When the University of Louisiana joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1991, it was in golf that the Ragin' Cajuns made some of their earliest league impacts.

UL won the final three American South Conference titles before that league combined with the original Sun Belt, and the Cajuns followed that merger with a second place finish in 1992 and won the Sun Belt in 1993 by a whopping 25-stroke margin.

Maybe it wasn't by chance that Bob Bass took over as head coach of the UL program in that same 1991 spring season, and has since claimed two league titles, five runner-up finishes, two league individual titles and five trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Because of those numbers, Bass has been named the All-Time Men's Coach in league history, an honor that is part of the Sun Belt's 30-year anniversary. The league announced its 30-year team in both men's and women's golf Thursday.

"To say the least, it's an awfully big surprise and a great honor," Bass said Thursday. "You never expect anything like this, and it's humbling because it's a bunch of great kids that made this possible. It's been my honor and privilege to coach these kids."

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com