Louisville Cardinals basketball — program history
Louisville's basketball program was founded in 1911 and became a national force under Denny Crum, who coached for 30 seasons and earned the nickname 'Cool Hand Luke' for his sideline composure. The Cardinals won NCAA titles in 1980, led by Darrell Griffith's 'Doctors of Dunk,' and in 1986, when freshman Pervis Ellison — dubbed 'Never Nervous' — led them past Duke. Louisville is the only school in the nation to have claimed championships in three major postseason tournaments: the 1948 NAIB, the 1956 NIT, and the NCAA Tournament.
The name
The Cardinal Bird has been Louisville's mascot, representing the state bird of Kentucky
Signature moment
The 1986 NCAA Championship, where freshman 'Never Nervous' Pervis Ellison led Louisville to the title over Duke in Denny Crum's second championship
Louisville is the only school to have won the NAIB tournament (1948), the NIT (1956), and the NCAA Championship (1980, 1986) — claiming a triple crown of postseason basketball
The Louisville Cardinals compete in the ACC and hold an all-time record of 1836–1032 (.640 winning percentage) across 112 recorded seasons dating back to 1911-12. The program has won 2 NCAA national championships (1980, 1986) and reached 8 Final Fours.
National championships
1980, 1986
Season-by-season results
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