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Maize · 01-17-2014 02:04 PM

From the article that nails it:

That’s why some writers will go so far as to accuse Louisville AD Tom Jurich of having no shame and putting winning ahead of character. But since when are we still pretending that college football is about anything other than winning? And if you want a winner then you want Petrino, who is 83-30 in his college coaching career.

What Petrino does off the field may be even more important. With the financial aspect of the game growing increasingly important by the day, it’s necessary for top programs to have head coaches who can do more than draw up plays. Few coaches are better college football CEOs than Petrino.

When Petrino took over Louisville in 2003, the team had revenue of nearly $10 million and profit under $3 million. Just three years later the team had doubled its profits thanks to increased revenue of $19 million. In the year following Petrino’s departure, the Cardinals saw both revenue and profit drop by more than 15%.

Petrino’s financial ability was on further display when he joined Arkansas, which he turned into one of the SEC’s most cost-efficient teams. Under Petrino’s guidance, the Razorbacks became the eighth-most valuable program in the country, worth $89 million in 2011. That was a staggering 59% increase from just two years before. The team’s value has plummeted since he left. In 2012 the team was worth $83 million, and that value fell another 11% to $74 million in our most recent valuations.

With Louisville moving to the ACC next year, the team needs a premier coach who can compete on the field with top teams like Florida State and Clemson while also handling the increased income and spending that comes with membership of a major conference. In those arenas, few coaches have a better track record than Petrino. Is he a man of character? Maybe not. But he wins games and he makes his employers richer. That alone makes him a great hire by the Louisville Cardinals.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2...y-petrino/

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