Ragone, Smith Earn Conference USA Individual Honors
November 29, 2000 | Football
Nov. 29, 2000
LOUISVILLE, KY -- University of Louisville quarterback Dave Ragone and head coach John L. Smith added to their trophy cases this afternoon after being named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Ragone, who also earned first-team all-C-USA honors, completed 216 of 354 passes for 2,621 yards and 27 touchdowns as the Cardinals recorded just their second nine-win regular season in history. A native of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Ragone currently stands 14th in the nation in passing efficiency while his 27 touchdown passes rank third among Division I-A signalcallers behind Boise State's Bart Hendricks (35) and Florida State's Chris Weinke (33).
Ragone also ranks second nationally in the category of points responsible for, averaging more than three touchdowns per contest. The lefthander also tied for the team lead with six rushing touchdowns while running for 252 yards.
Smith wins his first C-USA Coach of the Year award after leading the Cardinals to a 9-2 overall mark (6-1 in C-USA) and their first conference title since 1972.
Finishing his third season with U of L, Smith has recorded a 23-12 overall record and guided the Cardinals to three consecutive bowl appearances.
U of L also made a return to the Top 25 after a seven-year hiatus, climbing to No. 22 in the most recent Associated Press rankings and No. 23 in last Sunday's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
The 2000 edition of the Cardinals will travel to Memphis, Tenn. and take on No. 23 Colorado State in the AXA Liberty Bowl. The contest will be played Dec. 29 with kickoff at 1:30 ET.
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