Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference. Between 2011 and 2014, the Cajuns won four consecutive New Orleans Bowls, representing the most successful stretch in the program's history, but later had to vacate two of the victories due to NCAA violations.[2]

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football
2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team
First season1901 (1901)
Athletic directorBryan Maggard
Head coachBilly Napier
3rd season, 27–11 (.711)
StadiumCajun Field
(Capacity: 41,426)
Year built1971
Field surfaceTurf (ProGrass)
LocationLafayette, Louisiana
NCAA divisionDivision I FBS
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionWest
All-time record534–562–34 (.488)
Bowl record6–3 (.667)
Conference titles9
Division titles3
RivalriesULM (Battle on the Bayou)
Arkansas State
Consensus All-Americans4
ColorsVermilion and White[1]
         
Fight songRagin' Cajuns Fight Song
MascotCayenne
Marching bandPride of Acadiana
OutfitterAdidas
WebsiteRaginCajuns.com

The university has had several notable players to go to the NFL, including Jake Delhomme, Elijah McGuire, Brian Mitchell, Charles Tillman, and Orlando Thomas.

The team plays in Cajun Field, and Billy Napier is the head coach.

History
See also: List of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football seasons

Before 1974, the team's official nickname was the Bulldogs, although the current nickname was in common use with the football team for approximately the decade prior.

Division history
Years Division
1937–1962National Junior College Athletic Association
1963–1972NCAA College Division (Small College)
1973NCAA Division II
1974–1977NCAA Division I
1978–presentNCAA Division I-A (FBS)

Conference affiliations

Louisiana has been both independent and a member of four different conferences.[3]:89

Championships

Conference championships

Louisiana has won 9 conference championships, with the 2013 championship later vacated.[4][3]:84–89

Year Conference Coach Conference record Overall record
1952†Gulf States ConferenceRaymond Didier3–0–25–2–2
1965†Russ Faulkinberry4–17–3
1968Russ Faulkinberry5–18–2
1970Russ Faulkinberry5–09–3
1993†Big West ConferenceNelson Stokley5–18–3
1994†Nelson Stokley5–16–5
2005†Sun Belt ConferenceRickey Bustle5–26–5
2013†,‡Mark Hudspeth5–29–4
2020†,^Billy Napier7–110–1

† Co-champions
‡ Louisiana vacated the 2013 Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations[4]
^ The 2020 championship game was not played due to Coastal Carolina impacted by COVID-19 pandemic[5]

Division championships

Louisiana has won three division championships with the most recent in the 2020 season.

Year Division Coach Conf. record Overall record Opponent CG result
2018Sun Belt WestBilly Napier5–37–7Appalachian StateL 19–30
2019Sun Belt WestBilly Napier7–111–3Appalachian StateL 38–45
2020Sun Belt WestBilly Napier7–110–1Coastal CarolinaNo Contest^

^ The 2020 championship game was not played due to Coastal Carolina impacted by COVID-19 pandemic[5]

Postseason history

National Junior College Athletic Association
Date Coach Bowl Opponent Result
January 1, 1944Louis WhitmanOil BowlArkansas–MonticelloW 24–7

NCAA Small College Division
Date Coach Bowl Opponent Result
December 12, 1970Russ FaulkinberryGrantland Rice BowlTennessee StateL 25–26

NCAA Division I FBS

Since joining the NCAA Division I-A (FBS) in 1978, the Ragin' Cajuns have played in six bowl games, although two of those games (which were victories) were vacated due to sanctions. Officially, they have a record of 4–2 in bowl games.

Date Coach Bowl Opponent Result
December 17, 2011Mark HudspethNew Orleans Bowl†San Diego StateW 32–30
December 22, 2012New Orleans BowlEast CarolinaW 43–34
December 21, 2013New Orleans Bowl†TulaneW 24–21
December 20, 2014New Orleans BowlNevadaW 16–3
December 17, 2016New Orleans BowlSouthern MissL 21–28
December 15, 2018Billy NapierCure BowlTulaneL 24–41
January 6, 2020LendingTree BowlMiami (OH)W 27–17
December 26, 2020First Responder BowlUTSAW 31–24

|} † Vacated [6][7]

Home stadiums

McNaspy Stadium
Main article: McNaspy Stadium

In 1940 McNaspy Stadium was built on the campus of Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). It served as the Cajuns home field through the 1970 season and was demolished in 2000. McNaspy Stadium was located at the site where the current computer science building Oliver Hall now stands.

Cajun Field
Main article: Cajun Field
Cajun Field on gameday.

Cajun Field is a football stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and has served as the home field of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team since 1970. Cajun Field has an official capacity of 41,426 with 2,577 chairback seats, and its nickname is "The Swamp."

