Louisville Coaches Cultivating Atmosphere of Love & Respect

In addition to finding ways to help be the change in their community, Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield and his coaching staff continue to promote a loving and understanding football program.

Scott Satterfield is used to a routine. Whenever problems arise within the Louisville Football program, whether it's a schematic or personnel  matter, as the head coach he is reliant on his coaching staff to help him find solutions to these problems so that they can be addressed.

However there are some issues that don't have as clear of a solution as some of the more mundane ones that every football coaching staff comes across. When it comes to addressing social & racial injustice both at home and across the nation, there isn't a playbook for them to follow.

"That's one of the challenging things we have as coaches," Satterfield said following Thursday's practice. "There's not anything that's just straight cut and dry with some of the things that are going on right now."

There might not be a straightforward answer, but the second-year head coach is dedicated to helping his players start a dialogue and promote positive change in the community.

That's not the only place where he is helping promote love and inclusivity. While he admits that it is not necessarily how the world beyond the football facility works, Satterfield and his staff insist on upholding a loving and respecting atmosphere.

"What we do in our building, we try to treat each other with love and respect and doing the right things," he said. "That's our core values. Within this building, that's the way we operate."

Out of the eleven main coaching positions, five of them are held by minorities for the Cardinals. Defensive Coordinator Bryan Brown, safeties coach ShaDon Brown, running backs coach Norval McKenzie & inside linebackers coach Derek Nicholson are black while quarterbacks coach Frank Ponce is of hispanic descent.

"Some of the guys on our staff - we don't all look the same. We're different color," Satterfield said. "There's a lot of different aspects. The great thing about it, we have mutual respect within our whole staff, and that has filtered through to our team."

While tensions still get high on occasion like with every other competitive Division I football program, Satterfield notes that at the end of the day everyone has each others backs - with players and coaches alike working to maneuver through these issues together.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI

Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp


Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic