Growing the Program

[CajunProud]

It has everything to do with Gerald Hebert. He became the UL Athletic Development Director about that time.

I agree. All I can say is thank the good Lord for Gerald.

[UL Ragin Cajun]

Of course if I had known then what I know now about how good a job Gerald Hebert has done and is doing I would have been much stronger in my response.

Here are some of the things that Gerald has been a part of, not to mention some of the things that he has planned for future.............

Athletic Initiatives & Progress

For Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns

Recent Improvements

Facility Improvements & Additions
· Construction of a $4.3 million indoor practice facility is underway. The facility will accommodate football, baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, and track. (Paid for by the University.) Project in Progress

· A new $1.4 million Track and Soccer Complex was completed in 2005. (Paid for by the University.) Completed

· New stadium bleachers were erected on the 1st and 3rd base sides of M.L. “Tigue” Moore baseball field at a total cost of $500,000. (Paid for by the University.) Completed

· Our Lady of Lourdes Park is currently being built on the 1st base side of “Tigue” Moore Field. ($200,000) Project in progress

· Brick wall borders were erected on the 1st and 3rd base sides (from the dugouts to the outfield) of Tigue Moore baseball field. (Supplies donated by Acme Brick and Angelle Concrete.) Completed

· New light fixtures (that provide much improved field lighting) were installed at “Tigue” Moore baseball field thanks to a $30,000 gift from Jim Prince, Joe Klutts, Pete Canty, and Stone Energy. Installation was provided courtesy of Lafayette Utility Systems. Completed

· New lights were installed at the Lady Cajuns’ Softball Park. (Paid for by the University.) ($95,000) Completed

· A new $50,000 marquee was installed at the athletic complex entrance at the corner of Bertrand & Reinhardt Drive. (Donated by AAA Signs – Ken Stelly.) Completed

· The old scoreboard in the South end zone of Cajun Field was renovated and converted into an information center. Corporate sponsorships for the information center generate $40,000 annually. (Southern Structures and AAA Signs donated the material & labor to renovate the scoreboard.) $60,000 is needed for a new computer panel/grid. Project in progress

· A Letterman’s Walk ($65,000 value) will be created in the football tunnel at Cajun Field with new graphics, lighting, and sound system. (Donation to be made.) Project in progress

· Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun Logo discs were donated by Begnaud Manufacturing and placed at all entrances to UL athletic facilities. Ten logo discs were donated at a value of $2,500 each. Completed

· Football suites at Cajun Field were renovated. New theatre style seats were installed in skyboxes A and B. New window shades were installed in all skyboxes. Paid for by the University with donations from The Floor Store, Carpets & Drapes, and ASCO. ($40,000) Completed

· Nine murals in Cajun Field were donated by local artists. Ongoing Project

· Phase I of the Athletic Facilities Renovation program was completed in the summer of 2004 thanks to an effort led by Gary Rudick of Rudick Construction. The football locker room was completely renovated and now includes new carpeting, lockers, and a team meeting area. The training room was doubled in size and now includes a modernized taping room, rehab room, hydrotherapy room, equipment room, and laundry room. The $425.000 project was made possible entirely through private donations and gifts in kind by the following persons & companies: Actual value of renovation $900,000

° Lee Venable
° Gary Rudick (Rudick Construction)
° Mike & Janice Arabie
° Adrian Vega (Acadiana Dodge)
° Phil Carpenter (New park Environmental)
° Coburn Supplies
° Don Hargroder
° Acadiana Bottling
° Janine Piskurich
° Philip Burguieres
° Don Michel
° Richard & Sandi Chalmers

· Phase II of the Athletic Facilities Renovation program will double the size of the weight room. Phase III will provide a new Hall of Fame room, and other improvements. ($250, 000 needed) Project in progress

