The year of the CCBM celebration rolls on

The 2019-20 athletic season is just now reaching the midway point, but it’s already been a big bounce-back year for the Louisville Cardinals.

After one of the most embarrassing seasons in program history, U of L football produced seven wins and a bid to the Music City Bowl in year one under Scott Satterfield. The men’s basketball team got back to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time since its national championship season of 2012-13. The women’s basketball team has knocked off No. 1 Oregon and taken down Kentucky for a fourth straight year. Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams made the NCAA tournament and tasted victory there. And the Cardinal volleyball just wrapped up a postseason run that included the first regional final appearance in program history.

It’s also been a monster comeback year for the Card Chronicle Bird Mask, which had taken a couple of steps back in recent years along with the athletic program it represents (the FSU Halloween game stadium ban didn’t help matters either, but the CCBM doesn’t like to talk about that).

Now, like the Cards, the CCBM is back.

First you had Micale Cunningham donning it in the locker room for the post-Wake Forest celebration. Then, it became a staple of post-victory football celebrations with multiple players bringing their own. There was an honorable attempt by the U of L athletic department to secure CCBMs for every member of the student section before the home football finale against Syracuse. And finally, you had Vince Tyra himself sporting the mask after the team secured bowl eligibility with its road win over NC State.

Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon, where Jazmine Jones made sure the CCBM made an appearance inside Rupp Arena following Louisville’s 67-66 toppling of Kentucky.

It feels good to be back. On multiple levels.