Football
Petrino, Bobby
Bobby Petrino
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- bobby@GoCards.com
- Phone:
- 852-6325
Follow @CoachPetrinoUL
Bobby Petrino, entering his ninth season at Louisville, is one of the most accomplished head coaches in the school’s storied history, leading a program that has transformed itself into one of the nation’s perennial powers.
Petrino has won a pair of conference championships (2004 and 2006), advanced to the postseason eight times, more than any UofL head coach, and is tied for the most bowl wins (three).
The second-winningest coach in school history, trailing only Frank Camp, Petrino owns a 75-27 (.735) record at Louisville since his arrival in 2003. He ranks first in program history in conference winning percentage (.653, 66-35 record, minimum 10 games), home wins (40), AP Top 25 victories (7), and AP Top 25 finishes (five). His program has hosted ESPN’s College GameDay on two occasions (vs. Florida State, 2016 vs. Clemson, 2017).
The Helena, Mont., native with West Coast ties, Petrino is in his 31st year of collegiate coaching, including his 14th as a head coach and 10th in Louisville (served as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in 1998). He owns a career record of 117-48 (.709) in 13 seasons.
The 56-year-old Petrino has helped Louisville maintain its notoriety in the national landscape, as the Cardinals have secured top-25 finishes in five of his eight seasons. Petrino directed the program to a No. 6 final ranking in the Associated Press poll in 2004 and 2006, making him the only coach in program history to achieve the feat.
Known as an offensive mastermind, Petrino’s teams have consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in a numerous offensive categories. In eight seasons, he has guided his offensive units to six finishes in top 10 - leading the country in 2000, ending the year second in 2006, and consecutive third-place finishes in 2016 and 2017.
Scoring has never been a problem in Petrino’s reign, totaling three finishes in the top five nationally in scoring offense. Petrino’s 2004 team, which finished 11-1, led the country in scoring at 49.8 points per game.
Petrino’s ability to develop NFL talent has been a trademark of his illustrious career — producing 34 NFL Draft selections, including four in the first round. The 2015 draft saw the Cardinals produce a school-record 10 selections, including the No. 14 pick in wide receiver DeVante Parker.
Over the last two seasons, Petrino has directed the most explosive offensive seasons in school history with the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner, two-time finalist Lamar Jackson. The Cardinals set six school records in 2017, most notably the most total yards of offense, rushing yards, yards per carry and yards per play.
In 2017, Jackson rewrote the UofL record book and took hold of the Atlantic Coast Conference annals as well. He became the school’s all-time leading rusher and is the first player in school history to rush for over 1,300 yards in consecutive seasons. He is only the second player in NCAA history to pass for more than 9,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 in a career.
The native of Pompano Beach, Fla., Jackson owns the school mark for total offense in a season and is in top five in the ACC for total offense and touchdown responsibility.
In posting an 8-5 record, the Cardinals scored over 30 points in 10 games, while totaling over 500 yards of offense on eight different occasions.
Sprinting out to a 9-1 start and jumping up to No. 3 in the country, the 2016 season started off as one to remember. ESPN College GameDay made its first appearance at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, the Cardinals had a huge win over No. 2 Florida State and were ranked as high as No. 3 in the country and 5th in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Petrino conducted one of the best coaching jobs of his career in 2015. He guided the Cardinals to eight wins over their final 10 games, including a 27-21 victory over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl. Jackson set a bowl record with 226 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while the Cardinals totaled 534 yards of total offense, including 307 on the ground. Â
Petrino transitioned the program into the ACC in 2014, guiding the Cardinals to a 9-4 record that included a win over Miami in the school’s first ACC contest and a three-game winning streak to close the regular season. Louisville also earned a win at Notre Dame and a come-from-behind victory over in-state rival Kentucky.
His first stint at Louisville boasted 41 wins over a four-year span, the most in school history, and featured an average margin of victory of 26.0. Petrino is also the only coach in UofL history to lead the program to a pair of top-10 finishes in the final Associated Press Polls, guiding the Cards to No. 7 rankings in both 2004 and 2006.
Petrino has directed the Cardinals to bowl games in all eight seasons and has led the school to a pair of conference championships, winning the Conference USA title in 2004 and the BIG EAST championship in 2006, with a school-best 12-1 record. That season was capped with the school’s first BCS bowl appearance, defeating 12th-ranked Wake Forest 24-13 in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl. Â
His programs have achieved four 10-win seasons along with top-10 finishes nationally three times. His 2006 Louisville squad and 2011 Arkansas team concluded with No. 5 rankings in the Associated Press polls.
