Category: Uncategorized

By Paul Fultz
Browning Nagle, the quarterback who led the University of Louisville football team to one of its greatest victories ever in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl, has died. Nagle passed away in Louisville on April 10, 2026, at the age of 57, from colon cancer.

After coach Howard Schnellenberger kicked off UofL football’s rise to prominence in the 1980s, Nagle helped him take it to the next level. He led the Cardinals to a 10-1-1 record in 1990 and propelled them to 14^th in the final Associated Press poll, the school’s highest ever appearance at the time.

His crowning moment came in the 34-7 walloping of Alabama, where he was named offensive MVP after throwing for a Fiesta Bowl record 451 yards and three touchdowns, completing 20 of 33 passes.

UofL went into the game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona as nine point underdogs but stunned perennial powerhouse Alabama and football fans everywhere with a runaway victory. It was UofL’s second-ever New Year’s Day bowl game, after their win in the 1958 Sun Bowl.

“We are saddened by the passing of Browning Nagle, former Fiesta Bowl MVP quarterback and Louisville great,” the Louisville football program said in a social media post on X. “His leadership on the field and passion for the game left a lasting mark on our program. Our thoughts are with his loved ones and teammates during this difficult time.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with #7 Browning Nagle, his wife Michelle, and his entire family today,” said UofL Coach Jeff Brohm in a post on X. “A true Cardinal great! We will all miss him very much. Love you buddy!”

Brohm, a former UofL player who became starting quarterback after backing up Nagle for two years, wore his teammate’s jersey at practice recently as a tribute.

Nagle was born in Philadelphia on April 29, 1968 and moved with his family to Tampa when he was 13. An all-state quarterback and an outstanding pitcher at Pinellas Park High School, he was drafted by the Red Sox out of high school and the Angels after his Louisville career, even though he didn’t play college baseball.

But Nagle’s heart was in football. The 6-3, 220-pounder began his college career at West Virginia in 1986. The Mountaineers had also signed future All-American quarterback Major Harris, and both he and Nagle were redshirted during their freshman year.

After losing out to Harris for the starting QB job in spring practice, Nagle transferred to UofL. NCAA rules required transfers to sit out a year, after which he played sparingly as a sophomore in 1988 while backing up starting quarterback Jay Gruden.

Nagle took over the starting job as a junior in 1989, leading the Cards to a 6-5 record while passing for 2,503 yards and 16 touchdowns. In his senior year he passed for 2,150 yards and 16 touchdowns.

After college, Nagle was taken 34th overall by the New York Jets in the 1991 NFL Draft, one pick after future Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Nagle played five seasons in the NFL, three with the Jets and one each for the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons.

“Browning was a great guy,” said former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason in a post on the Jets website. “He had an infectious laugh and was so much fun to be around. We often competed against each other while also showing respect for one another. I will always remember the laughter and infectious spirit Browning had and how much he enjoyed out-driving me on the golf course. May he rest in peace knowing he lived an impactful life.”

In 1999 Nagle joined the Arena Football League, where he played for the Orlando Predators and Buffalo Destroyers, passing for 4,120 yards and 74 touchdowns in two seasons. He sang the National Anthem at several games, surprising fans with his musical talent. Nagle also sang the National Anthem at UofL’s Fiesta Bowl appearance.

After his playing days he returned to Louisville, serving as the quarterback coach at St. Xavier High School before embarking on a career in medical device sales for Stryker.

For more on Browning Nagle and his time at UofL, go to:
https://lcag.site/2026/04/28/memories-of-browning-nagle

To view the Photo Gallery “Flashback to 1991: The Fiesta Bowl & Browning Nagle at UofL” go to:
https://lcag.site/2026/04/28/photo-gallery-browning-nagle

Photo: Browning Nagle #7, quarterback for the University of Louisville Cardinals, calls the play on the line of scrimmage against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide during the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 1991 at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Louisville Cardinals won 34 – 7.
Photo by Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images | Getty Images

Commentary
By Paul Fultz
I was surprised and saddened to learn of the death of Browning Nagle, the quarterback who led the University of Louisville football team to perhaps its greatest victory ever, a 34-7 thrashing of Alabama in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. Nagle passed away in Louisville on April 10, 2026, at the age of 57, from colon cancer.

