David Horlander

Probably playing golf somewhere. @uofl alum

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

Seriously I can't make this up. And yes, I over-achieved...

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@hutch_golf Tool integrating Sportsbox + foresight.

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@JamieSlonis Congrats JS!

[Nick Lord @nickatnocap]

Louisville is spending aggressively, and building the infrastructure to back it up.

The Cardinals just pulled off one of the fastest transfer portal blitzes in college basketball, landing tier 1 talents in a matter of days. The basketball payroll could push toward $20 million and Jeff Brohm just locked in an eight-year, $64.8 million extension through 2033. Louisville is going all-in on both revenue sports at the same time.

But what makes Louisville's approach stand out is that they aren't just spending, they're rethinking the entire model.

Last week the board of trustees approved Cardinal Ventures, a new nonprofit built to function as an in-house commercial engine for the athletic brand. Sponsorships, marketing, NIL agreements, branding deals that were previously outsourced or underleveraged would now run through a dedicated entity designed to move fast and keep more value inside the institution.

It starts with no staff, no budget, and no assets. AD Josh Heird called the approval "mile one of a marathon."

They also approved a second, dormant entity that creates a legal framework to receive private capital, equity investment, or bond financing tied to athletics if the right deal materializes. Nothing happens with it unless the trustees vote separately to activate it, but the structure is in place.

"The one thing I would tell you is that we are looking at every option under the sun," Heird says. "We'll entertain any conversation as long as it makes an inkling of sense, because expenses aren't getting reduced anytime soon. But on the flip side, [investors] aren't going to be willing to have these conversations relative to debt, equity, whatever it may be, providing capital, if they don't think there's opportunity there."

That's the key insight Louisville's leadership seems to understand clearly: you have to prove the brand has value before anyone will invest in it. The spending and the structural work feed each other.

Board chair Larry Benz framed the broader challenge directly: instead of finding new ways to slice the existing pie, you try to create a bigger pie.

Louisville is one of the few programs tackling both sides of this equation simultaneously, competing at the highest level today while building new financial tools for tomorrow. For a city where Cardinal athletics drives the culture, the ambition matches the stakes.

As Pat Kelsey put it: "When we win, the sun is out. When we lose, it's gloomy and people yell at their dog and the pizza doesn't taste as good. It freakin' matters."

Louisville is betting on itself and they're building the infrastructure to make that bet pay off.

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@odysseygolf Blacked

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@buccocapital Great first post!

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

This is my annual @XSchauffele will win @TheMasters tweet.

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@barrybutler9 @DailyRandomCub @Cubs @MLB @ChooseChicago @WGNMorningNews @WGNNews @ABC7Chicago @cbschicago @nbcchicago @WatchMarquee @fox32news Incredible!

[Barry Butler Photography @barrybutler9]

The Lights Are On and We are Home. This Morning at Wrigley Field for the Home Opener. Go Cubs Go! #news #chicago

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@critsergolf Happy birthday

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@LouisvilleWGOLF @GoCards Go Cards!

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@GolfWRX @avl_ltc And he’s playing Apex 21s.

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

Tony was a great dude. Introduced me to my now wife at Fitness Factory.

[Clif Marshall @ClifMarshall]

In 2005, I was a young, broke 24-year-old strength and conditioning coach trying to figure out what was next in my career.

That’s when I got a call from the C-USA Player of the Year at the University of Louisville — Stefan Lefors. He wanted me to prepare him for the NFL Combine.

There was just one problem.
I had no experience.
No facility.
No blueprint.

So I started studying. I watched Combine videos over and over, breaking down technique — how to run a faster 40, how to jump higher, how to be more efficient. I was learning in real time.

Then I found a small training facility on the east side of Louisville called Metro Fitness. The owner, Tony Duckwall, graciously allowed me to come in at 6 AM each morning to train Stefan. I had to be at Trinity High School each day by 8am as I was finishing my masters degree and student teaching.

We didn’t have turf.
We had green carpet.
We didn’t have a long runway.
We had just enough space.

But we made it work.

For six weeks we committed to getting a little better every single day.

I’ll never forget sitting in the stands at the NFL Combine watching Stefan run his 40-yard dash. He was a top performer among quarterbacks that year.

Afterward, as we walked out of Lucas Oil Stadium, fans were asking him for autographs. One fan even offered to buy the jersey he wore that day. Stefan looked at me.

I said, “Sell it.”

We took the money and went and had a steak dinner.

This was long before NIL deals.
It was just a player and a young coach betting on each other.

Stefan went from being a projected undrafted free Agent to a 4th round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers.

The greatest reward a player can give a coach isn’t money or recognition.

It’s trust.

I’m forever grateful that Stefan trusted me. That trust helped launch an NFL Combine training business that, by God’s grace, has now served hundreds of players over the last two decades.

God doesn’t call the qualified.
He qualifies the called.

📖 1 Chronicles 4:10

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@rick_inthe859 @ThrillaRilla369 Sorry Rick.

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

Forever a @GoRocks Brother. ☘️

[Atlanta Falcons @AtlantaFalcons]

Rest in peace, Rondale Moore

Our thoughts and prayers are with Rondale’s family and friends

[Trinity Athletics @trinitysports]

Trinity High School announces its 2026 varsity football schedule. https://t.co/7jqFtnP4xp ☘️🏈

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

RIP Tom Hagen

[David Horlander @dhorlander]

@Roger774501171 Carlos Zambrano

[Chicago Cubs @Cubs]

And so it begins…