[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 97 (Friday, June 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING TOM JURICH, 2007 ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. YARMUTH

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 15, 2007

  Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 
National Athletic Director of the Year, Tom Jurich. While it has taken 
10 years at the helm of the Cardinal athletics program for him to be 
honored as the nation's finest AD, in my hometown of Louisville, this 
has been a well-known fact almost from the start.
  When Tom Jurich first arrived on the University of Louisville campus 
in 1997, he took control of a program with little to brag about off the 
hardwood. Today, the Cardinal baseball team will play in the college 
world series--an amazing achievement for a club that had never played a 
single post season game prior to Jurich's arrival. Today's appearance 
makes UofL one of just two schools to have played in the Final Four, a 
BCS bowl, and the Final Four in the last 3 years.
  While these accomplishments are astounding, they are the norm for a 
leader who regularly achieves the impossible.
  Leading a top 10 track program just a few years after the team, in 
Jurich's words, couldn't ``have finished third in its own intramural 
meet before.'' Impossible.
  Winning the Orange Bowl a decade after the team failed to win a 
second game. Impossible.
  Enticing Rick Pitino to town just 4 years after his historic run at 
UK. Incredibly impossible.
  But, with Tom Jurich, nothing is impossible in Louisville.
  This year he fielded new teams in four sports, sent nine teams to 
NCAA tournaments, and UofL--once a school that struggled to comply with 
Title IX regulations--now exceeds those regulations.
  For all the awards, all the accolades, and all the accomplishments, 
however, Tom Jurich's greatest calling card is his consistent 
recognition that he is dealing not just with athletes, but with student 
athletes. Half of his student athletes receive at least a B average.
  His commitment to the whole University has consistently been 
displayed though his dynamic partnership with President James Ramsey. 
Their leadership has helped transform the campus's landscape and level 
of pride, facilitating UofL's shift from a largely commuter school to a 
top notch higher-learning institution capable of attracting the 
brightest students in the nation and around the globe. With the 
openings of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Jim Patterson Field, Cardinal 
Park, the most modern practice facilities in the nation, and the 
announcement of a new basketball arena, the momentum of the Athletic 
Department has helped spur a decade of unparalleled growth throughout 
the University.
  Today, as the Cardinal baseball team embarks on another new chapter 
for the University of Louisville, it is clear that under Tom Jurich's 
leadership more and greater milestones lay ahead for the athletic 
department, the University, and the city of Louisville. I am happy he 
calls Louisville his home, awed by his success, and proud to have the 
opportunity to congratulate Tom Jurich, 2007 Athletic Director of the 
Year. Go Cards!