ULL, now that is a program on the rise. What has caused that resurgence, and is this a team that could eventually push for a bigger slice of LA college sports market?
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ULL
ULL, now that is a program on the rise. What has caused that resurgence, and is this a team that could eventually push for a bigger slice of LA college sports market?
If you Jimmer it, they will come.
it's amazing the year they just finished in the 3 big sports (football, men's basketball, baseball)Originally Posted by UNO Gracias
won the Sun Belt in all 3 I believe (MBB Tourney, not reg. season)... was the #6 overall seed in baseball and was unanimous #1 in all the polls heading into that tournment
ULL's AD has done a hell of a job building up their athletics programs... and I believe it all started w/ the hiring of Hudspeth as the football HC... def. started getting a renewed pride in Lafayette
edit: I know Hud is building that wall around the Louisiana border that Miles is doing as well... keep local talent home... ULL is attracting players in this state
Last edited by rt0307; 06-25-2014 at 01:36 PM.
"The pelican is fearsome. Take a raven, for example: it's omnivorous. It eats bugs, and seeds, and fruit, and carrion. Compared to the well-rounded citizen that is the raven, the pelican is the serial killer of birds." - Barry Petchesky, Deadspin
As someone who lives in Lafayette, no. They won't push for a bigger slice of LA college sports market.
Football is king and as long as LSU is winning they will be top dog.
The sad truth is, no one cares about baseball or softball in the state. Just like every college there will be a player who comes through every once in awhile that can be a pro. However you won't see the school make a bit jump because of it.
ULL will keep a lot more of the 3-starish targets who may think they got snubbed b/c they didn't get the scholly to LSU or another big school
as for baseball... there's quite a love for that sport down here... winning will bring them to the games, plain and simple
I mean ULL had to bring in big screens outside the Tigue to show tourney games to overflow tailgaters outside the stadium
I just see what Baylor and Texas A&M are doing to UT and wonder if ULL could do what Tulane, LA Tech, and so many others have tried.
they won't be in football consistantly b/c they can't really get those kind of players... but basketball and baseball... very possibly
edit: Louisiana needs 1 more school in a "major" conference... the Sun Belt, the American & Southland just won't do it
Last edited by rt0307; 06-25-2014 at 01:48 PM.
This is off topic but, what is to stop Hud from leaving? Can he build that program into a top 25 team? I hear they have oil money, so keeping coaches (financially) shouldn't be a problem.
Hud could leave if Miss. St. comes calling since that's where he started and seems like he wouldn't mind going back
as for Lafayette the city... it has 2 things going for it... the oil industry and ULL
The main thing that happened was the resignation of Ray Authement as President. His thing was academics and not athletics. It's no coincidence that after he left the Athletics Department was allowed to spend the necessary money to hire a competent and capable football coach to raise the profile of the program.
