2007 Coaches.Pmd
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Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe Steve Kragthorpe Head Coach First Season Steve Kragthorpe, the former head coach at Tulsa University and the architect of one the nation’s most heralded rebuilding efforts, was named the 20th head football coach at the University of Louisville at a press conference on Jan. 9, 2007 in the press lounge at U of L’s Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Named as the Golden Hurricane coach on December 18, 2002, Kragthorpe turned around the Tulsa program immediately. Prior to his arrival, Tulsa was a combined 2-21 in 2001 and 2002. However, it didn’t take Kragthorpe long to turn around the Golden Hurricane program, compiling an impressive 29-22 record and guiding Tulsa to bowl games in three of the last four seasons. “Steve has everything I look for in a head coach,” said U of L Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. “He has a proven track record and has high integrity, great morals and values. I like that he’s a coach’s son and his father Dave is a highly decorated coach. Steve is a great fit for this community. He has produced extraordinary results in a difficult situation at Tulsa and has endeared himself to that community. Everyone I’ve spoken with nationally says Steve is a great young man and one of the top young offensive minds in the nation. We welcome Steve and his wonderful family to our community and hope they call Louisville home for a long time.” Kragthorpe takes over for Bobby Petrino, who was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and ended his U of L tenure with a 41-9 record. The Cardinals 2007 Louisville Football • 77 Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe Meet Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe Personal Age: 42 Birthdate: April 28, 1965 Birthplace: Missoula, Montana Family: wife, Cynthia, and three sons: Chris, Brad and Nik Education High School: Highland High School (Pocatello, Idaho), 1983 College: Eastern New Mexico, 1983-84; West Texas State, 1985-87 (received bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1988); Oregon State (received master’s degree in business administration in 1991). Playing Experience High School: A three-year quarterback and two-year starter at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho. College: Was a four-year letterwinner, including two years at Eastern New Mexico (1983-84) and two years at West Texas State (1985-87). He started 11 games as a senior in 1987 and completed 179 of 344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine touchdowns at West Texas. Coaching Experience Year - School/Team - Position - Record - Postseason finished the 2006 season at 12-1 and won the 2007 FedEx Orange 1990 — Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 5-6 Bowl with a 24-13 win over 15th-ranked Wake Forest. Louisville 1991 — Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 3-8 finished No. 6 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the USA 1992 — Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 4-7 Today Coaches Poll. 1993 — Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4 1994 — North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4-1 - I-AA Playoffs In just four seasons at Tulsa, Kragthorpe took the Golden 1995 — North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 2-9 Hurricane to three bowls: the Humanitarian, Liberty and the Armed 1996 — Boston College - QB Coach - 4-8| Forces Bowl. His teams won more games in his first three years than 1997 — Texas A&M - WR Coach - 9-4 - Cotton Bowl Tulsa had won in the preceding seven seasons combined, captured 1998 — Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 11-3 - Sugar Bowl Tulsa’s first conference championship since 1985 and put the Tulsa 1999 — Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 8-4 - Alamo Bowl football program back on the map of national prominence. 2000 — Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-5 - Independence Bowl 2001 — Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 3-13 Known as one of the best offensive minds in the country, 2002 — Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 8-8 Kragthorpe’s teams have scored 30 or more points 29 times, 40 points 2003 — Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Humanitarian Bowl on 10 occasions and 50 points three times. His 2006 squad was 2004 — Tulsa - Head Coach - 4-8 second in Conference USA in total offense and scoring. 2005 — Tulsa - Head Coach - 9-4 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl Last season, Kragthorpe guided Tulsa to its third winning 2006 — Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl season in four years, going 8-5 and advancing to the Armed Forces Bowl Games As A Coach Bowl before falling to Utah, 25-13. 1997 Cotton Bowl (Texas A&M) 1998 Sugar Bowl (Texas A&M) The 2005 campaign was Tulsa’s first year as a member of 1999 Alamo Bowl (Texas A&M) Conference USA. Kragthorpe proceeded to lead the Hurricane to the 2000 Independence Bowl (Texas A&M) C-USA West Division title with a 6-2 record and capturing a victory 2003 Humanitarian Bowl (Tulsa) in the inaugural Conference USA Football Championship Game with 2005 Liberty Bowl (Tulsa) 2006 Armed Forces Bowl (Tulsa) 78 • www.UofLSports.com Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe a 44-27 win over Central Florida. Tulsa represented C-USA in the of professional football. AutoZone Liberty Bowl and left with a 31-24 victory over Fresno State, finishing the season with an overall 9-4 record. Before coming to Tulsa, Kragthorpe spent the previous two seasons (2001-02) as quarterback coach with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. In 2001, he In his first season in 2003, Kragthorpe was faced with the difficult tutored Rob Johnson and in the 2002 season he coached All-Pro Drew task of attempting to reconstruct a football program that had just two Bledsoe. Kragthorpe also coached Alex Van Pelt in his two years with the victories over the previous two seasons. During that first year, Kragthorpe Bills. led that Tulsa team to an 8-5 overall record and the school’s first bowl game in 12 years. The Golden Hurricane finished in a tie for second in the Prior to his brief stint in the NFL, Kragthorpe worked four years (1997- Western Athletic Conference with a 6-2 record and played in the 00) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, including the final three seasons as Humanitarian Bowl. offensive coordinator. He also coached the wide receivers from 1997-99, before becoming the quarterback coach for the 2000 season. His leadership helped produce the NCAA’s biggest turnaround that In his first year with the Aggies, A&M posted a 9-4 mark and had a 6-2 Big year. The eight victories were the most at the school since 1991 and for 12 record to finish in first place in the Big 12 South Division. The 1998 team, that, Kragthorpe was voted the WAC Coach of the Year. He was also one of his first as offensive coordinator, posted an 11-3 overall record and a 7-1 six semifinalists for the Eddie Robinson/FWAA Coach of the Year Award as conference mark to win the Big 12 South Division and the overall Big 12 selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Kragthorpe was Championship. selected as the FWAA/Scripps First-Year Coach of the Year award winner, an honor given to the nation’s top first-year head coach. He was also a “Steve did a great job with the Tulsa program and has been a coach finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year that we respected as a competitor. I appreciate the way he represents Awards and finished in a third-place tie with Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops in the himself and college football. Just like most of the other people voting for the Associated Press’ National Coach of the Year. that have watched him, I expect he will do very well at Louisville.” Kragthorpe came to Tulsa from the Buffalo Bills and 15 total years of coaching expertise, including 13 years on the college level, two years as a — Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops graduate assistant coach and 11 years as a full-time assistant, and two years 2007 Louisville Football • 79 Head Coach Steve Kragthorpe Comments on Coach K Former Texas A&M Coach R.C. Slocum “This is an excellent hire for the University of Louisville. He’s an outstanding young coach and did a great job calling plays for me when we won the BIG 12 championship at Texas A&M. Not only is he a great coach, but he’s an even better person. Everyone will be impressed with him as a human being. He cares a great deal about his players and everyone he works with. He’ll represent the University of Louisville well and be very successful.” Drew Bledsoe, who Kragthorpe coached at the NFL Buffalo Bills during Bledsoe’s 2002 Pro Bowl season “Tom Jurich made a great hire. Steve Kragthorpe is a great football coach who will make you proud on the football field but he is an even better man who will make your fans equally proud of how he conducts himself off the field and what he expects from his players off the field. I wish I could have played for him for a long time, but I only got a chance to play for him for one year and I am grateful for that opportunity. The University of Louisville is extremely fortunate to get a great coach and I expect him to be there for a very long time.” Karl Dorrell, who Kragthorpe coached at the University of Northern Arizona “Steve is a proven coach.