Head coaches
Years coached Name Record
1901–1902Ashby Woodson3–2
1903J. Ovey Herpin1–1
1904Edwin F. Gayle2–0–1
1906Herbert McNaspy1–0–1
1907Jefferson Caffery3–0
1908–1911; 1913; 1917–1918Clement J. McNaspy34–15–4
1912H. Lee Prather3–4
1914–1915R. B. Dunbar10–5–1
1916; 1919; 1921–1930T. R. Mobley57–48–7
1920Herbert O. Tudor2–8
1931–1936Truman F. Wilbanks19–32–2
1937–1941; 1946Johnny Cain33–19–5
1942–1945Louis Whittman14–14–2
1947–1949Gee Mitchell18–8–1
1950A. L. Swanson5–4
1951–1956Raymond Didier29–23–2
1957John Robert Bell4–5–1
1958–1960Red Hoggatt11–17
1961–1973Russ Faulkinberry66–63–2
1974–1979Augie Tammariello30–35–2
1980–1985Sam Robertson29–34–2
1986–1998Nelson Stokley62–80–1
1999–2001Jerry Baldwin6–27
2002–2010Rickey Bustle41–65
2011–2017Mark Hudspeth29–38†
2018–presentBilly Napier28–11

† Hudspeth's record of 51–38 was reduced to 29–38 due to alleged NCAA violations.

Rivalries

ULM
Main article: Battle on the Bayou

The Battle on the Bayou is the annual rivalry game between Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and ULM. The wooden boot-shaped rivalry trophy was created in 2002 to be awarded to the victors.[8]

Louisiana–ULM: All-time record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA wins LA losses Ties Win %
54 September 15, 1951 (lost 7–13) November 28, 2020 (won 70–20) 29 25 0 53.7%

Lamar
Main article: Sabine Shoe

Although no longer a rivalry, the first Sabine Shoe trophy was first awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game.[9] The name of the bronze rivalry trophy was derived from the Sabine River that forms the Texas-Louisiana border. USL defeated Lamar in the 1978 edition of the rivalry game, but the Ragin' Cajuns were not awarded the trophy as it had vanished.[10] The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex.

Louisiana–Lamar: All-time record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA wins LA losses Ties Win %
34 October 27, 1923 (won 19–16) September 1, 2012 (won 40–0) 23 11 0 67.6%

McNeese State
Main article: Cajun Crown

Another former rivalry. When active the Cajun Crown was the name of the trophy between Louisiana and McNeese State.[11]

Louisiana–McNeese State: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA wins LA losses Ties Win %
38 September 22, 1951 (won 35–14) September 10, 2016 (won 30–22) 16 20 2 47.1%

Southeastern Louisiana
Main article: Cypress Mug

This is another former rivalry. The Cypress Mug was the turned, polished mahogany mug awarded to the winner of the Southwestern–Southeastern football game.[12]

Louisiana–Southeastern Louisiana: All-time record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA wins LA losses Ties Win %
40 November 11, 1930 (won 13–0) September 2, 2017 (won 51–48) 20 17 3 58.8%

Arkansas State

Primarily only in football, this rivalry has been predominant due to the conference alignments of the Cajuns and Red Wolves. This rivalry also dates back to 1953, but became heated in 1971 when they both became Southland Conference members and met every year from 1971 to 1981 (the years they were in the conference together). Then, in 1993, both teams played again in the Big West Conference as football-only members from 1993 to 1995 and played all years. In 2001, when the Sun Belt Conference added football to the conference, Louisiana-Lafayette (now Louisiana) and Arkansas State both joined the same conference for the third time and have played every year since. It was known for a short time that when Louisiana and Arkansas State met in Sun Belt play, which ever team had homefield advantage would most likely win and have a good chance at winning the conference. (This was before the advent of the Conference Football Championship). Louisiana leads the series at 24–20–1 through the 2018 season.[13]

Louisiana–Arkansas State: All-time record
Games played First meeting Last meeting LA wins LA losses Ties Win %
41 October 17, 1953 (loss 12–13) October 17, 2019 (won 37–20) 23 18 0 56.1%

Notable players

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of February 7, 2020.[14]

2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028
McNeese at Texas Eastern Michigan at UAB Tulane Rice UAB at Tulane Tulsa
Wyoming Nicholls at Rice at Minnesota at New Mexico State at Eastern Michigan at Wyoming
at New Mexico State Ohio at Florida State New Mexico State
at Missouri at Liberty
at Iowa State

See also

References
  1. "ULL Brand Guide and Graphic Standards Manual" (PDF). Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  2. "Exam fraud, recruit payments among NCAA accusations against UL-Lafayette, ex-assistant coach David Saunders". The Baton Rouge Advocate. October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  3. "2018 Media Guide" (PDF). ragincajuns.com. Louisiana Athletics.
  4. "Big NCAA penalties for UL-Lafayette: Cajuns vacate 20-plus wins, two bowls, 2013 Sun Belt title". The Advocate. March 6, 2016. The Cajuns will vacate 22 total wins, including New Orleans Bowl championships in 2011 and 2013, and a shared Sun Belt Conference championship in 2013.
  5. "Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana canceled: Sun Belt crowns co-champions, title game called off due to COVID-19". CBSSports.com. A highly anticipated rematch between No. 12 Coastal Carolina and No. 19 Louisiana in the Sun Belt Championship Game has been canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test in the Coastal Carolina program, the Sun Belt announced Thursday night. One of the Chanticleers' entire position groups would have been unavailable for the game "due to possible exposure," according to the league's announcement.
  6. "Louisiana-Lafayette to vacate 22 football wins, titles". al. March 3, 2016.
  7. "Forfeits and Vacated Games". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2013-12-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Tribal lore". The Sporting News. 1997.
  10. "The Week". CNN. October 9, 1978.
  11. "College Football Rivalries". www.1122productions.com.
  12. http://www.athleticnetwork.net/picpopup.php?piclibID=7334
  13. "Winsipedia - Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves football series history". Winsipedia.
  14. "Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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