Tagged: University of Louisville

A family member said the University of Louisville's first African-American football player, Laurence Simmons, was killed over the weekend in a house fire.

Maj. Henry Ott, of Louisville Fire & Rescue, said the 79-year-old Simmons was living in a basement bedroom when a fire started Saturday morning likely due to a frayed extension cord used to power a space heater. No one else was injured.

His brother, Norman Simmons, told The Courier-Journal that Laurence Simmons played offensive lineman for the University of Louisville in 1952 and was a standout football player at Central High School.

Charlie Strong has officially joined the ranks of the highest-paid college football coaches in the country. The University of Louisville has approved a new contract for Strong. It's an eight-year deal that pays him $3.7 million per season. 

U of L Athletics Director Tom Jurich says Strong is well-deserving.

"I think he's already lived up to it and earned it. In every aspect of his coaching ability, he's got an A-plus from me," Jurich said.

The contract includes a buyout if Strong leaves early for another job. He must pay Louisville $5 million dollars if he leaves after the first year of the contract. Strong is now among the ten highest-paid coaches in college football.

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s presidents and chancellors have voted unanimously to add Louisville as the replacement for Maryland, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday morning. The person said ACC leaders also considered Connecticut and Cincinnati over the past week before choosing to add the Cardinals from the Big East.