By Ashley Trosper
As the only daughter of a former All-SEC University of Kentucky wide receiver, I know a thing or two about what the Governor’s Cup is all about, as well as what it really means to bleed blue. My father, David Trosper, was a vital member of the 1977 Peach Bowl Championship team (the last time the Cats were a dominant football program), and was drafted to the NFL with St. Louis in 1979. I grew up in a household where I had no other choice but to cheer on the Cats, no other choice but to bleed blue.
However, in recent years, I have witnessed my father, along with many other die-hard UK fans, falter in his ongoing support for the Wildcat football program. I once attended every Wildcat home game with my dad, but more recently I’ve seen him decline free season tickets that only former legends are offered. A once-anticipated football season in Lexington has become … a joke.
My dad, who’s been known to get extremely intense while watching his alma mater, now nonchalantly flips between channels on Saturday afternoon, alternating between TBS movie specials and the UK game that he’s still obligated to watch. It’s sad, really. Week in and week out, he shrugs off losses and even jokes about how he and his fellow teammates from 30-plus years ago could be more competitive than the current squad. This is what UK football has become.
Which brings me to my point — the Governor’s Cup is simply not what it used to be. While the UK football program has dwindled — no, let’s say fizzled — the Cardinal football program has exploded onto the national scene. Their transition into the Big East conference, along with impressive records and bowl game victories, has catapulted the University of Louisville into an entirely different level than the UK football program.
I appreciate good competition, but the fact of the matter is, UK doesn’t belong on the same field as U of L. That’s probably why UK and U of L have brokered a new deal. On Aug. 10, U of L Athletic Director Tom Jurich and UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart agreed that in 2006 and 2008, the two in-state rivals will play each other in Louisville as the season opener. In 2007 and 2009, the two teams will play in Lexington on either the second or the third week of the season.
It’s clear UK doesn’t want to play U of L as their first game, but does it really matter when they take the loss? I guess Rich Brooks feels that if they play the Cards later in the season, the Cats will be more prepared.
I don’t think it matters what order the Cats play their games in, but if they don’t get their act together, the Governor’s Cup will remain an easy victory for the Cards. I hope some day the Wildcats will again provide the competition that elevates the in-state rivalry to what it once was, but until then, Wildcat fans don’t have a lot to argue about, nor do they have a legitimate team to support.
But I can tell you this much — David Trosper will be attending more games at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium than he will in Commonwealth Stadium, and it’s not because Louisville is closer.
Ashley trosper is a sophomore majoring in Communication, and is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Cardinal. E-mail her at:atrosper@louisvillecardinal.com