As someone who has been a Ragin Cajun fan for over 40 years and lived in New Orleans for 20 of those years, I have somewhat of a different perspective on the Cajuns. First of all, almost all Cajun fans do not use the city tag in the name. We call our selves Louisiana's Ragin Cajuns and some folks get offended when the 2nd L is used. That goes back to the 1984 legal battle with LSU. Of course we understand that people outside of Lafayette are generally not aware of that history so it is understandable they use ULL. As far as the current status of the athletic program goes, we are very proud of the fact we are a comprehensively successful athletic program. No other program in Louisiana outside of LSU has ever had an academic year with the athletic success the Cajuns just enjoyed. We think we already are the No. 1 mid major in Louisiana. We did this while having the best athletic graduation rate in the state and the Sun Belt Conference. Someone said we won't be able to be consistently successful in football. However, there are only four other schools in the country that have won 9 or more games and a bowl game in the last THREE years and we are the only other mid major to do so. We are also the only school to win a bowl game on another team's home field and outnumber their fans by a 2 to 1 margin. Yes, Coach Hud may leave one day for an SEC job. However, he won't leave for any other job but one in that league. The success he has had indicates the job is attractive and well qualified candidates will apply when that happens. It may not be apparent to some as of yet but basketball has the potential to really take off. The success of Elfrid Payton and his move into the NBA 1st round has really helped the Cajuns recruiting. The class they have coming in is one of the best we have had in years and Coach Marlin is recognized throughout America as one of the best developers of talent in the nation. Of course, the diamond sports may not have the success they have had this year in every season as that is unreasonable. However the coaches of the softball and baseball programs have been at their craft a long time so overall winning will continue there. To move forward, of course facilities must be continually improved. Despite what Tulane and La Tech people tell recruits, the projects in the 115 million dollar master plan announced last year WILL go forward. The bulk of those projects will be funded by private donations. Upgrades to the football stadium have begun and construction on the athletic performance center will begin in mid July. This is offices, meeting rooms, weight and training areas etc. Now will all this be enough to have the Cajuns attract fans outside of their normal base is a question I cannot answer. That will be a difficult challenge simply because of having three other mid-major FBS schools in the state as well as LSU, one of the top athletic programs in the nation. One frustration for Cajun fans is the lack of recognition of the accomplishments by the New Orleans media. That is understandable though considering all the programs they have to cover. No matter how much success we have, folks in north Louisiana will still follow La. Tech and ULM over the Cajuns. Getting into a conference with a better reputation is a goal of many Cajun fans and despite all the recent success, the AD takes heat from some fans for not doing enough to get out of the Sun Belt conference. That may not be fair but it is reality. Someone said that the oil industry and the university are all the city has going for it. Those are advantages yes but there are other attractive features here. Since moving back to the area from New Orleans a few years ago I have recognized that the medical industry here is quite strong and that in most parts of town you can still send your kids to a public school. Although we have our share of crime, it is still relatively low for a city of it's size. Entertainment options are a plenty as downtown has been revitalized. The Downtown Alive evenings in the spring and fall which have free outdoor concerts attract people from New Orleans and Baton Rouge on a regular basis. The Cajun Dome has plenty of events including a variety of concerts throughout the year. Of course there are dozens of outstanding Cajun restaurants throughout the area. I realize this post is probably long for some but I hope it provides a peek into how we view the collegiate athletic situation in Louisiana.
Last edited by cajunsmike; 06-25-2014 at 10:08 PM.
It's still University of Louisiana-Lafayette and not University of Louisiana. It's never been recognized by the state as University of Louisiana. The only recognized University of Louisiana is Tulane University of Louisiana. And outnumbering Tulane fans 2 to 1 isn't a big accomplishment since Tulane averages less than 15,000 per game in football. ULL had a great season overall, but only Cajun fans recognize them as U of L or Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. No one else does or ever will.
Emeka Okafor - Joe Smith - Carmelo Anthony - Manu Ginobili - Jason Williams
Al Jefferson - James Posey - Aaron McKie - Shaun Livingston
No one in Louisiana outside of Cajun fans will recognize the Cajuns as UL simply because they pull for other schools. However the school has made some strides in getting called Louisiana outside of the state. An example was Fox Sports when we played at K State this past year. There is a Cajun fan who keeps a record of every time the school is referred to as Louisiana by an entity other than the school. The no. is in the hundreds. Of course he is counting things such as when opposing teams put "Louisiana" on a scoreboard and he has been making this count for 15 years. Forever is a long time and we recognize it may take over 100 years to make headway in this goal. You are dealing with Cajuns here, a group which underwent ethnic cleansing 250 years ago by the British and still survived. They have fortitude and patience. Anyway what we call ourselves is what is important, not so much what others do. That was not meant to be the point of my post. Point was that we have been winning in football for three years now and the stage is set to continue to do so regardless of who is coach. Just as importantly, I wanted to emphasize that we are winning in every sport now and having academic success along the way. For now, we are the top mid major in Louisiana and arguably one of the best in the nation. Challenge will be to continue to progress. Not every year will be like this one. How they rebound from disappointments will tell the story of the long term progress.
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