Program on the rise: Spring Game Top 30 nationally
Signs of the rise of Louisville's football program under coach Charlie Strong are everywhere you look this spring.
From early preseason rankings, where the Cardinals are ranked as high as No. 14, to recruiting results, where UofL leads the Big East with seven early commitments, all signs point toward a program moving in the right direction.
Advertisement
The newest indicator of Louisville's rising program came Wednesday morning when Sports Business Daily released its Spring Game attendance ranking.
With a crowd estimate of 15,000, Louisville's Spring Game attendance was tied with Rutgers for the best in the Big East and was among the top 30 nationally.
Strong said he'd like to see at least 20,000 fans for the Spring Game this year. The crowd didn't quite make it, but it was still a much stronger showing than in previous years.
Strong tweeted Wednesday morning: "Cardinals Finish in the Top 30 in Spring Game Attendance. Let's go bigger in '13."
Louisville, like a handful of other programs in the Midwest, had its Spring Game attendance marred by the threat of bad weather. West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Illinois saw big dips in attendance due to weather and Nebraska had to cancel its game.
Because most spring football games are free admission and don't require a ticket, most of the attendance figures are crowd estimates. Still, Louisville's attendance number ranking among the top 30 nationally is a step forward.