting it are not one and the same. Gruden would never take the position and all the smoke you are blowing is for nothing.
Nothing against UL, but Random is probably right. A lot of schools could outspend UL--why would they have settled for Krag in the first place if money was no object and they could get whoever they wanted.
I live in Louisville, although I'm a UK fan. Basketball is king in this state, always has been, always will be. Look at the salaries of Pitino/Calipari vs Brooks/Kragthorpe if you need proof.
Louisville [football] fans need to be happy with a .500 season and a bowl game and move on...just like us UK fans.
Hah!
09random, now don't don't take this as an attack but you can make all the jokes you want, but the bottom line is that UofL can not only match but BEAT anyone's offers out there. Now sure Gruden is from South Bend but his brother went to UofL as well so he has ties at both places. The fact is that UofL's athletics are completely self-sustaining unlike alot of other colleges. Not only are they self-sustaining(that means they don't have to raise tuition to support athletics) but they put about 25% back into the university. Now sure ND might be lucrative to him but just like Lombardi siad he will have almost no restrictions on what he can or can't due(within the rules in place buy the NCAA) at his point. Now sure this may all be hype and at this point is definately speculation but all I am saying is that if you think we can't afford to pay a top notch coach to come here wehter it be Gruden or Tubberville, or Scott Linnehan etc. then you are off-base a bit. Gruden could easily make 5 million plus a year here with incentives they would give him but also he would be a savior. I'm not so sure he would be interested in the Redskins either, really who would want to work for Snyder who goes through coaches quicker than Jerry Jones. The Skins annually have one of the highest payrolls and never do crap. Not to mention the UofL job in my opinion would be the least stressfull of all offers he could take not to mention with the level of coaching in the BE at this point he would dominate in no time. Plus I have always noticed where there is smoke there is fire and right now there is alot of smoke surrounding this. I wouldn't take it to the bank just yet all I am saying is don't be suprised if he winds up our new coach and will definately be the highest paid coach in UofL history. The only worry I have with him should he come is longevity. That's why I like the idea of Tubberville or Linnehan or Turner Gill. Just know Jurich WILL NOT hire another up and coming coach at this point and he will most definately open up the pocket book because the bottom line is BCS generates cah, just look at the bonus' UofL got in 2006 for doing so well.
Matt, B Lo, Michael--
Please, look this stuff up before you just spout out generalizations.
And UK BItes, "pathetic" is making personal attacks based on which sports teams you root for...get a life, or a high diploma, or a girlfriend/boyfriend.
Fact is, Louisville CANNOT "afford to match or beat any school in the nation. They rank 3rd (behind Kentucky) in BASKETBALL income only. They are 44th overall in total athletic program income, UK is 22.
(Interesting note, I didn't know this--UK gets NO REVENUE for concessions sold in Rupp arena. They'd be way out in front of all other basketball programs if they did, and its the biggest reason they're looking at building a new arena.)
Anyway, Louisville gets something like $50 million LESS in income than the top 5-10 schools overall, so if its about money for Gruden, he won't be coming to Louisville. I couldn't even find a number for where their football program ranks on its own--probably somewhere slightly above Kentucky's. Hah!
At least, that's my 2 cents.
Come on this will never happen....Gruden never used young players in the NFL and he never took the time to develope a QB either. THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!!
Go to Louisville if you want to fall into obscurity.....
Am I missing something here? I have been a Louisville native for all of my life, and I can assure you that this has A ZERO PERCENT CHANCE OF HAPPENING. Why are you all wasting time talking about this? Wealthy alumni? What wealthy alumni? UK has the purse strings in this state, UofL emptied out the bank for Pitino, and you think Pitino will want to share the spotlight with Gruden? This isn't Pittsburgh, or Rutgers where the city is big enough to handle two big personalities...this is Louisville, an old rust-belt city that has always had illusions of trying to out-do its neighbors (St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis): bidding for the New Orleans Hornets, building a $700 mill basketball stadium downtown, TRYING TO INCREASE THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY OF THE UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION. Jurich is trying to make this move to save his own job...having spent a lot of time around the athletic program at UofL I can assure you that this will never come to fruition. We couldn't even keep Ron English (the defensive coordinator at Michigan under Lloyd Carr) around after one year, you think we can get Gruden? Facilities? I am really curious to see what you are talking about, currently the school can't afford to add the other 20,000 seats to the stadium because NO ONE WILL BUY TICKETS. In order to get season tickets for basketball, Jurich has mandated that you purchase four season tickets for football...that sums up the program and its future...
Lombardi, I expect better than you on this...this is the worst speculation I have ever heard, and I can assure you all that UofL will suffer yet another public black-eye and hire some assistant from another program and pay him nothing, because the school has no money. If UofL were so wealthy, why couldn't we hold on to Petrino? When the big bucks came calling from the NFL he took them, after out-working his $1.25 mill salary he bolted, and we only got Krags because he would work for less than half of that...I don't get this story at all, but I guess news is slow on the NFL front right now.
I don't think its crazy to think Gruden could be at Louisville next year, but I think it's unlikely. While they are a BCS conference, they are the least respected conference. Cincinnati has looked great this yar and still has trouble getting past teams with one-loss like Virginia Tech and USC in the rankings. It hink if a BCS school in a different conference offers him, that would be more likely, especially one closer to Florida. (Although after looking over the ACC and SEC conferences, I can't find a school that is likely to be dropping their coach this season).