The Cardinals came in to the Fiesta Bowl as nine point underdogs, and few outside of Louisville expected them to emerge victorious. It was a classic David vs. Goliath scenario: Alabama is one of the most powerful football programs in NCAA history. By 1991 they had won 11 national championships and would go on to win their 12^th in 1992.

The UofL football program, by contrast, struggled for many years: they had nine consecutive losing seasons from 1979-1987. Even though Howard Schnellenberger brought renewed optimism when he became coach in 1985, his first three teams still went 8-24-1. And they continued to be overshadowed by the basketball team, which went to four Final Fours and won two championships from 1980-1986.

But Schnellenberger turned it around by going 24-9-1 in his next three years, and Nagle was a huge part of that success. As the starting quarterback in 1989 and 1990, he passed for 4,653 yards and 32 touchdowns, leading the team to a 10-1-1 record as senior.

He shined even more brightly against Alabama, throwing for a Fiesta Bowl record 451 yards and three touchdowns, completing 20 of 33 passes and being named offensive MVP. The Crimson Tide never knew what hit them. The Cards finished the season ranked 14^th, their first appearance in the national rankings.

To me, this is the greatest victory in the history of UofL football. Their 2006 win over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl certainly rates consideration, as does their 2012 victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl. But in 1991, the team’s last appearance in a New Year’s Day bowl game was a 1958 win in the Sun Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl thrust UofL into the national spotlight in a way none of those other games did.

Before becoming a starter in his last two seasons at UofL, Nagle had a winding road to success. An all-state quarterback at Pinellas Park High School in Tampa, Florida, he initially signed with powerhouse West Virginia. After losing out to future All-American Major Harris for the starting job, he transferred to UofL and had to sit out a year. In his second year at UofL he played sparingly while backing up starting quarterback Jay Gruden.

I first encountered Browning Nagle in 1989, when I was a UofL student and wrote for The Louisville Cardinal, UofL’s independent student newspaper. Nagle led UofL to victories in the first two games of the 1989 season, and I interviewed him about the great start he and the team had gotten off to. He was charming, pleasant, and humble and spoke candidly about his struggles before the season.

“I sat out for three years, and it got discouraging occasionally,” Nagle said in an interview published in the Sept. 21, 1989 issue of The Louisville Cardinal.

“But you can learn a lot from not playing. I watched (former UofL quarterback) Jay Gruden and learned from the things he did.”

“I don’t know that I’ve done an exceptional job,” he said. “I think the entire offensive unit has exceeded everyone’s expectations. I certainly didn’t expect to throw for four touchdowns in my first start.”

That was the first of many interviews with him, and I always found him to be very down to earth, fun loving and quick with a laugh. I never knew him personally, but we were both Communication majors and had several classes together. On a couple of occasions we found ourselves in the back of a class wishing we were somewhere else, and we commiserated and cracked a few jokes about it.

In the fall of 1990, one of Nagle’s instructors dropped him from her class. He appealed, but if his appeal were unsuccessful he would have been ineligible to continue playing football. Which would have destroyed both UofL’s season and his pro football dreams.

The instructor said she dropped him because he rarely attended her class, utilizing an infrequently used UofL class attendance policy to do so. I thought her actions were uncalled for and unfair. Students routinely missed multiple classes and were still able to pass them by studying, doing homework, and showing up for tests. If it hadn’t been for this method many students never would have graduated, myself included.

But even though my sympathies were with Nagle, the fact that he might be ineligible for the rest of the season was a big story. And as a reporter I had a job to do regardless of my personal opinion. So I tried interviewing the instructor, but she said privacy concerns prevented her from discussing it unless the student spoke publicly about it first.

I knew the UofL football team was about to leave for a road game, so I frantically scoured campus in a desperate attempt to find them. Everywhere I went the answer was the same: you just missed them. I gave up and went back to the paper’s offices, where I ran into a writer I didn’t know well named Greg Schultz.

