VTTW Board Index

Is Charlie Strong being ungrateful if he looks at other jobs? Tom Jurich gave him his first opportunity when no one else would. Strong also was among those athletic directors who passed over Strong in previous years. He wound up being the one who gave him a chance, and a good one, but what exactly is loyalty in college sports? What does it constitute?

Different people measure it different ways. I measure it by the job that is done. In three seasons, Charlie Strong took U of L's program from chaos to the Sugar Bowl. He gave the program Teddy Bridgewater and a slew of talented young players. He gave direction and shape to the program off the field, requiring community service of his players and leading it to unprecedented academic levels. He brought the program from the brink of APR penalty, and improved it to the point where the ACC accepted U of L as a member -- based largely on its on-field performance in the most important sports.