Cardinal Carvings

[bullwark]

Papa John's: Better stadium, better football

If you remember the days of free tickets to University of Louisville football games -- or to be more accurate, free handfuls of tickets -- the final state approval of a 21,000-seat expansion for Papa John's Cardinal Stadium last week is tough to fathom.

In fact, one question that has come to me more than any other since U of L athletic director Tom Jurich unveiled the expansion is this: Why expand to more than 60,000 seats when you averaged less than 40,000 last season?

The answer is easy.

This is how growth works.

In its first year in Papa John's, U of L's season-ticket base grew by 10,000 before a single game was played.

In fact, of all the building that has taken place under Jurich's watch -- and that now includes a new facility for every varsity sport at the school -- nothing is likely to be more important to the athletic program's future than this new section at Papa John's, which is planned to increase stadium capacity to 63,600 with 45 new luxury suites.

The economics are pretty simple. Sell out home games against Kentucky, West Virginia and one other opponent, and you've added the revenue equivalent of another home game every other year. Do it on a more regular basis and you've started to put yourself on a more level playing field with college football's national powers, though that field will never be level. And that's not even talking about the longer-term revenue of suite rentals.

You might wonder how the project will fly after a disappointing season, a 6-6 finish in which the Cards were one of a handful of eligible teams that didn't go to a bowl.

The season was disastrous. Arguments otherwise are more spin than substance. But to abandon this project would be to admit, in a way, that the program has maxed out. Don't hold your breath waiting for that admission.

Those around the Cardinals' football program will admit this: Everything they have accomplished has been achieved by doing more with less. They've hired great coaches on the way up. They've taken national television appearances whenever they could get them. They've taken some second-chance players and many others who didn't even get a first chance from big-time schools.

And as much as anything, they've capitalized on an unprecedented boom of football talent in this city -- while drawing major players from around the state, including some on the rebound from established powers. Michael Bush, Brian Brohm, Mario Urrutia, Eric Shelton.

But a time will come, has come, when the backyard isn't always so well-stocked with that kind of emerging player. And a time comes when trying to do more with less eventually catches up with you.

So U of L football now will try to do more with more. Fundraising has steamed along, which in the face of last season says as much as anything about the commitment of fans and boosters.

U of L has done all it could to capitalize on its recent boom times. It climbed into the top 10, won a BCS bowl game and built an indoor practice facility.

This expansion is the last step of that capitalization and perhaps a necessary step toward continuing momentum.

And regardless of the win-loss record or the economic outlook, if this expansion is ever to happen, now is the time.

Reach Eric Crawford at (502) 582-4372 or ecrawford@courier-journal.com. Comment on this column, and read his blog and previous columns, at www.courier-journal.com/crawford.

[bullwark]

Stadium expansion can move ahead

Legislature approves Papa John's project

By Brian Bennett

bbennett@courier-journal.com

After months of meetings and staring at artists' renderings, the University of Louisville can finally move full-speed ahead on the expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

The state legislature gave its official approval of the project last week, putting the 21,000-seat redevelopment on track for the opening of the 2010 season.

"We're all very excited, and we hope the community is excited about this project," U of L senior associate athletic director Kevin Miller said.

The school plans to request the final bids for construction and materials by mid-May and could break ground this summer if all goes smoothly, Miller said. The estimated cost of the project is $72 million, but that could rise based on the price of steel and other things.

"Obviously, in the last year inflation has occurred and fuel prices have risen," Miller said. "We have to examine that and measure the impact on our budget. We'll be monitoring that very closely."

Fans should expect to see construction on the stadium throughout the next two seasons. About 140 parking spaces on the east side of the facility will be lost to construction trailers and equipment this season; Miller said the school will speak with each affected season-ticket holder in the coming weeks and find ways to accommodate them.

"We've been assured that all facilities and entrances will be operable on game day," Miller said. "There may be some inconvenience, but we'll make it as fan-friendly as we can."

U of L originally had hoped to complete the project in 2009, but the legislature declined to consider the expansion last year. Since then, Miller said, school officials have been meeting bi-weekly to finalize details. A consulting firm and a construction manager were brought on board to keep the project moving forward.

School officials say they have raised more than three-quarters of the $35 million in private donations they are seeking for the expansion. U of L will issue bonds to pay for another $35 million of the total cost. It has already spent $2 million on land acquisition.

