Louisville's Rick Pitino honors tattoo promise after championship

By David Wharton

April 26, 2013 12 AM PT

Forget about the thrill of hoisting a national championship trophy or cutting down the nets.

The players on the Louisville basketball team wanted to win an NCAA title to make their coach, Rick Pitino, follow through on a promise: The 60-year-old known for his dapper suits had vowed to get a tattoo if his squad finished on top.

Pitino got inked on Friday morning, according to a Darren Rovell story for ESPN. The simple design featured an “L” with the team’s record, placed on his left shoulder blade.

As senior guard Peyton Siva said after the Cardinals defeated Michigan for the title: “Our biggest motivation was to get coach a tattoo.”

Pitino told ESPN the process wasn’t so bad.

“It wasn’t even close to the pain I had with kidney stones,” Pitino said. “That was like an ‘A’ in pain, this was a ‘C.’”

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David Wharton

David Wharton has filled an array of roles – covering the courts, entertainment, sports and the second Persian Gulf War – since starting as a Los Angeles Times intern in 1982. His work has been honored by organizations such as the Society for Features Journalism and Associated Press Sports Editors and has been anthologized in “Best American Sports Writing.” He has also been nominated for an Emmy and has written two books, including “Conquest,” an inside look at USC football during the Pete Carroll era.

Louisville’s Rick Pitino honors tattoo promise after championship

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