The Victory in Miami
50,000 UofL Fans Invade Florida for the Orange Bowl
By Kevin Hyde
Miami resident Damon Stinson, a 2003 UofL graduate and president of the South Florida Alumni Club, said it felt like "the calm before the storm" as he chatted with alumni officers at a small dinner party on Dec. 29. It was five days before the Cardinal football team would make school history in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl, defeating Wake Forest 24–13 to win their first BCS bowl title.
Things were still quiet. But the fans were coming.
The gale officially blew in the next day as thousands of Cardinal fans descended on South Florida and were greeted in style with the UofL Fan Appreciation Party.
The university started throwing the bash in the late 1990s when the football team began making a habit of going to bowl games. As the bowl games keep getting bigger, so does the party.
Hosted by UofL President James Ramsey and Vice President for Athletics Tom Jurich, this year's event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino packed in nearly 5,000 fans. Some even started lining up to get into the casino ballroom four hours before the 7 p.m. start time, the line of waiting Cardinal faithful snaking well into the actual casino area.
That was just the beginning. An estimated 50,000 UofL alumni and fans were in Miami for the Orange Bowl and the Alumni Association planned an array of festivities in the days leading up to the game. Jimmy Ford, assistant vice president for alumni affairs (aka "the alumni guy"), and Alumni Association officers Donna O'Donnell and Jonathan Israel were all over the place—from the "UofL Alumni Association New Year's Eve Party" at the Hard Rock resort to "UofL Day at the Races" at Calder Race Course, on to the "UofL Wake Forest Golf Challenge" at Bonaventure Country Club and the local hot spots where Cardinal fans gathered to watch bowl games on New Year's Day.
One of those spots was in the epitome of a trendy neighborhood, South Beach—that bright, colorful splash of Art Deco garishness. It seemed a strange place for a sports bar, but the Clevelander is no ordinary sports bar.
Its outdoor area is streaked in neon green, purple and pink and features a pool that wraps throughout a maze of tables and bars. The hundreds of Card fans who found their way there were greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of the UofL Marching Band as it rumbled down Ocean Drive and stopped in front of the venue for a pep rally.
While large groups of people wearing brightly colored clothes isn't all that unusual in South Beach, it was impossible to miss the band as they thundered through a set of music that included the UofL fight song and "My Old Kentucky Home" and plenty of opportunities for fans to chant "C-A-R-D-S ... CARDS!"
A passing Wake Forest fan told UofL photographer Tom Fougerousse, "If your football team is as good as your band, we're in a lot of trouble."
When they weren't cheering with the band, Cards fans at the Clevelander were keeping their eyes glued to the TVs, even engaging in some Big East solidarity by routing on the West Virginia Mountaineers as they came back and defeated Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
"This is a party," smiled Israel, the person responsible for finding the Clevelander. But it was also much more. Like all of the alumni events, it was an opportunity for Cardinal fans to find each other in Miami and enjoy the Orange Bowl experience together. Some are getting to be old pros at this bowl thing.
"This is our third bowl in three years," said Danny Jenkins, a long-time UofL fan who drove down from Louisville with his wife Janice. "We saw the Boise State game in Memphis a couple of years ago. And we were in Jacksonville last year for the Gator Bowl. We're getting pretty used to this."
The Orange Bowl was UofL's ninth consecutive bowl appearance. Kenny Blair and four fellow Cardinal fanatics were in Florida to see their eighth in those nine years.
"We didn't go out to Boise," said Blair, referring to the Cards' 1999 Humanitarian Bowl appearance in Idaho. "The only way I would go there is if we're in the National Championship."
Elizabeth Tarry-Crowe, a 1989 College of Arts and Sciences graduate, and her husband John M. Crowe, a 1986 engineering grad, have lived all over the world, "following the Cards and ‘training' our kids to be loyal fans," Elizabeth said.
When the Crowes returned to the United States in 2004, they settled in Ann Arbor, Mich., home of perennial Big 10 football powerhouse the University of Michigan Wolverines. That's the same year they started taking annual trips to UofL bowl games. This time, they brought along the kids.
"Now keep in mind that we practically live in the shadow of the ‘Big House' of football in Ann Arbor," Elizabeth said.
After returning to Michigan, the Crowes reported this tidbit to UofL that occurred when their youngest child, third-grader Julia, 8, was asked to write a "What I Did on Winter Vacation" essay.
"We were certainly gratified to see that our indoctrination program is indeed working!" her proud parents said.