Two large private donations have helped spur the project. Papa John's International and John and Annette Schnatter gave the athletic department $10 million, and Sun Tan City added $3 million.

The stadium area formerly known as the "red lot" will now be called the "bronze lot" in recognition of Sun Tan City's donation.

The expansion will bring the stadium's seating capacity to more than 60,000 and includes 45 new luxury suites, 2,000 premium loge seats and a new terrace in the south end zone. School officials say they have sold nearly half the loge seats and have commitments for nearly two-thirds of the luxury suites.

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[bullwark]

2008-2009 SCHEDULE

Date Opponent / Event Location Time/Result

08/31/08 vs. KENTUCKY  PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM 3:30 p.m. ET

09/06/08 vs. TENNESSEE TECH PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM TBA

09/17/08 vs. KANSAS STATE  PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM 8:00 p.m. ET

09/26/08 vs. CONNECTICUT  PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM 8:00 p.m. ET

10/10/08 at Memphis  Memphis, Tenn. 8:00 p.m. ET

10/18/08 vs. MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM TBA

10/25/08 vs. USF PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM TBA

11/01/08 at Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y. TBA

11/08/08 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. TBA

11/14/08 vs. CINCINNATI  PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM 8:00 p.m. ET

11/22/08 vs. WEST VIRGINIA PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM TBA

12/04/08 at Rutgers  Piscataway, N.J. TBA

Next Event

  at   

KENTUCKYDay:    Sunday

Date:    Aug. 31, 2008

Location:    PAPA JOHN'S CARDINAL STADIUM

Time:    3:30 p.m. ET

Coverage   

TV:    ESPN

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[I_Bleed_Green&Gold]

Roasted Cardinal.  That sounds like a good party dish for the night of the game.  Anyone know where i can get my hands on some fresh Cardinal meat?

[bullwark]

RED White Game

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville offense used a balance attack of rushing and passing to earn a 38-17 win over the defense in the annual Red-White Spring Game presented by UPS on Friday in front of 17,200 fans at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

The scrimmage, which closed the Cards' 2008 spring drills under the direction of head coach Steve Kragthorpe, matched the U of L offense (Red team) against the defense (White team) in 12 total possessions. The offense scored points for touchdowns (6), field goals (3) and PAT (1), while the defense earned points for stops (2), three & out's (3), turnovers caused (6) and defensive scores (7).

Senior running back Brock Bolen rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries to lead the Cards' rushing attack which finished with 201 yards on 36 carries. Senior quarterback Hunter Cantwell finished with 103 yards through the air on 11-of-18 passing and one touchdown to junior wide receiver Scott Long on the game's opening drive. Overall, the offense finished with 200 yards passing for 401 total yards on the day.

After a pair of defensive stops cut the offensive advantage to 7-5, the Cards' offense increased its lead to 14-5 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Tyler Wolfe to sophomore Troy Pascley. Following another stop on downs by the Louisville defense, the offense pushed its lead to 21-7 by halftime on a 35-yard touchdown pass from redshirt freshman Matt Simms to junior Maurice Clark.

Redshirt freshman kicker Ryan Payne opened the third quarter with a 35-yard field goal to push the offensive advantage to 24-7. After back-to-back defensive stops cut the lead to 24-12, the defense pulled to within seven at 24-17 on three-and-out defensive stop and sack for a safety by senior defensive tackle Earl Heyman.

But that's as close as the defense would get as junior wide receiver Trent Guy scored on a 25-yard run and redshirt freshman Victor Anderson added a 14-yard touchdown run to close the game. Senior safety Richard Raglin led the defense with eight total tackles, while Heyman and senior tackle Adrian Grady had two sacks each.

Louisville will open the 2008 season against Kentucky on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.

[bullwark]

TRY KFC for Cardinal-Kentucky Fried Cardinal-tastes like chicken.

[Bulls Are We]

8 home and 4 away games.  How do we get a schedule like that???

[snarling Bull]

I am wondering the same thing.

[bullwark]

You will see UL schedule more cupcakes to have as many home games as possible to help pay for the stadium expansion.

[bearcatfan14]

Rutgers had only 4 road games and two of them were army and syracuse. They only had a 7-5 season which isnt very good for 8 home games