Petrino directed the Cardinals to their first BIG EAST title in 2006, Louisville’s second year in the
league. He guided that squad to a 12-1 record, which tied the 2013 squad for the most wins in school history. The Cardinals opened 2006 going 8-0, including a win over third-ranked West Virginia, and catapulted to as high as No. 3 in the nation. They averaged over 37 points per game offensively, ranking fourth nationally in that category, while limiting opponents to just over 16 points per game. Â
Petrino’s offense ranked second in the nation in total yards per game (475.3), leading the Big East in passing offense (290.0) and first downs (296). Louisville jumped as high as No. 3 in the national polls during the season, posting three wins over top-15 teams and the program’s first Big East title. The Cardinals ended the year with their highest national ranking in school history, finishing No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and sixth in the USA Today poll.
Hired for the first time at Louisville in 2003, Petrino took the reins of a program that finished 7-6 a year prior and drove the school to a 9-4 mark that resulted in an appearance in the GMAC Bowl. Petrino became the first Louisville head coach to win nine games in their first season.
By the end of his first year, Petrino’s team led the league and ranked among the nation’s best in total offense, rushing and scoring. The Cardinals ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (488.9), 10th in rushing (228.2) and 15th in scoring offense (34.6). Louisville set six Conference USA records, including the mark for total yards after the Cardinals racked up 779 yards, including 445 rushing yards, in a 66-45 win over Houston.
The 2004 campaign was one of the best in school history, with Petrino leading the Cardinals to an 11-1 record that culminated in a Conference USA title and a 44-40 Liberty Bowl win over 10th-ranked Boise State. The Cardinals led the nation in total offense (539.0) and scoring offense (49.8), scored 50 or more points seven times and set an NCAA record by scoring 55 or more points in five straight games.
Prior to returning to Louisville, Petrino spent one season as head coach at Western Kentucky, where he helped WKU finish the regular season with an FBS school record eight wins while closing the season with a four-game winning streak. The team also set a new school record for total offense (5,502 yards) and passing first downs (141) in a season.
Before joining the Hilltoppers’ program, Petrino spent four seasons at Arkansas where he led the Razorbacks to a 34-17 record, going 29-10 in his final three years, increasing his win total in each of his four seasons. In his second season in Fayetteville, Petrino led Arkansas to an 8-5 record and its first bowl win since 2003, winning the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The success of the 2009 season propelled Arkansas into the national spotlight in 2010, as the Razorbacks went 10-3, earning a bid to the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Ohio State -- the program’s first-ever BCS bowl bid. Petrino followed up the 2010 season with a remarkable 11-win campaign in 2011, matching the single-season school record. Arkansas closed out the year with a win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, boosting the Razorbacks into the No. 5 national ranking in the final AP poll.
Prior to becoming Arkansas’ head coach, Petrino was the head coach with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 2007 after spending four years as the head coach at Louisville.
Before earning his first head coaching job at Louisville in 2003, Petrino served one season as the offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2002. During that season leading the offense, the Tigers went 9-4, including three wins over top-10 ranked opponents, and won a share of the SEC Western Division title.
Before his brief stint at Auburn, Petrino coached three seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, coaching the quarterbacks in 1999 and 2000, and one season as the offensive coordinator in 2001. Prior to going to the NFL, Petrino had his first stint at Louisville as the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals in 1998. In that one season, Louisville was the top-ranked NCAA Division I-A team in scoring and total offense. Under Petrino’s tutelage, quarterback Chris Redman threw for a school-record 4,042 yards and 29 touchdowns while recording the biggest turnaround in the nation. The Cardinals improved from 1-10 in 1997 to 7-5 in 1998.
He served as the offensive coordinator at Utah State for three years (1995-97) before going to Louisville. While in Logan, Utah, he helped Utah State set school records by averaging 468.5 yards of total offense and 317.5 yards passing during the 1996 season. Prior to his arrival, USU averaged just more than 300 yards per game in total offense. In 1996, the Aggies also racked up a school-record 273 first downs, an average of nearly 25 first downs a game.
