New Orleans Bowl coming to Acadiana

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<table bgcolor=#696969> <td> <Font color=#ffffff> <p align=justify> Lafayette is the first choice for a relocated New Orleans Bowl, said executive director Billy Ferrante of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.

Ferrante said Thursday that the foundation intends to keep operating the game this year despite the unavailability of the Superdome and that he has begun exploring alternative sites.

“We have had some very preliminary talks with the folks at Louisiana-Lafayette and our first choice is to keep the game in Louisiana,” he said. “Hopefully we will have a decision wrapped up in a couple of weeks.”

The five-year old bowl game matches the champion of the New Orleans-based Sun Belt Conference with a team from Conference USA. ULL is a Sun Belt member. This year’s game is scheduled for Dec. 20.

Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said his office and C-USA had been prepared to take over operating the game this year if the Sports Foundation proved unable to, but applauded Ferrante’s decision.

“That’s what’s best for everyone,” Waters said. “It’s good to know that the Sports Foundation is up and running. We’re very interested in hearing their plan, but we’ll do whatever we can to make this work.”

Waters also said he favored Lafayette for the game.

“First off, it’s one of our conference members,” he said. “And beyond that, Lafayette is a city with plenty of amenities to entertain the teams and fans.”

Ferrante said any decision on the bowl’s future beyond this year would depend on the restoration of the Superdome, which is expected to take at least a year if it’s done at all.

“This is the Sports Foundation’s signature event,’ he said. “And we want to be part of the rebuilding of New Orleans. It may mean we have to relocate some of our other events around the state in the coming year, but we’re going to stick around.”

<center><p><a href="http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tpsports/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tpsports/archives/2005_09.html#080117">The rest of the story</a>

By Ted Lewis
Staff writer <!--

Waters has relocated the Sun Belt offices to Tuscaloosa, Ala., along with some of the other conference staff members. He intends to inspect the conference offices in the Pan-American Life Building next week, but is uncertain when the league might move back to New Orleans.


Ted Lewis can be contacted at onlyingc@aol.com or (504) 232-5071.

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This would be great for Lafayette!! I'll be there just to see a bowl game on our own turf, regardless if the Cajuns are in it or not!!

Who called it?????

If this can be worked out it will be a very nice chance for our city, hopefully it will fill the Swamp and look really nice on national TV (and look even nicer with the Cajuns playing in it ;) )

BTW, nice to be back online even if it is SLOW DIALUP ::x::

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Originally Posted by BabbForHeisman

Who called it?????

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<a href="https://forumeus.com/showthread.php?p=39554#post39554post39554">You did</a> :)

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Originally Posted by SwampHound

BTW, nice to be back online even if it is SLOW DIALUP ::x::

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Yahoo !!!

SwampHound is back !!! ..O..

Cajuns WILL WN !!!!

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<table bgcolor=#696969> <td> <Font color=#ffffff> <p align=justify> If they're fortunate enough to win the Sun Belt Conference football title, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns may get to be the host team in the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl -- literally.

UL interim Athletic Director David Walker confirmed Thursday night that officials from the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation have contacted the university about hosting the postseason game that matches the Sun Belt Conference winner against a team from Conference USA.

"They've contacted (UL President) Dr. (Ray) Authement about it," Walker said. "I haven't talked to them, but I know there's been preliminary contact."

Walker said a meeting is scheduled Tuesday at Authement's office with New Orleans Bowl Executive Director Billy Ferrante.

Cajun Field, with a capacity of 31,000 in permanent seating and thousands more in the end-zone hillsides of the natural bowl, has never hosted a postseason game. The largest crowd ever in the facility was 38,783 for UL's 29-22 win over Texas A&M during the 1996 season.

Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters said last week that his office and Conference USA planned to take over administration of the bowl game this year because of the ravages of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the unavailability of the storm-damaged Superdome.

But Waters said Thursday he was happy that the Sports Foundation is in solid enough shape to administer the Dec. 20 game.

"That's what's best for everyone," Waters said. "We were ready to do whatever was necessary to put on the game, and we're very interested in hearing their plans for a relocation. We'll do whatever we have to do to make this work."

"They're one of our conference members," Waters said of UL's possible host role. "Lafayette's a city with plenty of amenities to entertain teams and fans."

<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050916/SPORTS/509160356/1006">The rest of the story</a>

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com <!--


Ferrante was quoted on the New Orleans Times-Picayune Web site on Thursday saying he had begun exploring alternative sites.

"We have had some very preliminary talks with the folks at Louisiana-Lafayette, and our first choice is to keep the game in Louisiana," Ferrante told the Times-Picayune. "Hopefully we will have a decision wrapped up in a couple of weeks."

The Sports Foundation took over operation of the New Orleans Bowl two years ago, and Ferrante said the bowl's future is tied to restoration of the Superdome.


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Originally Posted by CAJUNJUDO

This would be great for Lafayette!! I'll be there just to see a bowl game on our own turf, regardless if the Cajuns are in it or not!!

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I will be there. Hopefully we will be watching the Cajuns.

The highest NO Bowl attendance was last year, 27,253. We can spank that no problem, even if the Cajuns are not playing. I would guess that attendance for games at the Superdome brought in a very small percentage of local attendance. A game like this is a bigger deal to the Lafayette area. Local interest should be high, and should show up big in terms of attendance and pregame festivities.

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Originally Posted by ATXCajun

The highest NO Bowl attendance was last year, 27,253. We can spank that no problem, even if the Cajuns are not playing. I would guess that attendance for games at the Superdome brought in a very small percentage of local attendance. A game like this is a bigger deal to the Lafayette area. Local interest should be high, and should show up big in terms of attendance and pregame festivities.

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I would hope you are right. Plus, unlike the Superdome, people could actually do some pretty fine tailgaiting at Cajun Field; something the NO Bowl hasn't had. Tie this in to a downtown friday night type experience for the night before and you can pass a real good time. ..O..

mais sha, dem out-of-towners might not know how to "pass" a good time. :) hehe. except maybe on the football field.

God Bless

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The Sports Foundation took over operation of the New Orleans Bowl two years ago, and Ferrante said the bowl's future is tied to restoration of the Superdome.

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That is a scary thought! I sure hope something can be done to keep the bowl going regardless of the fate of the Superdome.

:ms10: