Most exciting UL sporting events of the last decade?

(posted this on another Louisville board. Wanted to see what you all thought?)

What would be included in your list of the top ten UL-sports related things that you were most excited about over the past decade? This can be anything from big games, to coach turnover, to specific recruits making it to campus, etc. I know my list (detailed below), what's yours?

I'm talking about pure excitement level leading up to, during, and after the event listed occurred.


10) UL vs Miami in football in 2006 - the lead up to this game was awesome. Trash talk between players, the stomping of the bird, the fake swagger by Miami...you just knew it would be a frenzied environment! The defining moment of the entire game for me though, was Urrutia's stiff arm while strolling into the endzone (at 3:26 in the video link)! Relive it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC9XJwMmKFY

9) The recruitment of Samardo Samuels - National POY, committing to Louisville on the spot during his visit.  Yeah, I was pumped. Still am!

8) The WVU and Rutgers football games in '06 - Back to back games, meeting an undefeated opponent late in the year, while we ourselves were undefeated. The writing was on the wall after the monumental WVU win, get a win at Rutgers, then finish off two lackluster opponents in the final two games, and we were MNC bound! (sigh) Still get goosebumps thinking just how close we actually were.

7) The recruitment of Brian Brohm - the hometown golden boy (from my alma mater), #1 QB in the nation, spurns ND and UT among others to ink with our Cards. Boy was I stoked!

6) The recruitment of Michael Bush - another hometown boy. Had received All-State votes at like 8 positions (some in which he never even played). One player who I thought was even more important to the future success of the Louisville program than Brohm. He had NFL written all over him. Part of me really wishes he had left after his Junior year. I love him for coming back, but he cost himself a lot of money, and the chance to work for a better organization than the Raiders. I don't think I've ever heard Papa Johns so quiet as it was when he went down.

5) The recruitment of one, Mr. Peanut Whitehead - has there ever been a recruit that worked our fanbase into such a hysterical frenzy as this guy (for old time's sake: Before God said, "Let there be light", he had to ask Peanut Whitehead if it was ok first!)? A 5* DE out of Alabama's and Auburn's backyard. We were a longshot at best most assumed! Then he puts on a Louisville hat at the news conference! Terrible his career ended the way it did!

4) The hiring of Coach Charlie Strong - simply put, we will be back. Possibly, we may even be better than ever before. I'm confident that we will see a few "Peanut Whitehead's" over the next several years as long as Strong is in town.

3) The 2007 Orange Bowl - The only reason this isn't higher is because I felt we should have been playing for all the marbles. Plus, we got stuck playing against WF from the freaking ACC (easily the worst of the BCS conferences over the past 5 years). Miami was still a blast that year! Ruck Futgers!

2) The 2005 Final Four - I was too young to remember the Final Fours and titles of the 80's (I'm the product of the 1980 post title game celebration...LOL). So getting to watch my Cards in the Final Four was extremely exciting, even if we didn't win the game.

1) The hiring of
 

The Godfather! - nothing can top the excitement I felt from this hire, short of winning a national title in football or basketball.

Just missing the cut - College World Series, Sebastian Telfair recruitment (had he actually made it to campus he might have been on here), Gator Bowl, 2009 NCAA tourney (first time in my lifetime -- that I can remember anyway -- where I truly felt we had a team talented enough to win the whole thing).