In 1994, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Nevada. The Wolf Pack ranked second in the nation in passing (330) and total offense (500) per game, and was third in the nation with 37.6 points a game. During his one season at Nevada, the Wolf Pack boasted ten 100-yard rushing performances and six 300-yard passing efforts. Nevada posted a 9-2 record and won a share of the Big West title.
In 1992 and 1993, Petrino was the quarterbacks’ coach at Arizona State, where he assisted in the development of future All-American and NFL star Jake Plummer. Prior to his two years at Arizona State, he was the quarterbacks’ coach (1989) and offensive coordinator (1990, 1991) for three seasons at Idaho and the wide receivers’ coach at Weber State in 1987 and 1988.
Petrino literally grew up in the coaching profession. His father, Bob Petrino, Sr., coached at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., for 26 seasons, earning 163 victories and 15 conference titles. Petrino officially started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for his father at Carroll College in 1983.
After a graduate assistant stint as quarterbacks coach at Weber State in 1984, Petrino returned to be the offensive coordinator for his father in 1985-86 at Carroll College. They had the top-ranked offense in the NAIA ranks in both of his seasons, thanks in large part to the play of Bobby Petrino’s younger brother, Paul, who was a four-year starter at quarterback.
Before Bobby Petrino coached for his father, he played football for him at Carroll College. Petrino played quarterback and twice earned NAIA All-America honors. He led the Fighting Saints to three straight Frontier Conference championships and was named the league MVP in 1981 and 1982.
He also played four years of basketball at Carroll College while earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in mathematics in 1983.
Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick (Quarterbacks Coach at Louisville), Bobby and Katie — and four grandchildren — Brianna, Braylon, Emmett and Anissa.
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Petrino has won a pair of conference championships (2004 and 2006), advanced to the postseason eight times, more than any UofL head coach, and is tied for the most bowl wins (three).
The second-winningest coach in school history, trailing only Frank Camp, Petrino owns a 75-27 (.735) record at Louisville since his arrival in 2003. He ranks first in program history in conference winning percentage (.653, 66-35 record, minimum 10 games), home wins (40), AP Top 25 victories (7), and AP Top 25 finishes (five). His program has hosted ESPN’s College GameDay on two occasions (vs. Florida State, 2016 vs. Clemson, 2017).
The Helena, Mont., native with West Coast ties, Petrino is in his 31st year of collegiate coaching, including his 14th as a head coach and 10th in Louisville (served as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in 1998). He owns a career record of 117-48 (.709) in 13 seasons.
The 56-year-old Petrino has helped Louisville maintain its notoriety in the national landscape, as the Cardinals have secured top-25 finishes in five of his eight seasons. Petrino directed the program to a No. 6 final ranking in the Associated Press poll in 2004 and 2006, making him the only coach in program history to achieve the feat.
Known as an offensive mastermind, Petrino’s teams have consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in a numerous offensive categories. In eight seasons, he has guided his offensive units to six finishes in top 10 - leading the country in 2000, ending the year second in 2006, and consecutive third-place finishes in 2016 and 2017.
Scoring has never been a problem in Petrino’s reign, totaling three finishes in the top five nationally in scoring offense. Petrino’s 2004 team, which finished 11-1, led the country in scoring at 49.8 points per game.
Petrino’s ability to develop NFL talent has been a trademark of his illustrious career — producing 34 NFL Draft selections, including four in the first round. The 2015 draft saw the Cardinals produce a school-record 10 selections, including the No. 14 pick in wide receiver DeVante Parker.
Over the last two seasons, Petrino has directed the most explosive offensive seasons in school history with the program’s first Heisman Trophy winner, two-time finalist Lamar Jackson. The Cardinals set six school records in 2017, most notably the most total yards of offense, rushing yards, yards per carry and yards per play.
In 2017, Jackson rewrote the UofL record book and took hold of the Atlantic Coast Conference annals as well. He became the school’s all-time leading rusher and is the first player in school history to rush for over 1,300 yards in consecutive seasons. He is only the second player in NCAA history to pass for more than 9,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 in a career.
The native of Pompano Beach, Fla., Jackson owns the school mark for total offense in a season and is in top five in the ACC for total offense and touchdown responsibility.
In posting an 8-5 record, the Cardinals scored over 30 points in 10 games, while totaling over 500 yards of offense on eight different occasions.
