LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After the last baseball season, University of Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell was a wanted man - wanted by several different schools. UofL Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Vince Tyra said, “We talked with Dan last year when he was being approached by other schools and we worked quick to get something in place for him with the notion that we’d look for something longer term for him to be our coach for life and that’s what we did today.” 

The University of Louisville Athletic Association approved new contract terms for McDonnell. The new deal is a seven-year rolling agreement that went into effect July 1, 2019.

“Julie and I are grateful to Vince Tyra, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, the ULAA Board of Directors and the many people past and present for making this a possibility,” McDonnell said. “We have loved our 13 years in Louisville and have been blessed to raise Jake and Justin here. People make experiences special and memorable and the city of Louisville and all its great fans have treated us like family.

“Most importantly, the assistant coaches, players and support staff are the reasons for all the success on and off the field. The wins stand out, but I am just as proud of our accomplishments in the classroom, the ability to graduate student-athletes with the challenging dynamic of the amateur draft, and the effort with our community service."

Under McDonnell's direction, UofL Baseball has made five College World Series appearances (2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2019), eight NCAA Super Regional berths, 12 NCAA Regional bids, nine regular-season conference championships, and two conference tournament titles. McDonnell is a two-time National Coach of the Year (2007 and 2017) and a three-time ACC Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017).

Louisville ranks No. 1 nationally with 605 wins, including six seasons with at least 50 wins. The Cardinals are 605-240 under McDonnell and in the 13 seasons with UofL, he has seen eighty-four players sign professional contracts and 15 have made their Major League debut since 2014.