LOUISVILLE, KY – Well, it’s official. Bobby Petrino will return to Louisville and pick up where he left off as the head coach of the Cardinal Football program. A little over a decade after Tom Jurich extended him his first position as a head coach, Petrino has now accepted another invitation from Jurich. This time around, however, the offer and acceptance appear to have all the makings of a Crum- or Pitino-esque hire.
Now I’m no football insider and I am certainly no different than you in terms of how I formulate my opinions. We all see what we want to see and act how we want to act based on our own points of view, but we all have our own reasons for the ‘why’ in our lives. I have compiled a list of reasons why Petrino will join Louisville’s two Hall of Fame coaches as a future Cardinal retiree.
1) SECOND CHANCES ARE HARD TO COME BY
When Bobby left Louisville after winning the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2006 season, he acted much like many other coaches have at other programs. As a high school and college tennis coach, I can certainly understand the urge to use success as a means to achieve bigger things. Bobby was no different then and I did not hold it against him. I mean really, think about it. In your first head coaching job, you compile an impressive 41-9 record and win a BCS bowl at a school in a non-major conference. Why would you not think that you can use that to hedge your way into a bigger position, NFL or otherwise?
Although Jurich and many fans were not impressed with the way he left, a reasonable person has to sympathize with the ‘moving up the ladder’ approach to coaching and in the business world as well. However, after everything that has transpired, Petrino is the first coach to get a second chance at winning a national title for the Cardinals. He knows he must capitalize on this opportunity.
2) JURICH JUST MADE THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION OF HIS TENURE
Since 1997, Tom Jurich has made plenty of hiring decisions that have affected the current trajectory of Cardinal Athletics. I posit that there have also been plenty of easy choices along the way, certainly as evidenced by what the department has accomplished since he began his duties as athletic director.
Some of the most difficult decisions in life are often the best decisions. Quitting smoking, choosing a mate and setting a good example are just a few choices that are not exactly easy all the time. Jurich’s decision to entertain the possibility of bringing Petrino back to Louisville amid the obvious issues associated with his hire could not have been one which was made lightly. For this reason, I believe the two gentlemen had a very serious conversation about what they would be entering into. For Jurich to resurrect Petrino as Louisville’s coach, there had to have been something substantive said and/or declared in that conversation.
Hiring the Pitinos and Katzes and Strongs of the athletic department were undoubtedly easy decisions. On the flip side, re-hiring a coach who has polarized the fanbase and acquired a sullied reputation since his departure puts an AD in a bit of a pickle. Jurich is not in this business to take chances or select wait-and-see candidates. The fact that Jurich believes in Petrino’s second coming means something very real is in the works at UofL.
3) LOUISVILLE FOOTBALL NOW COMPETES IN THE ACC
When Petrino started in 2003, he inherited a program that competed in Conference USA. He then oversaw the move to the Big East Conference and performed about as well as anyone could have imagined. For a man who has seen the ups and downs of collegiate and professional football and was almost out of the game altogether until WKU hired him, Petrino knows the time to settle down is now. Couple that with the fact that Louisville will compete annually against Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Notre Dame [on occasion] and the product is a match made in Cardinal Heaven.
For Louisville to re-hire a respected, high-powered offensive mind who has already taken the program to new heights as its leader heading into the ACC is a very exciting thought. Yes, there are better jobs still out there, but the decision to leave Louisville can no longer be based on conference affiliation or a perceived ability to compete for a title.
Beginning in fall 2014, Louisville Football has arrived, my friends. Even if we simply exist early on in the conference similar to the likes of NC State or Boston College, the rewards of competing in the ACC will be enough for any fan to be happy with. Plug in a coach who can recruit, score points and win games over time and you have a formula for how the school gets to the title game.
From today forward, loyalty means total and equal reciprocation – Jurich takes a chance on Petrino’s re-hiring, and Petrino takes a chance to prove himself and become Louisville’s first title winner, no matter how long it takes. Undeniably, Petrino believes in Jurich’s loyalty to him, and Jurich trusts Petrino can get the job done.
In Tom We Trust. In Bobby We Believe.
Now we wait…patiently, of course.
Horses and Hoops 