Sprinting out to a 9-1 start and jumping up to No. 3 in the country, the 2016 season started off as one to remember. ESPN College GameDay made its first appearance at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, the Cardinals had a huge win over No. 2 Florida State and were ranked as high as No. 3 in the country and 5th in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Petrino conducted one of the best coaching jobs of his career in 2015. He guided the Cardinals to eight wins over their final 10 games, including a 27-21 victory over Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl. Jackson set a bowl record with 226 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while the Cardinals totaled 534 yards of total offense, including 307 on the ground. Â
Petrino transitioned the program into the ACC in 2014, guiding the Cardinals to a 9-4 record that included a win over Miami in the school’s first ACC contest and a three-game winning streak to close the regular season. Louisville also earned a win at Notre Dame and a come-from-behind victory over in-state rival Kentucky.
His first stint at Louisville boasted 41 wins over a four-year span, the most in school history, and featured an average margin of victory of 26.0. Petrino is also the only coach in UofL history to lead the program to a pair of top-10 finishes in the final Associated Press Polls, guiding the Cards to No. 7 rankings in both 2004 and 2006.
Petrino has directed the Cardinals to bowl games in all eight seasons and has led the school to a pair of conference championships, winning the Conference USA title in 2004 and the BIG EAST championship in 2006, with a school-best 12-1 record. That season was capped with the school’s first BCS bowl appearance, defeating 12th-ranked Wake Forest 24-13 in the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl. Â
His programs have achieved four 10-win seasons along with top-10 finishes nationally three times. His 2006 Louisville squad and 2011 Arkansas team concluded with No. 5 rankings in the Associated Press polls.
Petrino directed the Cardinals to their first BIG EAST title in 2006, Louisville’s second year in the
league. He guided that squad to a 12-1 record, which tied the 2013 squad for the most wins in school history. The Cardinals opened 2006 going 8-0, including a win over third-ranked West Virginia, and catapulted to as high as No. 3 in the nation. They averaged over 37 points per game offensively, ranking fourth nationally in that category, while limiting opponents to just over 16 points per game. Â
Petrino’s offense ranked second in the nation in total yards per game (475.3), leading the Big East in passing offense (290.0) and first downs (296). Louisville jumped as high as No. 3 in the national polls during the season, posting three wins over top-15 teams and the program’s first Big East title. The Cardinals ended the year with their highest national ranking in school history, finishing No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and sixth in the USA Today poll.
Hired for the first time at Louisville in 2003, Petrino took the reins of a program that finished 7-6 a year prior and drove the school to a 9-4 mark that resulted in an appearance in the GMAC Bowl. Petrino became the first Louisville head coach to win nine games in their first season.
By the end of his first year, Petrino’s team led the league and ranked among the nation’s best in total offense, rushing and scoring. The Cardinals ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (488.9), 10th in rushing (228.2) and 15th in scoring offense (34.6). Louisville set six Conference USA records, including the mark for total yards after the Cardinals racked up 779 yards, including 445 rushing yards, in a 66-45 win over Houston.
The 2004 campaign was one of the best in school history, with Petrino leading the Cardinals to an 11-1 record that culminated in a Conference USA title and a 44-40 Liberty Bowl win over 10th-ranked Boise State. The Cardinals led the nation in total offense (539.0) and scoring offense (49.8), scored 50 or more points seven times and set an NCAA record by scoring 55 or more points in five straight games.
Prior to returning to Louisville, Petrino spent one season as head coach at Western Kentucky, where he helped WKU finish the regular season with an FBS school record eight wins while closing the season with a four-game winning streak. The team also set a new school record for total offense (5,502 yards) and passing first downs (141) in a season.
Before joining the Hilltoppers’ program, Petrino spent four seasons at Arkansas where he led the Razorbacks to a 34-17 record, going 29-10 in his final three years, increasing his win total in each of his four seasons. In his second season in Fayetteville, Petrino led Arkansas to an 8-5 record and its first bowl win since 2003, winning the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The success of the 2009 season propelled Arkansas into the national spotlight in 2010, as the Razorbacks went 10-3, earning a bid to the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Ohio State -- the program’s first-ever BCS bowl bid. Petrino followed up the 2010 season with a remarkable 11-win campaign in 2011, matching the single-season school record. Arkansas closed out the year with a win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, boosting the Razorbacks into the No. 5 national ranking in the final AP poll.
Prior to becoming Arkansas’ head coach, Petrino was the head coach with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons in 2007 after spending four years as the head coach at Louisville.
