Louisville forgave but clearly did not forget coach Bobby Petrino, who was named head coach of the Cardinals on Thursday.
Even with some loose ends on his contract and buyout left undone early Thursday, the Louisville Athletic Association’s personnel committee approved Petrino’s hiring, which the school announced with a press release and video labeled “Hungry for More.”
It is Petrino’s second stint as head coach of the Cardinals, and there will be heated debate over whether he deserved a second chance leading a FBS program. His coaching record in the college ranks is excellent.
Petrino has eight winning seasons, four 10-win seasons and 31 total years in coaching.
Petrino emerged from six candidates who interviewed for the Cardinals’ head-coaching vacancy left by Charlie Strong’s departure to Texas.
The 52-year-old Petrino’s first head coaching gig was at Louisville, where he went 41-9 in four seasons (2003-06) and led the Cardinals to an Orange Bowl victory in 2006.
He then left for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. After less than one season there, Petrino moved on to Arkansas in 2008 but was fired in April 2012 after a scandal that involved a “pattern of misleading behavior” uncovered only after Petrino and a hand-picked football office hire, Jessica Dorrell, became his mistress and the two crashed on a motorcycle. Petrino, married with children, changed his version of events days after filing a police report because other accounts were made public.
Petrino, who completed his first season in 2013 at Western Kentucky with an 8-4 record, was interviewed Tuesday by Louisville athetic director Tom Jurich and emerged as the top candidate to replace Charlie Strong. Strong was named head coach at Texas on Monday.
Other possible candidates were Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason and Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris.
Louisville offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and defensive coordinator Vance Bedford also received interviews.
In December 2012, Petrino signed a four-year contract at Western Kentucky with a base salary of $850,000. His buyout includes a mandatory home-and-home series.
Strong left Louisville for Texas after a 12-1 season in 2013. He replaces Mack Brown, who stepped down after guiding the Longhorns for 16 years.
Bedford, who this season produced a unit that ranked No. 1 in FBS in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense, joined Strong in Austin.
Bedford is a Texas native who played cornerback for the Longhorns in the early 1980s.