Julia wrote: "Well, actually I came to Florida because I went to see the Orange Bowl. I went to see the team my family cheers for, Louisville, beat Wake Forest. It was so exciting! But before the game we talagated it was fun. Then at the game I almost lost my voise cheering for the Cards! But at the end Louisville Cardinals WON THE ORANGE BOWL! Of corse."
Game Day
After a pristine, sunny four days with temperatures in the 70s, game day brought the rain. The Liberty Mutual UofL Alumni Association Tailgate in the parking lot of Calder Race Course (about a mile from Dolphin Stadium) was a pretty soggy affair, thanks to a steady shower.
But President Ramsey dismissed the rainy weather when he addressed the tailgaters by saying, "It doesn't rain on Cardinal Country. Let's go down to Dolphin Stadium and turn it into Papa John's South! We've got the best fans in the world."
The hundreds of Cardinal fans at the event were undaunted. Even before UofL's ascent to the top tier of college football, Cardinal fans were professional tailgaters. The Alumni Association's Orange Bowl tailgate offered some great food—bar-b-que chicken, hamburgers, pasta, pizza and more.
But Mrs. Ramsey couldn't eat. You see, the university's First Couple don't show up to Cardinal sporting events because they have to. They do it because they're passionate fans.
"I'm so nervous," Jane Ramsey said before boarding a bus to the game. "But I guess I don't have any control over the game, so there's no sense being nervous ... But I am."
And the heavily favored Cardinals gave her plenty to be nervous about. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Wake Forest took the lead 13–10.
That's when the Cardinal's offense finally started clicking with Brian Brohm—the Orange Bowl's MVP after his 311-yard passing performance—leading two long, touchdown drives with key passes to junior receiver Harry Douglas. Those drives were capped by TD runs by running backs Anthony Allen and Brock Bolen, and the Cards won 24–13—a hugely gratifying victory on the national stage.
"I'm so glad I'm here," said Brian Daniels, president of the Atlanta Alumni Club, who had made the trip down with his father. "This is amazing."
Enter Coach K
One constant during UofL's meteoric rise to football prominence has been optimism. No matter how good things are going this season, just wait until next year. And while the Orange Bowl champs have several talented players returning, that usual optimism was shaken in the frenetic days that followed perhaps the greatest football season in university history when, just after returning from Florida, UofL head coach Bobby Petrino finally consummated one of his annual flirtations with another job. After four sparkling seasons with the Cards, he was headed off to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.
Local fan favorite Michael Bush also announced he was turning pro. His "Derby City Duo" teammate, Brohm, also was weighing the option of forgoing his senior year and heading to the NFL. Rumors about other player defections surfaced. Key recruits announced they were "de-committing" from the Cards due to Petrino's departure. But just like the football team in the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl, this jolt of uncertainty soon took an upward turn. One positive thing about having a coach who is constantly entertaining other job opportunities is that Tom Jurich knew he needed to keep his eyes peeled for a potential replacement. And throughout Petrino's tenure, Jurich always had his eyes on one guy.
Steve Kragthorpe, head coach at Tulsa University and the architect of one the nation's most heralded rebuilding efforts, was named UofL's 20th head football coach at UofL less than a week after Petrino's resignation.
The Golden Hurricane was a combined 2–21 in the two seasons prior to Kragthorpe's 2002 arrival. He turned around the program immediately, compiling an impressive 29–22 record during his four seasons and guiding Tulsa to three bowl games.
"Steve has everything I look for in a head coach," said Jurich, calling Kragthorpe one of the top young offensive minds in the nation. "He has a proven track record and high integrity, great morals and values."
Within two weeks, Kragthorpe had named his assistants, retaining several key coaches from Petrino's staff including former UofL quarterback Jeff Brohm—Brian's big brother—and co-defensive coordinator Mike Cassity.
Soon Brian announced that he would return for his senior season. Rumors of other player defections disappeared. The recruits who had "de-committed" recommitted.
Quickly letting people know what type of person he is, it was the new coach who allowed the Cards to properly acknowledge and celebrate what they had accomplished before he arrived. When the team was honored in Freedom Hall at the halftime of the basketball game against Providence on Jan. 13, he told the crowd, "Today isn't about Steve Kragthorpe. Today is about celebrating this team's remarkable season."
Six days later, Cards fans packed Fourth Street Live for a huge Orange Bowl celebration. Florida didn't seem so long ago.
Cards fans could savor a great season and, as always, look ahead to a bright future.
