Louisville Boosters Criticize Heird Hire, Vouch for Jurich in Email to UofL President

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville is on the verge of finally hiring a full-time athletic director, and three prominent boosters have voiced their displeasure with the selection.

In a joint email from Dr. Mark Lynn, Lonnie Ali and Jim Patterson that is addressed to UofL interim President Dr. Lori Gonzalez, the trio of boosters and supporters vehemently denounced the reported hiring of interim Athletic Director Josh Heird to the full-time position. They also argue that former UofL athletic director Tom Jurich - who had reportedly shown interest in returning to his old position - was not given a fair shot in the interview process.

"Obviously, the goal in filling any executive position is to identify the best candidates for the position, vet the prospects, interview the top targets and ultimately hire the best person for the job," the email stated. "It is our understanding the best candidate in terms of experience and proven documented success was not granted a personal interview.

"Tom Jurich had made it clear that he was keenly interested in the position and highly motivated to use his skill set to help the athletic department return to their rightful place as a prominent player on the national college landscape. ... We find it bizarre that he was not given the respect of a proper professional interview."

Heird, who previously served as Deputy Athletic Director, was elevated to interim AD back in mid-December following the sudden resignation of Vince Tyra. Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde reported Wednesday night that Heird would have the interim tag stripped. The next day, the University of Louisville Athletic Association Board announced that they would hold a special meeting on Friday at 8:00 a.m. to "discuss personnel matters," where it is expected that Heird will be officially named the full-time AD.

Not long after Forde's report, WDRB's Eric Crawford added that University of Louisville representatives had "reached out to Jurich," but "did not end up interviewing for the position."

Jurich was fired in October of 2017 after a pair of high-profile scandals rocked the men's basketball program, and Jurich refused to fire head coach Rick Pitino. Even after his ouster, Jurich maintained a loyal support base from both fans and boosters alike.

Said support became much more vocal after Tyra's resignation. In early February, a large social media push was made for Jurich, with some fans launching a billboard campaign asking for the UofL Board of Trustees to hire Jurich.

Patterson and Lynn, who are two of the biggest boosters for the Louisville athletic department, were also among those voicing their support for Jurich to return. Jurich himself never publicly stated his interest in returning to UofL, but those close to him were adamant that he was.

“If he wants it, I’m in favor of it," Lynn told the Courier-Journal back in April. "When Tom calls me, I’ll be happy to jump on the bandwagon.”

Heird is currently in the tail end of his 11th year working for the Louisville athletic department. He got his start in 2007 under Jurich, serving as the assistant athletic director until 2016. He then spent he spent two years at Villanova University, then was brought back to Louisville by Tyra in 2019.

Gonzalez was elevated from provost to interim President following Dr. Neeli Bendapudi's departure for Penn State, around the same time Heird was thrust into his position.

Below is the full email from Lynn, Ali and Patterson to Gonzalez:

President Gonzales,

This intent of this email is to express our disappointment in the decision for the position of athletic director for the University of Louisville. Obviously, the goal in filling any executive position is to identify the best candidates for the position, vet the prospects, interview the top targets and ultimately hire the best person for the job. It is our understanding the best candidate in terms of experience and proven documented success was not granted a personal interview. Tom Jurich had made it clear that he was keenly interested in the position and highly motivated to use his skill set to help the athletic department return to their rightful place as a prominent player on the national college landscape. The fact that Tom has retained his love for the university after the disgraceful manner in which he was terminated speaks volumes and is a small miracle in itself. We find it bizarre that he was not given the respect of a proper professional interview. It is our understanding that you did have a brief conversation with Tom and although your interest in him as a possible candidate was not expressed you did ask if he might help identify other possible applicants. One could easily assume that the decision had been made and that the university was looking to fill the roster for the sake of appearances. Tom has always insisted on being transparent and his desire was for the process to be totally open and honest. In our opinion, he wanted to take the high road. The search committee adopted a “we do not want to hear opinions” mantra. We feel the better approach would have been we want to hear about ALL candidates, any and all information on any individual suited for the position. Opinions, information and support for Tom and others shouldoria have been heard and making a major appointment like this requires as much information as possible. Yet we were told that the “process” was not to be discussed with anyone outside of the vacuum.

Our committee was concerned from the beginning that the university would take the easy route and select the interim. Although we are optimistic that with determination and years of experience at a smaller school Mr. Heird will become a capable AD we believe the responsibilities and demands at a prominent Division 1 school may not be the best place to begin. This decision is not fair to Mr. Heird nor is it fair to the program and fanbase. Collectively the decision was made from the beginning that we only desired to bring the university and the community together. We only presented facts and Tom’s resume was chalk full of impressive and factual accomplishments. Nothing was embellished, nor was there a need to do so. The fact that our voices were not heard is disappointing and we feel there are thousands of fans like us who also deserved a say. Whether for or against Tom all fans deserved to be heard. As I am sure you have gathered our full support was behind the best person for the position of athletic director. It is now apparent that superior experience and accomplishments were not a consideration in this decision. It is certainly your prerogative to make decisions without input from others. Your clear message has been received by our group of over forty business leaders of which we represent.

Respectfully,

Dr. Mark Lynn

Lonnie Ali

Jim Patterson

(Photo of Josh Heird: Pat McDonogh - USA TODAY NETWORK, Tom Jurich: Timothy D. Easley - Associated Press)

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