Jamon Brown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If the guys on Scott Satterfield’s third University of Louisville football team needed a reminder of the dazzling players who preceded them as Cardinals, there was ample evidence at practice Friday morning.

There, huddled with the offensive linemen, was mountainous Jamon Brown, who recently retired after a six-season run in the NFL.

On the sidelines, watching the running backs move from station to station, was perpetually underrated Bilal Powell, who ran for nearly 3,700 yards with 15 touchdowns over nine seasons with the New York Jets.

But the smile that illuminated the sidelines belonged to Michael Bush, the former Male High School star who was as difficult to tackle as anybody who carried the football for the Cardinals. Although Bush retired after the 2013 season and 31 NFL touchdowns, he said Friday’s U of L practice was the first one he has attended in nearly a decade.

And Bush said he planned to return Saturday morning when the Cardinals engage in their final scrimmage in preparation for their Sept. 6 opener against Ole Miss in Atlanta.

“I just connected with some of the coaches in the offseason, and they’ve been inviting me to come out. So I did,” Bush said. “It’s good to be back.”

Relationship-building remains a strength of Satterfield and his coaching staff. Players from FC Bayern Munich, the powerful women’s German professional soccer team in Louisville for The Women’s Cup, visited practice to learn about a different kind of football. They looked amazed at U of L defensive backs colliding with receivers while the offense practiced fade routes in the end zone.

The final good vibe came near the end of practice. The entire program celebrated the news that Ramon Puryear, a walk-on defensive lineman from Eastern High School, was a walk-on no more. When the 2021-22 academic year officially begins, Puryear’s expenses will be taken care of with the scholarship that Satterfield awarded him.

Will any of the positivity translate into victories?

There are no guarantees. But the presence of Bush, Brown and Powell at practice was an encouraging sign that former players who invested in the growth of Louisville football are eager for the Cards to return to their winning ways.

“(The return of former stars) just gives us more energy in practice, just to show what we’ve got to the older guys, the NFL guys,” U of L linebacker Yasir Abdullah said. “We love seeing seeing vets and alumni come out there and support us.”

Brown was a Charlie Strong recruit who worked his way from a guy who started one game as a freshman to a third-round draft pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2015.

Powell arrived in the 2007 recruiting class that transitioned from Bobby Petrino to Steve Kragthorpe. After three seasons of modest productivity as the program declined under Kragthorpe, Powell thrived as a senior under Strong, running for 1,405 yards.

If you need a textbook example of perseverance, Powell qualifies. The Jets took him in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, and he delivered in the league about three times as long as the wise guys predicted Powell would make it.

Then, there was Bush. He was primed to deliver as one of the best backs in America in 2006. He stuck three touchdowns and 128 yards on Kentucky in barely more than half of the season opener before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

It cost him a chance to be an All-American and maybe as many as 75 spots in the 2007 NFL Draft. Although Bush dropped to the fourth round, as overall pick No. 100, he contributed for four seasons in Oakland and two with Chicago.

Best of all, his leg does not cause Bush issues. Bush said that he enjoyed talking to young athletes about taking advantage of opportunities because careers are short. He shares the message of being wise with your body as well as your finances. Bush said that he waited until his career ended before he built a house, protecting his earnings for as long as possible.

Bush is a guy who should have the ear of today’s players. So are Brown and Powell.

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