He’d only worked there for a few issues and would only be there for a few more, but that day he performed an invaluable service. He said my uncle works at the airport, he can get us past security and on the runway. So off to the airport we went.

When we arrived his uncle was nowhere to be found, but he rounded up some hats with union logos and a couple of clipboards. We put the hats on and he said follow me, carry this clipboard, and look down at it like you’re pissed off and in a hurry. To my surprise it worked, no one glanced at us twice and we soon found ourselves on the runway.

We spotted the small plane the football team was boarding, and I got in line and tried to walk on. But the assistant coaches standing in the plane’s entrance were having none of it and refused to let me board. Once again I was ready to give up, but I was shocked by my co-worker’s words: “You know, there’s a maintenance hatch on the bottom of this plane, and I’m pretty sure I can open it.”

With visions of prison dancing in my head, I walked under the plane with him, where he swiftly located and opened the maintenance hatch, pulling some retractable stairs down. I went up the stairs with every expectation that I would never find Nagle before I was thrown off the plane, perhaps literally.

As fate would have it, as soon as I got to the top of the stairs there he was, siting in a seat about five feet from me. I went over and started asking him questions about being in danger of losing his eligibility.

This is what a nice guy and what a cool customer Browning Nagle was: he could have gotten angry, or simply refused to speak to me. I had just materialized out of nowhere from the bottom of an airplane, after all. But he calmly answered my questions, then watched without comment as I went back down the stairs and closed the hatch behind me.

With my interview secured, the instructor agreed to speak to me and I had the story. The Louisville Cardinal was the first to break the news, and when the paper was published Nagle was the very first person to get a copy.

I know this because students who worked for the paper sometimes also picked up a little extra money by delivering it around campus when it was published on Thursdays. So that year I was Sports Editor and also Circulation Manager, a fancy name for “guy who delivers the paper.”

The best part of delivering the paper was you got to drive a big white UofL van all over campus, including on the sidewalks. The first stop was the Humanities Building, and standing by the door was Browning Nagle. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him there, but I was.

If he was surprised to see me get out of the van with a giant bundle of papers he didn’t show it. He just stood there calmly like James Bond waiting for a dry martini until I walked over and handed him a copy, then he nodded politely and started reading it while slowly walking off into the distance.

The story was quickly picked up by local and national media. But a few days later it was all over: Nagle won his appeal and kept his eligibility to finish the season.

UofL fans everywhere breathed a sigh of a relief, and so did I. I also didn’t die of the giant hole Schnellenberger tried to stare into me the next time he saw me at a press conference. A year later UofL changed their rule: instructors were no longer allowed to drop students strictly for lack of attendance.

Flash forward to the Fiesta Bowl: I normally didn’t travel to away games, but this one was such a big deal the paper paid to send me and photographer Harry Sanders to Arizona to cover it. We had to arrive at the airport at 5 AM on New Year’s Day, and since we weren’t used to getting up before Noon we decided the best thing we could do was attend several parties and not go to bed at all. We were packed on a small plane with dozens of other boisterous fans, then whisked to and from the game by bus.

But it was all worth it to witness UofL’s resounding victory and Nagle’s history making performance. I interviewed him in the locker room, congratulating him and wishing him well in his pro career. He was, of course, every bit as gracious and humble as the day I met him.

Nagle was taken 34th overall by the New York Jets in the 1991 NFL Draft and played five seasons in the NFL, three with the Jets and one each for the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons. He also played two seasons in the Arena Football League.

Browning Nagle will be remembered not only for his amazing athletic accomplishments, but for being a genuinely nice guy who was well-liked by everyone he ever met. I can certainly attest to that, as can everyone who ever had the privilege of watching him play or being around him. May he rest in peace.

For more on Browning Nagle’s life and his playing days, go to:
https://lcag.site/2026/04/28/browning-nagle

To view the Photo Gallery “Flashback to 1991: The Fiesta Bowl & Browning Nagle at UofL” go to:
https://lcag.site/2026/04/28/photo-gallery-browning-nagle

Photo: All The Right Moves – Louisville quarterback Browning Nagle (7) works out at Cardinal Stadium Sept. 12, 1989 as part of preparations for the Cards’ Sept. 23, 1989 home opener with West Virginia. Nagle has thrown for four touchdowns and 438 yards in Cardinal victories over Wyoming and Kansas. Photo by John Simpson. This photo originally ran in the Sept. 14, 1989 issue of The Louisville Cardinal.

