This news is coming to you a few days late, but it still certainly demands attention.
The University of Louisville ended the 2006-2007 athletics season by placing a program-best 28th in the annual Directors Cup Standings. The finish was tied for the second highest by a Kentucky university in the annual rankings for cumulative sports achievement, bested only by UK's 26th place finish in the 1996-1997 season.
Despite a budget inferior by $21 million, U of L finished 17 spots in front of their in-state rivals, who came in at #45.
Courtesy of Eric Crawford's blog, here is a chart that chronicles (TM) the Cup finishes of Louisville and Kentucky since the 1993-1994 school year:
|
Year |
UK |
U of L |
|
2006-07 |
45 |
28 |
|
2005-06 |
33 |
54 |
|
2003-04 |
45 |
106 |
|
2002-03 |
50 |
150 |
|
2001-02 |
36 |
157 |
|
2000-01 |
37 |
151 |
|
1999-00 |
70 |
174 |
|
1998-99 |
49 |
131 |
|
1997-98 |
28 |
142 |
|
1996-97 |
26 |
100 |
|
1995-96 |
32 |
126 |
|
1994-95 |
46 |
129 |
|
1993-94 |
37 |
97 |
Louisville's list of achievements in the most successful athletic year in school history includes:
--The only school to win a BCS game, a College World Series game and an NCAA men's basketball tournament game.
--17 of 22 teams made NCAA post-season play, 12 were ranked nationally.
--One of three schools (Ohio State, Texas A&M) to make the NCAA Tournament in baseball, football, softball and men's and women's basketball.
--Became one of two schools (Florida) to play in the College World Series, a BCS bowl game and the Final Four in the last three seasons.
--Two individual track national championships.
--Top ten final national rankings in football, baseball, men's track and women's golf.
Not a bad year to start blogging.
"Arguably the most remarkable decade of all-around progress in the modern era of college sports."--Pat Forde