The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Bearcat fans look to future, Sugar Bowl

RedHawks wary of Wolverines in CCHA semifinals
3/19/10
RedHawks reap conference honors
3/19/10
Miami softball coach facing her mentor
3/19/10
Browns have Tebow, Kurt Coleman on their radar
3/19/10
Hafner powers Indians over Reds
3/18/10
> More sports headlines

Samantha Grier A sign at Chicago Gyros on West McMillan Street near the University of Cincinnati reads, "Kelly who? Bearcats still after that gator meat. What Bowl is ND in?"

By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer Updated 10:07 AM Saturday, December 12, 2009

University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly’s decision to leave Clifton for Notre Dame prompted a variety of emotions among local fans.

Reactions ranged from anger to shrugs and pretty much everything in between, except for surprise.

“I saw this day coming ever since he got hired,” said longtime UC fan and Fairfield resident Matt Berding. “As long as he was successful, I knew he’d be gone. I’m not bitter toward him. You can’t blame anyone for taking his dream job.”

Hamilton resident and 2009 UC grad Emily Fuerbacher learned of Kelly’s departure just a few hours after booking tickets to the Sugar Bowl to watch the 12-0 Bearcats play 12-1 Florida on Jan. 1.

“I’m really disappointed,” Fuerbacher said. “We’ve done really well this season, I just feel like he sold out, especially with the time and the bowl game coming up.”

Former Middletown High School football coach Jack Gordon, who captained the 1956 UC team, said he fully understands why Kelly made the move.

“Notre Dame is Notre Dame,” Gordon said. “I told (my wife) Kiki, and I was only joking, but I told her if they wanted him, they’d have the pope get him.”

As disappointing as the move was, most fans agree the Bearcats are better for having Kelly as a coach. And they expect the team’s success to continue.

“He’s a heck of a coach, and he left the program in better shape than what he inherited,” Berding said. “As long as we get somebody in there to keep it going, we’ll be all right.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

UC gets more  Sugar Bowl tickets

Season ticket holders may obtain tickets by calling 1-877-288-7849 to be put on the waiting list.

Tickets remaining after the season ticket holders have made their purchases will go on sale at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Sales will be in person only at the ticket office at the Lindner Center on UC’s campus.

Share this article

ADD COMMENT

Comments feed

Hear that unhappy Bearcat fans egged Kelly's house when he returned to Cincinnati.

retired
6:31 PM, 12/13/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Florida isn't sellin many tickets - poor losers!

When we sell out the general public tickets, you can still grab some by comparing prices from the major vendors:
http://www.2009bowlgames.com/allsta...

Jeremy
3:35 PM, 12/13/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Well tickets are still out there even after it sells out. Most of them go to the scalpers, but I got a great deal by comparing prices at all of the big vendors here:

http://www.2009bowlgames.com/allsta...

Check em out, they have some funny blog articles too

Jon
3:31 PM, 12/13/2009

REPORT ABUSE

Godlessness is only a problem for the Evangelicals. But you can still get on your knees if you want, it would be funny to see. Seems like the ones WITH god are the ones perpetrating the hatred, violence, murder, greed, and so on and so forth.

Anon
9:08 PM, 12/12/2009

REPORT ABUSE

"FUBK We Are Going All The Way"

Joshua
8:26 PM, 12/12/2009

REPORT ABUSE

There are 8 additional comments

SHOW ALL

We welcome your comments. Please remember this is a public forum and behave appropriately. Your comments must conform to our visitor's agreement.