The other problem is Gruden isn't a college coach. We've all seen videos of him yelling at players on sidelines and quotes he gives to the media after tough losses. I think his the way he confronts players is good in the pros, but would be terrible in college. He would be a great recruiter but his gameday attitude is better equipped for the pros.
TomWaits, you are obviously not from KY and your info on concessions is correct. You are like the UK fans I hear b***h about that. All I merely say to them to shut them up is that WE PROCURE NO STATE FUNDS FOR ATHLETICS AND FACILITIES, UK does(and our facilities are much better, heck better than most every SEC/Big12 teams). So to make up for what alot of the colleges get from their states is to get concession contracts and donations. All of our stuff is ours, the state has absolutely no say in what we can or can't do with our facilities. Do your research or know anything about KY sports and you would know this. As far as this thread is concerned I am done with it. You guys can sit here and argue until you are blue in the face and say we don't have the money and it only makes you look stupid. Sure Gruden is all speculation right now, all I am saying is if you don't think we have the money, you're wrong. We do have the money and we will pay a top notch coach to come here even if it's not Gruden. End of story.
If you think Louisville could have outbid Alabama for Nick Saban, I say check your premises.
Louisville has upwards of $35,000,000.00 set aside in the Cardinal Athletic Fund. They can afford him! When rumors of Rick Pitino coming to Louisville first started everyone said that was a pipe dream too; look how that turned out.
Ok, it seems that none of you are aware that Gruden has a "No Compete Clause" in his Tampa Bay contract that pays him $5 million a year through 2011 NOT to coach in the NFL. So going to the Skins would certainly not rub anything in the Glazer's face. It would pay them $10 million. Now, let's look at the perks at Louisville
1) Easiest road to BCS bowl
2) FACILITIES
3) Total control
4) Brand new expanded stadium
5) Insanely loyal Alumni and Fan base
6) Derby city and Louisville HS Football
7) Bottom line, We can competet with any college checkbook and with the NCC clase in his contract, any pro team too
Keep down talkin us like you did before we got Pitino.
Let's dream big card fans. A little more than 20 years ago, no one thought we'd get a coach coming off an NCAA D1 National Championship, but Schnelly came anyway.
Gruden's ties to UL are tenuous in comparison to the Howard's. At least he was a hometown boy. Since we're already dabbling in the realm of rumor and innuendo, I've heard Jon & Jay aren't very close and don't in fact get along well. Of course, that's just rumor. But this Tavern Talk is all about rumors anyway.
UL has a lot to offer. Facilities, fans, cash, a strong AD, cash. I'd love to have him here to rebuild our program. It would take a season or two to right the ship, for sure. But he'd put butts in seats and revenues in the coffers. Unfortunately, until we hear from Jurich or Kraggy, it's just rumor.
If I was a gambler, I'd put it at 5-1 that we're even on Gruden's radar.
Hello.....no mention of the fact that his brother was quarterback at UofL circa 1999. Jay Gruden also was a sucessfule Head coach in areana football.
This is a package deal and it is almost finished. Announcements to be made in a couple of weeks.
Some of you UL fans need to check yourself. The athletic department is absolutely NOT self-sustaining. If it was, why would they need to collect a student athletic fee from every student who attends? And the comment about giving back 25% to the university is a ridiculous joke. UL athletics gives back very little to the academic side... certainly much less than Kentucky.
There is NO CHANCE they could afford $5 million/year for a football coach. None. When they offered Petrino a 10-year, $25 million deal it was by far the most they had ever offered a coach and Jurich had to squeeze a bunch of donors to get that -- do you really think they could DOUBLE that? Get real.
UL does have a lot of advantages and the football job is dramatically underrated on a national scale, but some of you Cardinal fans are simply delusional about the fiscal realities of your situation.
Gruden is good but I see Phil Fulmer as a better fit for Louisville. He's a proven winner AND a proven recruiter. He had a top 5 recruiting class when he was ousted at TN. Give us Phillip Fulmer!!!!
One of the things that no one talks about is the accomplishments of the coach. I know money plays a large part of any coaching position in college. I know Louisville has a LOT of money to throw at Gruden or anyone else. What I would hope to see is a coach that doesn't use UofL for a stepping stone but one that will prove he can coach football. A coach that would take pride in taking Louisville from where it is now (enter "sucks" here) to a national power house and keeping it there. Petrino was a great coach. He showed that it is possible to put Louisville in the national spotlight for more than one year. He apparently was motivated by money. (and he's a quitter but that's for another blog) If a coach came in here and took Louisville to national prominence and really DID stay here, he could make a name for himself as other great coaches have done. He could prove that the coach makes a college great. Not the college making the coach great. If anybody can find that coach, it's Jurich. If he thinks about the future instead of "Look who I landed!" we could be a very good program.
I know money plays a large part of any coaching position in college.
Thank you.
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Oct 15, 2009
06:55 PM
The whole college idea seems to perfect of a fit for Gruden, for a guy who cant ever seem to stick with a qb longer than 1 season it could be what he needs.