LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Not since Johnny Unitas has the University of Louisville retired a player's number. That changes Nov. 13 when UofL will retire Lamar Jackson's No. 8 jersey number.
Unitas' No. 16 was retired in 2003 and is the only other UofL player in history to have his number retired. The school has honored player's jerseys but not retired them.
The retirement ceremony will take place during UofL's game with Syracuse.
University Vice President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra made the announcement Saturday in a news release. In the statement he said,
“Lamar earned the Heisman and then the NFL MVP, and he’s not even 25 years old. Even more remarkable, he’s only getting better. He was born shortly before Tom Brady entered the league so has the time to beyond anything we’ve seen before. His humble heart and grounded approach endears him to his teammates, his coaches and any staff he’s ever been around. He knows it takes eleven to be successful on offense, not one. We’re so proud to retire his number 8 for what he has accomplished so far but are equally excited about what’s to come. This city has big L’s up for our guy.”
“We couldn’t ask for a better representative of our football program. Lamar’s influence goes far beyond our campus---he’s got this entire city behind him every day and we can’t wait to welcome him home.”, added Louisville Head Coach Scott Satterfield.
Jackson went to a television studio in Balitimore expecting to talk to the media about his next NFL game, but the University had other plans. Here is the announcement posted by UofL on its Facebook page.
Louisville's only Heisman Trophy Award winner was a three-year letter winner for the Cardinals from 2015-2017. He won the Heisman in 2016 and was a finalist in 2017. Jackson won numerous awards including the Maxwell Award (2016) Walter Camp Player of the Year (2016), The Associated Press Player of the Year (2016) and the ACC Player of the Year in both 2016 and 2017.
Originally from Pompano Beach, Florida, Jackson set or tied 42 single-game season and career records during his tie at Louisville. He also owns seven Atlantic Coast Conference records.
Jackson threw for 9,043 yards, 69 touchdowns and rushed for a school-record 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns. He is sixth in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) for career rushing yards by a quarterback and is was the third player in FBS history to record 50 career rushing and 50 career passing touchdowns. While he only played three seasons at UofL, Jackson is the only player in FBS history to rush for at least 1,500 yards and pass for at least 3,500 yards in a season, which he did in both 2016 and 2017.
The Baltimore Ravens selected Jackson No. 32 in the 2017 NFL Draft and he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
Currently, wide receiver Tyler Harrell and defensive lineman Henry Bryant wear No. 8 and they will have the opportunity to finish the season wearing the number. It will be officially retired at the end of the season.
Tickets for the Syracuse game can be purchased by visiting GoCards.com.
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