Keeping Charlie Strong a Cardinal: seven criteria

My last blog post examined the question haunting all Cardinal football fans who anticipate improvement this season (or shortly thereafter) but dread a possible consequence: if Charlie Strong succeeds at Louisville, can we keep him or does he leave? Mostly detailed were Louisville's efforts in the past ten years to mold itself into a "destination" program; unfortunately, along the way we've also had to endure the spectacle of our coaches departing unexpectedly for higher-profile jobs, therein reinforcing our worst fears and self-doubts.

There is no getting around that other programs will prove attractive, be it for exposure or establishment, tradition or the perceived chance of championship glory (but not financial compensation -- I don't see that as a major factor. Tom Jurich has a track record for richly rewarding a deserving head coach, and at any rate money is not why either John L. or Petrino departed, in my opinion). There's no disillusion here about how hard it will be to keep Strong long-term. However, fans should also recognize that Louisville's football program has several things going for it that -- if harnessed correctly -- could help persuade Strong to stay here.

We're starting over with a new head coach now. And the pertinent long-term question on so many of our minds is that should he be successful (always that qualifier), what possible factors could motivate Charlie Strong to make Louisville his permanent base, his career?

Thanks to the Punjabi parasite that nested itself in my stomach and declared itself lord of the manor a few weeks ago, I've had some extra time away from the daily grind to mull over the possible factors that could help keep Strong at Louisville. From my vantage point, there are at least seven criteria to consider. I'll roll out these points over the next several days -- starting this afternoon -- because hey, I know how much these pondering thoughts from (sweltering) India can help provide relief in (apparently even more sweltering) Kentucky. Why let it all go to spoil in a single day? Unlike my tiny carnivorous microbe ruler, the welfare of my home community means something to me.

For each point, please follow the links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7.