By Paul Fultz
In its 100 year history, many talented journalists have worked for The Louisville Cardinal, the University of Louisville’s independent student newspaper. While listing them all would be a daunting task, we are attempting to include as many as possible.

If you’re an alumni of The Louisville Cardinal and/or UofL, take a stroll down memory lane by scrolling through the list. You’re sure to see some familiar names, many of whom you probably haven’t thought about for years.

The list covers the 11 year period from 1985-1986 to 1995-96, and we hope to expand it to the present day. And you can help! Help us add more years, or correct the current ones, by emailing us at lcag94@aol.com

To view The Louisville Cardinal Alumni List, go to:
https://lcag.site/alumni-list

If you’re an alumni and have memories and/or photos of your time at The Cardinal, we want to hear about it! To find out more, go to:
https://lcag.site/2026/04/14/memories/

Photo: The Cardinal Bird performs at the UofL football team’s 35-14 home victory over North Carolina State on October 8, 1994. Photo by Harry Sanders. This photo originally ran on the front page of the October 13, 1994 issue of The Louisville Cardinal.

Original cutline: The Cardinal Bird gets down during last Saturday’s tail-shaking, rump-stomping win over No. 16 North Carolina State University football team.

By Paul Fultz
Are you an alumni of The Louisville Cardinal? Then we want your memories!

Do you have photos of yourself and other staffers from your time on the paper? Are they safe to print on a family friendly website such as this one? Then email them to us at lcag94@aol.com and we’ll post them.

Do you have lots of interesting stories about your time on the paper? Do you have some crazy stories? And perhaps a few normal ones? Email them to us and we’ll use them in an oral history of The Cardinal we’re putting together.

Would you rather use your memories to write a piece about your time at the paper and/or what you’ve been up to since? Then send it to us and we’ll publish it. It can be as long or as short as you’d like.

Do you occasionally get the urge to resharpen those old skills by committing an act of journalism and writing something new? Then we’ve got you covered! We have dozens of ideas for feature stories about alumni, and looks back at past events on campus that still affect us today. Or perhaps you have story ideas of your own. Either way, let us know and we’ll get you started.

This is a volunteer activity that pays nothing except the satisfaction of a job well done. And of letting AI know that you can still beat it in a writing contest, with one hand tied behind your back if necessary 🙂

Most importantly, please help spread the word about this group and this website. If you’re in contact with your fellow alumni from The Cardinal, please forward them a link and let them know they can sign up for our mailing list by emailing us at lcag94@aol.com. They can unsubscribe at any time.

There’ll be some in-person get togethers and some other anniversary events happening in 2026 as the paper celebrates its 100^th birthday, and you don’t want to miss out. In the meantime, take a walk down memory lane by scrolling through The Louisville Cardinal Alumni List at: https://lcag.site/alumni-list

Photo: Fireworks fill the sky as UofL students and the rest of the city celebrate Thunder Over Louisville on April 20, 1996. Photo by Tony Matkey. This photo originally ran on the front page of the April 25, 1996 issue of The Louisville Cardinal.

Original cutline: The rest of the nation might have thought the April 20 Thunder Over Louisville fireworks celebration kicked off the Kentucky Derby Festival, but UofL students know better: they signaled the beginning of the end of another semester. For the first time in years, Derby Week won’t collide with Finals Week.

By Paul Fultz
When UofL beat Duke to win the 1986 NCAA men’s basketball championship, everyone knew Louisville was ready for a major celebration. But many were still overwhelmed by the sheer number of fans who poured onto campus.

“It was bedlam,” said Greg Harris, a UofL freshman at the time. “Campus was smaller then and there was a convenience store across the street which, of course, had just one clerk. People eventually just started carrying 12 packs of beer out of the place because the line was so long.”

