A PLACE IN HISTORY:
WHERE MEDICINE AND FOOTBALL
MET AT U OF L
Aaron Burch
T
he University of Louisville has a long and fascinating history
with American football. While most fans could tell you of the
famed Johnny Unitas calling U of L his home in the 1950s
before heading to the National Football League, only a fraction may
know that the University of Louisville has medical students to thank
for its program in the first place!
ation (SIAA) in 1914, where they would stay until they discontinued
their football program from 1917-1921 due to financial constraints.
When they returned, their opponents were smaller Kentucky state
schools including Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Western Kentucky and Morehead State, as well as private state schools including
Centre, Georgetown and Transylvania.
It’s true. The program has existed since 1912 where the season
consisted of a mere four games (The “Fighting Cardinals” that year
went 3-1). Medical students during those early years of the 20th
century were passionate about football, passionate enough to represent Louisville both on the field and in the world of professional
medicine. According to “The University of Louisville” written by
Dwayne D. Cox and William J. Morison, two students named Stanley Walker and Roy Daniel approached the Louisville faculty about
starting a team, arguing that athletics was an essential ingredient
in a classical Greek education. The university agreed, allocating
$625 for the program.
Medical students continued to play an integral role in the football
team’s growth. The Fighting Cardinals of 1922 and 1923 included
numerous physicians in training including Dr. James Winter, Dr.
Armand Fischer, Dr. Tom Kienzle, Dr. Paul Osbourne, Dr. William
Brohm, Dr. Harry Baden, Dr. Paul Silverstein and many others.
Several of these dedicated players even served as team captain,
simultaneously juggling the demands of medical school and the
rigors of college football.
The Cardinals joined the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Associ-
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LOUISVILLE
LOUISVILLE
MEDICINE
MEDICINE
Included on this page are photos and memories of the U of L
Football team from the early 1920s. Although the team began even
earlier, photos from that time were near impossible to find. The
photos on these pages are collected from the Kentucky Cardinal