Below is the article I wrote around this time last year when Coach Strong turned down the Tennessee job. Crazy how much things can change in just a year. Really thought Coach Strong was different, and it would have been nice if this story had played out. Not much loyalty in the world today especially in college sports. I would be lying if I said Charlie didn’t let me down. But I do wish him and his family the best.
a “STRONG” statement
Today something happened at the University of Louisville that you don’t see very much in the world of college sports. Today wasn’t about money, ego, power or greed. Today was about relationships, family, respect and loyalty. Today Charlie Strong made what he called the “Biggest decision in 29 years of coaching” and decided to stay at the University of Louisville for the long haul. Strong was hired in December 2009 and led the Cardinals to a 7-6 season in 2010. But at the beginning of the 2011 season he was struggling with a young team and got off to a 2-4 start. It was during that time that Tom Jurich decided to give Charlie a 7 year contract extension. That extension went a long way toward showing how committed Louisville was to Strong and building a solid football program. Today Strong acknowledged that moment saying “I was 9-10, and Jurich hands me an extension…How do you walk away from someone who trusts and believes in you.” Coach Strong has done a really good job in just 3 years at Louisville. And with his commitment today it could be the start of something big. Louisville has often been referred to and recognized as a stepping stone job for up and coming coaches. But today all of that changed as we went head to head with one of the traditional powers of the SEC and came out on top. Coach Strong says him signing means that UofL “is no longer a stepping stone job.”
When coach Strong arrived at Louisville he brought a much-needed winning pedigree to the program at a crucial time in it’s history. But today we found out that we got much more than that. Today our program took another step on the road to greatness and got a commitment from a guy who is all about greatness. One of the things that coach Strong was famous for saying when he got here was “You never Know.” Well now we know that our program is in good hands and heading in the right direction. Perhaps summed up best in one of Coach Strong’s comments today “My enthusiasm and my heart are with the University of Louisville.”