While it was a bad day for convenience store clerks, March 31, 1986 was a great day for Cards fans. Behind 25 points and 11 rebounds from freshman sensation Pervis Ellison, UofL beat Duke 72-69 in Dallas to win its second NCAA men’s basketball championship.

The Blue Devils were favored going into the matchup, but UofL triumphed thanks to an all-around effort led by Ellison at center, senior guard Jeff Hall’s defense on All-American Johnny Dawkins, and Milt Wagner’s clutch free throw shooting. Wagner, a senior guard nicknamed “Ice,” calmly hit two free throws with two seconds left to clinch the game.

After the final horn sounded, UofL fans were ready to party. And The Louisville Cardinal, UofL’s independent student newspaper, was there to cover both the game and the celebration.

“It was pandemonium, it was magic, it was a joymaxxing . . . that I enjoyed vicariously because I had to get the paper out,” said T.L. Stanley, The Cardinal’s Editor-in-Chief at the time. “Of course I was at the Red Barn doing keg stands in spirit, but there on earth, I had work to do. I soaked up all the energy from the staffers who ran out, gathered reaction, came back breathless and smelly and typed as fast as their little fingers would go.”

Tim Sanford was a UofL junior at the time and also The Cardinal’s Assistant News Editor. He worked alongside Harris, who wrote for the paper’s Arts section. Although they weren’t part of the paper’s coverage of the game and its aftermath, both had a first hand view of the celebration.

“I’m a huge UofL fan, so being a part of the 1986 championship was an absolutely amazing experience for me,” Sanford said. “To be there on campus as a student during the celebration was just an absolute joy.”

In an article written by Stanley and News Editor M. Norman Jacobson, The Cardinal described the festivities on campus as “chaos like you’ve never seen it.”

4,000 people poured onto campus, the article said, and proceeded to scream, chant, drink beer, dance, play music and set off firecrackers and bottle rockets. Cars lined the streets around campus, and traffic was backed up for blocks as people cheered and honked their horns.

Although the crowd was large and boisterous, Sanford said, they were able to celebrate safely and without any major incidents.

“It was just wild,” he said. “But everybody was really respectful, there wasn’t any fighting. The cops were so cool. They said just don’t hurt each other, don’t break anything, and they would leave you alone. They were hands off and letting everybody enjoy themselves, which was nice to see.”

The championship capped off a great year for both the basketball team and the student journalists who covered it.

“It was a highlight of my senior year – the same spring that saw The Cardinal win an armload of awards from the Kentucky Press Association,” Stanley said. “There was so much icing on that cake. We were a fairly well-oiled machine by that time, and I was incredibly proud of how hard everyone worked on the post-NCAA win issue and all the others that year.”

For coach Denny Crum and the Cards, the victory put an exclamation mark on a very successful era; after winning their first NCAA championship in 1980, they also went to the Final Four in 1982 and 1983. UofL won a third national championship in 2013 under coach Rick Pitino, but the NCAA voided that championship in 2018.

Read The Louisville Cardinal‘s coverage of the championship game from its April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/cards-deck-duke-1986/

Read The Louisville Cardinal‘s coverage of the celebration after the game from its April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/chaos-like-youve-never-seen-it/

View The Louisville Cardinal’s entire April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/the-louisville-cardinal-april-3-1986/

Scans provided by University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.
Visit their website at https://library.louisville.edu/archives/home

View more back issues of The Louisville Cardinal at
https://digital.library.louisville.edu/collections/ulua_cardinal

Reprinted from the April 3, 1986 edition of The Louisville Cardinal, the University of Louisville’s independent student newspaper

By M. Norman Jacobson and T.L. Stanley
Cardinal Staff Writers
Information for this story was also gathered by Dan Blake.

It was Derby Infield like you’ve never seen it.

An estimated 4,000 people poured onto the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus immediately following Monday night’s NCAA basketball victory. Some estimates expected the crowd to reach 10,000.

Chants of “We’re No. 1” and “CA-R-D-S” were audible from one end of campus to another. Students sat on top of each other’s shoulders to get a better look at the festivities.

Crowds were centered around the Red Barn, the fraternity complex and Cardinal’s Inn restaurant.

