Louisville football: The 50 greatest Cardinals of all time

One of the most iconic plays of the first Bobby Petrino era was the play that put the Cards ahead for good in their 2006 matchup with Miami.

Brian Brohm connected with Mario Urrutia across the middle, who stiff-armed his opponent for the final 10 yards of the play en route to the end zone.

At 6-foot-6, Urrutia was one of the more naturally gifted players to ever come out of Louisville, Kentucky. Thankfully for the Cardinals, he stayed and played for his hometown team. The Fern Creek High School product was a success from day one for the Cards, posting a gaudy 21.5 yards per reception in his freshman year.

In 2006, his sophomore season, Urrutia was nothing short of outstanding. In only 58 receptions, Urrutia racked up 973 receiving yards and went for six touchdowns, helping lead the Cards to the Orange Bowl.

Urrutia’s production fell off when Steve Kragthorpe took over in 2007. However, Urrutia still remained as effective as one could expect him to before leaving early for the NFL after the season.

Urrutia finished his career eighth all time in reception yards and 10th in school history for a single season in receiving yards.

He went on to be drafted in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Bengals but ultimately did not pan out in the league. Urrutia was a successful arena football player before becoming part-owner of the Kentucky Xtreme until 2014.