Rick Pitino paid tribute to one of the most important people in his Louisville years on Monday, delivering the eulogy for Kenny Klein, the longtime University of Louisville sports information director who died Thursday, June 25, at 66.
Klein spent nearly four decades with the school, working there from 1983 to 2022 and covering Pitino through all 16 seasons of his run with the Cardinals. Their bond went far beyond the usual coach-and-SID relationship. Pitino once bought Klein a red convertible for his 50th birthday, a detail that says plenty about how close the two were.
The service took place Monday, June 29, at St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church on Bardstown Road in Louisville.
Pitino opened his remarks with a line that made clear just how deeply he felt the loss. "There was nobody better in life than Kenny," Pitino said. "He is the most special person I've met in my 73 years."
When Pitino later moved on to St. John's, Klein followed as a special advisor to the program, and the coach said the two were "inseparable" in New York. Pitino recalled the pair going out to eat around the city, said Klein never missed a practice, and even told a story about once delaying a game because Klein did not have a seat next to him.
Pitino closed with more words of affection for a man he clearly considered irreplaceable. "If anyone deserves celebration in life, and true honor to celebrate that life, that's Kenny Klein," Pitino said.
"There's no better dad. There's no better husband.
There's no better friend. There's no better SID to the media.
There's no better meeting a person on the street than Kenny Klein, with that smile.
"Kenny, I'm never going to say goodbye to you. I'm going to look over at that empty seat to the left.
And for everybody in this room, we won't say goodbye. We'll just keep him in our hearts forever."
In Other News...
Louisville Just Lost A 4-Star Commit And Fans Know What Follows
Louisvilles 2027 recruiting board took a hit when four-star commitment Allen Evans flipped to Vanderbilt, a move that stung because he had been the Cardinals top-rated pledge in the class. For a program trying to keep momentum rolling on the trail, losing a blue-chip defender always raises the temperature with fans, especially when the change comes this early in the cycle.
Vince Marrow moved quickly to calm the reaction on social media, asking supporters to be patient and signaling that Louisville is still working behind the scenes. The Cardinals are also making a late push for another four-star cornerback, Monsanna Torbert Jr., as they look for a possible answer to the opening Evans created, and the next few weeks should tell whether that pursuit turns into real traction. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Took A Brutal In-State Recruiting Hit
Louisvilles recruiting summer has been busy enough to make headlines on both sides of campus, but the football program just absorbed a jolt on the trail. After building momentum with one of its top 2027 pledges, the Cardinals are now watching a key in-state target move elsewhere, a reminder that early commitments can still unravel fast when bigger suitors get involved. The timing stings, too, because Louisville has been trying to keep its class stable while the basketball program piles up offseason wins and reshapes its roster with major transfer additions and a strong 2026 group.
The next few days could tell a lot about how the Cardinals respond. Louisville is still in the mix for four-star cornerback Monsanna Torbert Jr., but the path is anything but simple with Michigan and Ohio State also pushing hard before his July 1 announcement. For a program trying to protect its footprint in Kentucky and avoid another recruiting loss close to home, this stretch carries real weight, especially after seeing one in-state opportunity slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Got A Preseason ACC Signal Fans Cant Ignore
Athlon Sports 2026 Preseason All-ACC teams gave Louisville a clear early thumbs-up, with the Cardinals landing 11 players across 12 selections. Only Miami earned more, and Louisvilles haul included five first-team choices, a sign that the leagues preseason conversation is already leaning heavily toward what Jeff Brohm has built heading into another pivotal year.
The names at the top of the list tell the story of a roster with star power in both trenches and in space. Isaac Brown, Lance Robinson, Clev Lubin, Tayon Holloway and Tre Richardson all drew recognition, while other Louisville standouts also found their way onto the various teams. For a program trying to turn preseason respect into something bigger, this is the kind of signal fans will notice, especially with so much of the ACC still trying to sort out who belongs in the top tier. [Read more 🡒]