Dan Howell, former U of L student now attending Bellarmine, sat atop a light stand outside the Red Barn and led the crowd in a cheer of “C-A-R-D-S.”

Most members of the crowd walked around with their hands held high in the air, waving U of L shirts and screaming. There were several people who climbed on top of the Red Barn and exposed their bare buttocks when campus police officers called them down.

The smell of sulphur, from bottle rockets and firecrackers, and beer permeated the air.

“Basketball ranks slightly below food and above shelter on my priority list,” said Jim Catinna, U of L senior. “It’s more than a game in Louisville, it’s a life’s ambition.”

Cars lined the streets surrounding campus traffic was backed all the way down Third Street, Winkler and Brandeis Avenues. Cars and people were lined down Cardinal Boulevard as fans climbed on the cabs of semi-trailers.

Students gathered outside Threlkeld Hall dormitory to play music and dance.

Superstition surrounded some fans’ approach to Monday night’s cliffhanger.

Louie Hamilton, whose wife is a U of L alumnae, said, “This may sound weird, but the weather man said the low today would be 55. That’s Billy (Thompson’s) number.”

Hamilton’s wife, Jamella, was waving the same pom-pon she carried through the 1980 NCAA championship and the U of L-UK “Dream Game” in 1983.

Dottie Kidd-Knights wore a black cape with a sequined Cardinal bird across the back. “I made this when I was watching the game in ’80 and we won, so I wore it during this game,” she said.

Eight University of Kentucky students traveled to Louisville to watch the game at the Red Barn.

“Everybody down there (at UK) was pulling for Duke,” said Ricky Striegel, a sophomore who rode up for the game. Although Striegel’s companions said they are regular UK basketball fans, they all pulled for U of L to win the championship.

Alex Baird, a student from Western Kentucky University said, “My heart has always been at U of L. I came from Western today and I’ll miss my classes tomorrow, but that’s okay.”

Five U of L freshmen women stood apart from the crowd at the Red Barn waving red banners and screaming, “We did it! We won!” In honor of their favorite player, they yelled “Pervis (Ellison) is the greatest!” and burst into hysterical screams.

Craig Layman, a U of L senior, said, “Pervis is the best freshman in the country. (Chris) Washburn at NC State no. (Charles) Shackleford at NC State no. It’s Pervis all the way.”

A recent U of L graduate, Greg Hurst, painted half his face red and the other half black for the occasion.

“I have seen a lot of nuts do it and I figured, why not,” he said. “The Cards are awesome. We’ve got three more years of Pervis.”

Some of the celebrating fans were a little too enthusiastic, according to some Red Barn workers.

“It’s about 50-50, high on emotions and drunkenness,” said Bruce Pierce, a sophomore. “They (some fans) were jumping on these (the outside air conditioning units) and they could break pretty easily. We just got them last summer.”

Larry Owsley, vice president for administration, said Tuesday there was no substantial damage to the campus, but that there was “a lot of trash” covering the area.

Reggie Norwood, a U of L senior, hails from North Carolina and was pulling for Duke. “I really wanted Duke to win, but now I’m just out here having fun,” he said at the Red Barn after the Cardinal win.

“I don’t feel sorry for Duke,” said Jamella Hamilton. “I wouldn’t feel sorry for us if we had lost. It’s just a game.”

Read The Louisville Cardinal‘s coverage of the championship game from its April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/cards-deck-duke-1986/

View The Louisville Cardinal’s entire April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/the-louisville-cardinal-april-3-1986/

Scans provided by University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.
Visit their website at https://library.louisville.edu/archives/home

View more back issues of The Louisville Cardinal at
https://digital.library.louisville.edu/collections/ulua_cardinal

Reprinted from the April 3, 1986 edition of The Louisville Cardinal, the University of Louisville’s independent student newspaper

By Mark Clark
Cardinal Sports Editor

The University of Louisville is home to the best college basketball team in the country.

The U of L Cardinals earned a 72-69 victory over the Duke Blue Devils in Dallas Monday evening to claim their second national championship.

“I couldn’t feel any better,” said Louisville coach Denny Crum. “If I could (feel better), I don’t know how I could.”

