The They’re Off! Luncheon, presented by BAE Systems, has served as the annual kick-off event for the Kentucky Derby Festival for almost seventy years. The luncheon has historically featured a long list of sports legends as guest speakers, including the late Denny Crum, Rick Pitino, Magic Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Archie Manning, Sugar Ray Leonard, “Dr. J” Julius Erving, Boomer Esiason, Dick Vitale, Terrell Davis and the late Howard Schnellenberger. A very special guest will be joining that list this year, and that guest is none other than the University of Louisville Head Men’s Basketball Coach Pat Kelsey.
Kelsey will be coming to this event freshly after bringing the Louisville Cardinals to the ACC Championship, as well as being crowned ACC Coach of the Year. Having broken the record for most wins by a first-year UofL head coach, Kelsey is ushering in a new era of revitalizing Louisville Basketball and energizing Cardinal fans; he has coined the term “ReviVILLE” to signify this era.
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“We’ve scored one of Louisville’s most recognizable names to help us kick off the Derby Festival,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO, in a recent press release. “Pat Kelsey has one of the most inspiring storylines in college basketball this season. We can already see L’s up in the crowd!”
Kelsey was named UofL’s head men’s basketball coach in March of 2024. He has a proven record of winning nearly seventy percent of his career games. He has been a dominant winner throughout his 13 seasons as a head coach, and he’s also a Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year semifinalist for his outstanding coaching performance. Before coming to the University of Louisville, he coached at the College of Charleston for three seasons and Winthrop University for nine seasons.
The “They’re Off! Luncheon” begins at 11 a.m. on April 11 in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel—site of the event since 1974. This year’s event will also feature the presentation of the Volunteer of the Year Award and the Silver Horseshoe Award for service to the community. Louisville Tourism will also present a new community award at this year’s luncheon. Tickets are $130 each or $1,040 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (502) 584-FEST or visit KDF.org.
Press release provided by the Kentucky Derby Festival Press Office.
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This article appears in Mar 14-27, 2025.