LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Before Jeff Brohm said yes to playing quarterback at Louisville and no to Notre Dame and Brian Brohm said yes to playing quarterback at Louisville and no to Notre Dame, there was another Brohm who said yes to Louisville and no to Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State.
That would be Greg Brohm.
At 53, he is the oldest of the three brothers. He serves his brothers as the football program's relentless chief of staff. You'll see him on the sidelines, pacing next to Jeff when No. 25 Louisville hosts No. 10 Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in L&N Cardinal Stadium.
If you're making a list of the savviest moves Howard Schnellenberger made while constructing the Louisville football program and strengthening its relationship with the Brohm family, offering Greg the opportunity to play receiver for the Cards belongs prominently on your list.
Jeff (left) and Greg Brohm started their U of L careers as quarterback (Jeff() and receiver. WDRB Photo Eric Crawford
"Jeff and I roomed together every year," Greg Brohm said.
He is talking about more than the four years Greg and Jeff lived in the same room at UofL.
"We shared the same bedroom at home, too," he said, laughing.
While Jeff was the do-everything athlete at Trinity High School, who narrowed his college choices to Louisville, Notre Dame, Kentucky and Vanderbilt and was also a dynamic baseball player drafted by the Cleveland Indians, Greg was a Trinity receiver the prime-time schools ignored.
I asked Greg how he enjoyed his visit to Notre Dame.
"I didn't visit Notre Dame," he said, laughing again.
Actually, Greg later corrected the record. He did visit Notre Dame — in 2003, with his father, Oscar, and younger brother, Brian, when Irish coach Tyrone Willingham tried to convince Brian to come to South Bend during the Brady Quinn era.
Although Greg was an all-state receiver who also excelled in basketball and baseball, UofL, Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State were his final three choices.
"Eastern Kentucky was a real option," Brohm said. "They were a level down but very successful."
But Schnellenberger, defensive coordinator Rick Lantz and tight ends coach Gary Nord convinced Greg there was a place in the Schnellenberger offense for a precise route runner with excellent hands and a team-oriented ego.
Greg signed with Louisville in the 1988 recruiting class, not long after the Cards lost to Southern Miss, 65-6, and to Tulsa, 26-22.
He was one of the original "to believe is to be strong guys."
"I had a lot of faith in coach Schnellenberger, and, thankfully, he had a lot of faith in me," Brohm said.
Kentucky never offered a scholarship or even a chance to walk on. No other Division I-A program did. Greg remembers that he delivered an excellent performance in the Kentucky-Tennessee high school all-star game after his senior season. That was the first time a few folks in Lexington wondered if Kentucky and coach Jerry Claiborne erred by not taking a longer look at both Brohm brothers, because the Wildcats absolutely wanted Jeff.
A former U of L wide receiver, Greg Brohm serves as the chief of staff for the U of L coaches. WDRB Photo Eric Crawford.
Greg said that Jeff seriously considered Kentucky. He was also intrigued by Vanderbilt. Commodores coach Watson Brown was known for throwing the football. Even better, Brown agreed to let Jeff skip spring football to play Southeastern Conference baseball at Vandy.
In the end, there were two choices: Louisville and Notre Dame.
Louisville was home, the school where Oscar Brohm played quarterback. Notre Dame was Notre Dame. No further explanation necessary. In the late 1980s, playing quarterback at Notre Dame was the most glamorous position in college football, a fast track to the Heisman Trophy.
Louisville delivered one winning season in Schnellenberger's first four years. Notre Dame won the national title in 1988, Jeff's senior year at Trinity.
Louisville had Schnellenberger directing the controls of a pro-style offense. Notre Dame had Lou Holtz, who won his national title with Tony Rice, a creative quarterback who could make plays with his arm or legs like Jeff.
Notre Dame also had a commitment from Rick Mirer, a five-star recruit considered the top quarterback in America as well as a popular local name who played high school football 40 minutes from Notre Dame Stadium in Goshen, Indiana.
Louisville had Greg, who used his freshman season to get stronger and faster in the weight room while improving his ability to run routes. In other words, Greg red-shirted, aligning his four seasons of eligibility with Jeff.
"I think the biggest reason Jeff picked Louisville was because he fit Coach Schnellenberger's system of developing quarterbacks," Greg said.
But didn't it help to know that he would be rooming with his best friend for four more years?
"That didn't hurt," Greg Brohm said.
Jeff delivered on his considerable talent, passing for more than 5,400 yards and directing the Cards to their victory over Michigan State in the Liberty Bowl. His No. 11 is one of the program's honored jerseys.
Brian put up even bigger numbers — throwing for nearly 10,800 yards and 71 touchdown — while leading Louisville to its 12-1 season and victory over Wake Forest in the 2006 Orange Bowl. His No. 12 will be honored before the game Saturday. Brian made the right call not following Quinn at Notre Dame.
Greg's No. 48 will not become an honored Louisville jersey even though he has been recognized in the Trinity and Kentucky High School Athletic Association hall of fames. But he lettered for four seasons at UofL. He started in the Cards' mammoth victory over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl. He caught 45 passes for 722 yards and four touchdowns from 1989-92.
He learned the importance of the administrative world, working as the director of football operations for the Cards from 2004-08 as well as with the Louisville Fire. He's been side-by-side with Jeff from the first snap of his head coaching career at Western Kentucky in 2014 through all five victories this season.
Greg maximized every bit of his ability — and his opportunities. And because of Schnellenberger's foresight, Greg set the path that led to Jeff and Brian saying no to Notre Dame and yes to Louisville.
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