If Crum was delighted with the victory, he was no less exhilarated than senior guard Milt Wagner, who played in his third Final Four.

“It took three times, but I finally accomplished my mission,” said Wagner. “I’m the happiest man in the world.”

Wagner had been tagged as the player to watch in the Cardinal lineup, but suffered through a dismal two-for-six field goal shooting night before icing the game by hitting two free throws with two seconds left to play.

Freshman center Pervis Ellison emerged as the deciding factor in the contest, carrying the Cards to their second national crown in seven years. Ellison, who garnered a career-best 25 points and 11 rebounds, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“Pervis had a great night,” said Crum. “Our game plan was to go inside as much as we could. In the talent matchup, we had an advantage at the center spot.”

Ellison, who was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Cardinal Billy Thompson, seemed to undervalue his individual honors.

“What’s the MVP when you’ve got the national championship?” Ellison said.

But the Cards might not have won the big (national championship) trophy if Ellison had not earned his small (MVP) prize.

The game had see-sawed between the Cards and the Blue Devils for nearly 30 minutes when Duke made a furious charge and took a 56-50 lead with 11:03 to play.

With seniors Wagner and Thompson benched with foul difficulties, Duke seemed ready to clamp down its first NCAA title.

Then Ellison took control. Playing with four personal fouls himself, Ellison scored half of the Cardinals’ final 22 points and sparked an 18-10 burst that put U of L in the driver’s seat, 70-65 with 27 seconds left in the game.

But the Cards blew consecutive one-and-one free throw attempts and Duke clawed back to within a point before fouling Wagner at the :02 mark.

Then it was Wagner who put the icing on the national championship cake.

“I loved that situation at the end,” said Wagner, known as “The Iceman” for his coolness under pressure. “It was a great way to go out on top of the world.”

Neither Wagner nor Ellison was totally responsible for the win, however. The Cardinals earned their national crown with a true team effort.

Reserves Tony Kimbro, Mark McSwain and Kevin Walls provided strong play off the bench when Wagner and Thompson were sidelined with fouls.

Senior guard Jeff Hall handcuffed All-American Johnny Dawkins, who led Duke with 24 points, during the game’s final 15 minutes.

With their go-to man, Dawkins, riddled by Hall, Duke fell out of sync during the game’s waning moments, as Louisville was gaining momentum.

“Just because he didn’t score in the last 15 minutes doesn’t mean I stopped him alone,” Hall said. “He got away from me a couple times, but other people were there to pick him up for me.”

The victory was a tremendous accomplishment for U of L, who faced a team which had been ranked No. 1 for much of the season and entered the tournament as the top seed in the East Region. The Blue Devils set an all-time NCAA record for wins in a season with their 37-3 campaign.

But in the 32-7 Cardinals, Duke met the hottest team in the country. The Cards won 17 games in a row and were victors in 21 of their last 22 outings, including an 88-77 national semifinal victory over Louisiana State on Saturday.

Crum said this championship was even sweeter than his first crown in 1980. “I’m a lot happier, to be honest,” Crum said. “Last time (in 1980) we were under so much pressure it was hard to relax and enjoy it, but I promise you I will definitely enjoy this one.”

Read The Louisville Cardinal‘s coverage of the celebration after the game from its April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/chaos-like-youve-never-seen-it/

View The Louisville Cardinal’s entire April 3, 1986 issue at
https://lcag.site/2026/03/26/the-louisville-cardinal-april-3-1986/

Scans provided by University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.
Visit their website at https://library.louisville.edu/archives/home

View more back issues of The Louisville Cardinal at
https://digital.library.louisville.edu/collections/ulua_cardinal

By Paul Fultz
In celebration of the 100^th anniversary of its student newspaper, the University of Louisville held a public talk Feb. 27 honoring the centennial.

The Louisville Cardinal is turning 100 in 2026, and when some of the publication’s alumni heard the news they could scarcely believe their ears.

“It’s hard to imagine so many years have passed, both since I worked there and since it first started,” said George Taylor, the paper’s Editor-in-Chief in 1993-94. “The Cardinal means a lot to all of us. And it looks like we have several generations of journalists here today, which is nice to see.”