Before earning his first head coaching job at Louisville in 2003, Petrino served one season as the offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2002. During that season leading the offense, the Tigers went 9-4, including three wins over top-10 ranked opponents, and won a share of the SEC Western Division title.
Before his brief stint at Auburn, Petrino coached three seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, coaching the quarterbacks in 1999 and 2000, and one season as the offensive coordinator in 2001. Prior to going to the NFL, Petrino had his first stint at Louisville as the offensive coordinator for the Cardinals in 1998. In that one season, Louisville was the top-ranked NCAA Division I-A team in scoring and total offense. Under Petrino’s tutelage, quarterback Chris Redman threw for a school-record 4,042 yards and 29 touchdowns while recording the biggest turnaround in the nation. The Cardinals improved from 1-10 in 1997 to 7-5 in 1998.
He served as the offensive coordinator at Utah State for three years (1995-97) before going to Louisville. While in Logan, Utah, he helped Utah State set school records by averaging 468.5 yards of total offense and 317.5 yards passing during the 1996 season. Prior to his arrival, USU averaged just more than 300 yards per game in total offense. In 1996, the Aggies also racked up a school-record 273 first downs, an average of nearly 25 first downs a game.
In 1994, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Nevada. The Wolf Pack ranked second in the nation in passing (330) and total offense (500) per game, and was third in the nation with 37.6 points a game. During his one season at Nevada, the Wolf Pack boasted ten 100-yard rushing performances and six 300-yard passing efforts. Nevada posted a 9-2 record and won a share of the Big West title.
In 1992 and 1993, Petrino was the quarterbacks’ coach at Arizona State, where he assisted in the development of future All-American and NFL star Jake Plummer. Prior to his two years at Arizona State, he was the quarterbacks’ coach (1989) and offensive coordinator (1990, 1991) for three seasons at Idaho and the wide receivers’ coach at Weber State in 1987 and 1988.
Petrino literally grew up in the coaching profession. His father, Bob Petrino, Sr., coached at Carroll College in Helena, Mont., for 26 seasons, earning 163 victories and 15 conference titles. Petrino officially started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for his father at Carroll College in 1983.
After a graduate assistant stint as quarterbacks coach at Weber State in 1984, Petrino returned to be the offensive coordinator for his father in 1985-86 at Carroll College. They had the top-ranked offense in the NAIA ranks in both of his seasons, thanks in large part to the play of Bobby Petrino’s younger brother, Paul, who was a four-year starter at quarterback.
Before Bobby Petrino coached for his father, he played football for him at Carroll College. Petrino played quarterback and twice earned NAIA All-America honors. He led the Fighting Saints to three straight Frontier Conference championships and was named the league MVP in 1981 and 1982.
He also played four years of basketball at Carroll College while earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in mathematics in 1983.
Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick (Quarterbacks Coach at Louisville), Bobby and Katie — and four grandchildren — Brianna, Braylon, Emmett and Anissa.
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| YEAR | SCHOOL | RECORD | BOWL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Louisville | 9-4 / 5-3 C-USA (t-3rd) | GMAC |
| 2004 | Louisville | 11-1 / 8-0 C-USA (1st) | Liberty |
| 2005 | Louisville | 9-3 / 5-2 BIG EAST (2nd) | Gator |
| 2006 | Louisville | 12-1 / 6-1 BIG EAST (1st) | Orange |
| 2008 | Arkansas | 5-7 / 2-6 SEC West (t-4th) | -- |
| 2009 | Arkansas | 8-5 / 3-5 SEC West (t-4th) | Liberty |
| 2010 | Arkansas | 10-3 / 6-2 SEC West (t-2nd) | Sugar |
| 2011 | Arkansas | 11-2 / 6-2 SEC West (2nd) | Cotton |
| 2013 | Western Kentucky | 8-4 / 4-3 Sun Belt (t-3rd) | -- |
| 2014 | Louisville | 9-4 / 5-3 ACC Atlantic (3rd) | Belk |
| 2015 | Louisville | 8-5 / 5-3 ACC Atlantic (2nd) | Music City |
| 2016 | Louisville | 9-4 / 7-1 ACC Atlantic (t-1st) | Citrus |
| 2017Â Â Â Â Â | Louisville | 8-5 / 4-4 ACC Atlantic (t-3rd) | TaxSlayer |
| 13 Years | 3 Schools | 117-48 / 66-45 | 11 Bowl Apps. |
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