Aug. 25, 2004

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A crowd of nearly 2,500 Cardinal fans packed Fourth Street Live in downtown Louisville on Tuesday evening for the "Big East Block Party" to celebrate the University of Louisville's move to the Big East Conference in the 2005-06 season.

Big East Commissioner Michael Tranghese was on-hand for the festivities and addressed the U of L fans on the Cardinals' move into the Big East. U of L President James Ramsey, Vice President for Athletics Tom Jurich, Men's Basketball Coach Rick Pitino and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson also spoke at the event following entertainment by the U of L Marching Band, cheerleaders and Cardinal Bird.

BIG EAST BLOCK PARTY COMMENTS

Mike Tranghese, Big East Conference Commissioner
"When I went to our university presidents and I talked to them about the University of Louisville athletically, and then began to talk about the vision that Dr. Ramsey has, it took only a very, very short time to make the decision to extend an invitation to Louisville. It wasn't something we had to sell to our members because the University of Louisville was the epitome of what we wanted to bring into our league, and I can't wait until the 2005-06 season is upon us."

Tom Jurich, U of L Vice President for Athletics
"When it came time to sell Mike (Tranghese) on taking a hard look at the University of Louisville, the first thing we talked about was our fan base. Not only do our fans show up for home events, but they travel like crazy. Our fans enjoy making bowl trips. They enjoy going to the NCAA Tournament and they enjoy being good across the board and supporting everybody."

Rick Pitino, U of L Men's Basketball Head Coach
"For all of our coaches (at U of L), whether it's volleyball, women's field hockey or soccer, we're going to be part of something special in the Big East...And I'm proud to say that we're also going to be a part of the greatest basketball conference in the history of the game, from top to bottom."