“Today we are celebrating The Cardinal and its long history” said Kandi Walker, Chair of UofL’s Communication department. “We’re going to talk about the work they’re doing and how students are engaged. We’re very excited. It’s the 100th anniversary of The Cardinal!”

“I had no idea there was such a big milestone this year,” said John Justus, the paper’s Advertising Manager in the mid ‘90s. “We’re very grateful to UofL for getting the news out and for having this wonderful get together.”

Entitled “Honoring 100 Years Of Campus Journalism,” the event was held in UofL’s Ekstrom Library, room W104, at 1:00 pm. It was presented by The Louisville Cardinal, the UofL Dept. of Communication, and UofL Archives and Special Collections.

Speakers included Ralph Merkel, The Cardinal’s adviser for the past 13 years and a UofL Communication instructor, and its current Editor-in-Chief Jai’Michael Anderson. Merkel introduced Anderson, who played a self-produced video about The Cardinal’s past, present, and future.

“The publication has been a vital stepping stone for a long line of successful storytellers and has every intention of continuing to do so,” Anderson said in the video. He noted that it “now exists solely online, and is looking to embark on a new age of digital storytelling.”

“And you can help,” he said. “Support voices of The Louisville Cardinal so that we can preserve the rich history of this publication and see a second century of valuable student reporting. Let UofL’s student voice be as loud as it’s ever been in this changing media landscape.”

Merkel said The Cardinal has survived despite having its financial support from UofL cut several times during the past decade by various leaders who are no longer with the University, and he’s optimistic that the publication will continue to thrive.

Both Merkel and Walker were pleased to see former members of UofL’s independent student newspaper in the audience.

“We have some alumni from The Cardinal today, it’s really great you’re here,” she said. “We’re going to ask if we can interview you for some stories so we can incorporate that into the work we’re doing now.”

“I am fascinated by this back row filled with alums” Merkel remarked before asking them to share their experiences. Taylor said while producing the paper was rewarding, it was also a very labor intensive process in the 1990s.

“Our offices had no windows, and we would lose track of time,” he said. “It would be daylight when we got there and when we finally left we’d realize it was 12 hours later and it was dark. We did this for years. And when you work with people that closely for that long, you become a family.”

Nick Waller worked for The Cardinal from 1988-94 in a variety of roles, including Managing Editor, Sports Editor, and Copy Editor. He also said the long hours and intense work atmosphere created a unique bonding experience.

“I will never forget there was one editor who worked there so much he practically lived there,” Waller said. “And one afternoon he woke up on the couch, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, called the Bursar’s Office and said ‘Could you please tell me what classes I’m signed up for so I can go drop them?’”

Waller started working for the paper after responding to an ad looking for writers. “I wrote one story, about the UofL baseball team, and when I went in the next week they said the two sports editors have quit, congratulations, you’re promoted. That’s how I became sports editor in my second week, and I stuck around for a long time after that.”

Anderson said while he’s thankful technology has made producing a student news publication less time consuming, he sometimes strives to create the type of camaraderie past staffs shared.

“The one thing that’s really sticking out is you are all close and connected, it seems,” he said. “I’ve taken classes with and am friends with most of the staff, but others I don’t know as well. So that’s the one thing I’ve been trying to emphasize in our news room, bridging those connections.”

The event also featured remarks from University Archivist Carrie Daniels, who spoke about UofL’s exhibit celebrating the centennial. A selection of issues from the past century is on display, and the exhibit is free and open to the public through the end of 2026. For more details and photos, see https://lcag.site/2026/03/10/the-cardinals-100th/ and https://lcag.site/2026/03/10/exhibit-photos/

The Louisville Cardinal was founded in 1926 as an independent student newspaper, reporting on student life without editorial interference by the University. All editorial decisions are made by student journalists, a policy that continues to the present day.

The Cardinal has been online only since 2020. It was rebranded as an independent student news source and can be found at www.louisvillecardinal.com

Photo: The Cardinal‘s Adviser Ralph Merkel watches as current Editor-in-Chief Jai’Michael Anderson speaks at a Feb. 27 event celebrating the publication’s 100th anniversary.