CORRECTION: The original version of this story reported that Steve Trager attended a Tuesday night meeting of Tom Jurich supporters. It was Scott Trager who attended the meeting.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – They wandered out of the meeting, not really eager to talk. You will recognize many of their names, because they are on buildings all over town.
Mark Lynn. Scott Trager. Jim Patterson. And there were others, whose names you may not know but whose donations and support have helped build much of what the University of Louisville and its various programs have done over the years.
They had come to this east end location to meet for one purpose: To figure out a way to give former Louisville athletics director Tom Jurich a hearing for the AD job at Louisville now. Around 25 of them, or so, judging by the exit from the room. Including former Cardinal Marques Maybin. Longtime community and U of L leader Bill Stone, Bellarmine basketball coach Scott Davenport and U of L professor Dr. Ricky Jones.
There have been rumblings about this for a while. There have been whispers, and outright discussions. On Tuesday night, they put together a plan. They formed a couple of committees. They decided on some actions. And while those weren't outlined for the media on Tuesday, they are coming, built around a premise that is now being openly discussed.
"As you know, the city of Louisville is very closely tied with the University of Louisville," said John Ramsey, who spoke for the group after the meeting broke up. "And we have a proven commodity (Jurich). And we have someone who is integrity driven, who always does the right thing. And if they're looking for characteristics of an AD that we're looking for, then I think we've got him. And he's interested in the job. And we think that the search committee should reach out to him ... Everyone in (the meeting) has affected the community in a positive way, whether it be philanthropically, whether it be for the University of Louisville, and they wanted their voices to be heard. So I think we had a good crew, and it was very productive. And yes, there is strong movement, people who want Tom Jurich to be our athletic director, again."
This isn't exactly the kickoff to the movement. It has been underway for some time. Jurich hasn't spoken about the open AD job publicly. Ramsey said he's not directing the movements of his supporters. But there is movement, and there will be more after Tuesday's meeting, in which the group formed committees to take action, whether it is lobbying trustees or engaging in a community discussion.
U of L appointed two advisory groups for its athletics director search, including a Presidential Advisory Group that will consult with U of L interim president Lori Gonzalez once a search firm makes a recommendation. That group includes Junior Bridgeman, Darrell Griffith, Kelsi Worrell Dahlia, Larry Benz and Harry Douglas.
Jurich's supporters on Tuesday said that the AD job at Louisville isn't a job one just applies for. But they said if a search firm approached Jurich, he would be willing to speak with them, and would be willing to go through any process the university would wish to go through in order to present his vision for the athletics department moving forward.
The school is soliciting bids from search firms for another week or so before making a selection on a firm.
Hal Bowmar, a friend of Jurich's, said that Jurich's supporters want to make sure they are heard.
"I think we're definitely going have to talk to the board members," Bowmar said. "They're the ones making the decision. So, I think they need the fans' voices heard. We're all fans here, and we want our voices heard. You know, we had a guy that was here for 20 years. He took this athletic program to heights that it's never been to before. And he was rudely dismissed. And it was not properly done. And it was illegal. And that's why that no longer can you have a governor completely dismiss a board. And he shouldn't have been gone, and his family was ridiculed, and so on and so forth. And that was the wrong way to go about doing that regardless. And I think he wants to come back. I think he truly loves the city. He truly loves this university. And he will come back, and he will do it with zest. And I think he can get this program back on the rails, both financially and athletically."
Jurich was let go by the university in the wake of two scandals in men's basketball, the second of which wound up in the firing of Rick Pitino as basketball coach. Jurich was asked if he would fire Pitino, and he would not commit to that action without looking at it more closely. So the board moved on him, as well.
Later, Jurich reached a settlement with the university worth over $7 million in payments and other benefits. Part of that agreement was the university agreeing to amend his dismissal as "without cause."
"There's a lot of people saying Tom is not interested," Ramsey said. "Yes, he is ... He wants it done the right way. As it was explained here by someone who's been through the process, a search committee doesn't wait for applicants. It's not working at McDonald's. It is, we go out we find the best talent and we aggressively pursue them. Tom wants to do it the right way. I do think this committee should pursue him. At least talk to him and say, 'We're interested in you.' Once that happens, then he'll publicly make it known, 'I'm interested.'"
They know that there will be strong emotions where this is concerned. Having gone through the men's basketball scandals and lived through the fallout, some fans have strong opinions about and against a Jurich return.
Interim AD Josh Heird has earned high marks for his handling of the department since the departure of Vince Tyra. He engineered the departure of Chris Mack, hired Kenny Payne and extended the contract of Jeff Walz after a Final Four trip.
Jurich, his supporters said, was a proponent of the Payne hire, and even spoke to Payne at some length both before and after his hiring at U of L.
"This discussion was not anti-Josh Heird," Ramsey went out of his way to say. "I think Josh, I hear nothing but good things. Smart guy, nice guy, all those good things. But I do think this is a Division I school, and experience counts. Knowing football and that side of it. And let's face it, guys, fundraising is important. And Tom has that ability. And that, to me, is where we are with the University of Louisville. Finances do mean something. Unfortunately, I wish I wish we were in a better position. But we're not ... I don't see the divisive side of it. I mean, I think there's a misunderstanding about things that happened and why they happened."
One old division has come about. Mark Blankenbaker, a radio host at ESPN 680 in Louisville, said Denny Crum got up at a U of L "listening session" over the AD job, and said, "If Tom Jurich is brought back to U of L, I won't be involved."
It is, in the end, a sticky situation for university leadership. The people backing a Jurich candidacy are not insignificant. They are community leaders, and have been deeply involved in U of L issues for a long time, with a good bit of success. The school needs to take them seriously. It also risks squandering the good feeling created around the hiring of Payne and his hiring of Nolan Smith if old divisions bubble back to the surface.
As usual with U of L matters, nothing is ever dull.
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