Brian Kelly returned to Nippert Stadium to honor the Bearcats unbeaten 12-0 team from 2009. The team will be honored at halftime of the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Kelly took the head coaching job at Notre Dame before the Bearcats played Florida in the Sugar Bowl.
It was fate that caused Kelly to leave. The team was seconds away from qualifying for the National Championship. Texas claimed the spot with a dramatic win over Nebraska. Colt McCoy was chased out of the pocket with seconds left in the game, trailing 12-10. McCoy was chased out of the pocket by Ndamukong Suh. McCoy threw the ball out of bounds and time had run out. Cincinnati would have passed Texas to earn a bid in the National Championship game against Alabama in the Rose Bowl but replays showed that the ball hit a railing with one second left on the clock. Texas kicked the game winning field goal and Cincinnati was chosen to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Kelly was offered his dream job at the University of Notre Dame, who required him to start immediately. He took the job and offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn guided the Bearcats in the 51-24 loss to Florida. The players felt betrayed and the fans showed animosity toward Kelly for abandoning his team.
"It has really been special to get an opportunity to come back to thank them," said Kelly, as Notre Dame is on a bye week. "I didn't get that opportunity. It was taken away from me. The circumstances were what they were. It was important for me to come back and thank them but more importantly what they've done to catapult this program into the position that it is today."
Kelly remembered the season started with a big win over Rutgers.
"It started with the win over Rutgers over the Labor Day weekend," Kelly said. "It was so decisive. It created a confidence in the group that was very palatable. It carried over into a resounding win over Illinois, a Big 10 team and finishing it off obviously with the come-from-behind win against Pittsburgh. Those three games standout to me."
The Bearcats arranged the dtribut around Kelly's open week.
"It was a matter of saying yes and getting off the recruiting schedule to be here," Kelly said. "I was excited because I wanted to be with these guys."
Kelly reflected on how close the Bearcats came to playing in the National Championship game.
"I probably wouldn't be at Notre Dame," Kelly said. "You guys would be sick and tired of me in Cincinnati. It's fate and these things happen. That's what college football is today. There's one game that can dictate and change the season and can change the trajectory of careers."
There was a moment of silence before the game for Bob Goin, who was the Athletic Director at UC that season. Goin passed away this week, October 12 at the age of 83.
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