Name-a-Day Calendar, April 4: Louisville Cardinals
Page 149 of 365
Chosen in: 1912 (made official in 1913)
Chosen by: Ellen Patterson, wife of liberal arts dean John L. Patterson
The baseball, men’s basketball, and football programs at the University of Louisville began in 1909, 1911, and 1912, respectively. The official story of how “Cardinals” became the nickname for these teams is usually that it was suggested by a faculty member’s wife. Specifically, John L. Patterson, the dean of what is now the College of Arts and Sciences was the member of the board in control of the student athletic association, and his wife, Ellen, suggested to this board that the school’s mascot be the cardinal and its colors be red and black.
If only it was that simple. The story is dated 1913, but there’s evidence that Louisville’s teams were called the Cardinals and wore red and black in 1912; The Courier-Journal1 referred to the team as the Red and Black in October of that year and as the Cardinals in November. It’s unclear whether the story is misdated or if this nickname and these school colors were already used on an unofficial basis prior to 1913 and were simply made official in 1913.
In any case, not even the university library understands why their cardinal bird has teeth.
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This newspaper today is known simply as The Courier Journal, no dash.