· Entrance gates at Cajun Field (where fans enter the stadium) have been renovated. The entrance gates (there are 4) are now available for corporate sponsorships & naming opportunities. State Farm is the first corporate sponsor of a Cajun Field gate. What has been known as “Gate A” (the gate near the large oak tree) is now “The State Farm Gate.” Ongoing Project

· Gateways at five main entrances to the Athletic Complex (Located at Bertrand, West Congress and Cajun Dome Boulevard) were constructed. Some gates are still available for corporate sponsorships and naming opportunities. (5 gates $125,000 annually) Completed

· New signage and graphics have and continue to be installed in Cajun Field and in the athletic administration building. (Donated by Pixus Digital Printing and Fun Jumps Printing.) Project ongoing

· Two new full-color concrete graphics (The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Logo) was painted on the ramp leading up to The State Farm Gate (formerly Gate A.) Thanks to a donation from Joe Welch/Concrete Design. (Value $10,000) Project ongoing

· A new walkway was built in the South end zone of Cajun Field. The walkway allows fans to walk from one side of the stadium to the other. (Paid for by the University.) ($25,000) Completed

· The lobby of the athletic administration building was renovated with new flooring, recognition plaques for athletic donors, furniture, and graphics. A naming opportunity for the lobby was purchased by Acadiana Bottling. ($50,000) Completed

· Shelled (limestone) parking areas have been added to Cajun Field to better accommodate fans – these parking areas were previously unusable when there was rain prior to a football game. (Paid for by University.) ($200,000) Completed

· TV monitors were installed in skyboxes and the concourse areas of Cajun Field – fans can now keep track of the game while getting concessions. Monitors provided by a donation from Cox Communications. ($10,000) Completed

· Wood flooring and carpeting were donated by Carpet & Drapes for all football coaches’ offices. Completed

· Stoma’s Furniture donated new furniture for coaches’ offices ($12,000) Completed

· Acme Brick is donating ceramic tile for six rooms in Earl K. Long gym and the athletic administration building. Project in progress

· An outdoor patio (where fans can watch the game) was installed in the South end zone of Cajun Field. The initial patio is a promotional item with possible plans to install additional patios for sale/rental to fans. Completed

· Two large conference tables (each 14 feet long with Ragin’ Cajun logos) were donated to the UL baseball and football programs by Knight Oil Tools. Completed

· Furniture was donated for the lobby of the athletic administration building by Home Furniture. ($5,000) Completed

· Ideal Steel will build 2 new pavilions at the Baseball Stadium on the 1st and 3rd base sides. ($10,000 – 1st base side completed) Project in progress

· City of Lafayette and H & S Construction resurfaced the roads and the parking lots at the Athletic Complex. ($175,000 paid for by the University) Completed

· UL purchased the artificial turf that will be placed in the new indoor practice facility from the New Orleans Superdome. (Cost of new field turf was bid a $440,000. Turf from the Superdome was purchased and picked up May 25, 2005 for $30,000 – the turf was only 1 year old.) Completed

· ASCO/Greg Dugan will finalize Sun Screen project for President’s, Press, and Media Boxes in the football stadium. ($15,000) Suites A & B Completed

· New carpet and/or flooring for track and soccer office. Completed

· New roof on track/soccer press box ($7500) Totally donated. Completed

· Track entrance – wrought iron will be donated to replace chain link fence.
Project in progress

· New Dugouts, 2 new brick walls that line the 1st and 3rd base lines, drainage, a new $30,000 set of bleachers and new foundations for additional chair back seats were installed at Lamson Lady Cajun Park. Compliments of Keith Kischbach Construction, Mike Elias - Acme Brick, Karl Vincent - Pop a Lock, & Chris Guidry & Eddie Begnaud - Guidry / Begnaud Development. ($85,000 project) Completed.

· Athletic mural added in front entrance of athletic administration building ($1,400) Completed

· New Signage & Graphics at track facility ($1,800) Completed

· Pavillion being built on 3rd base side of Tigue Moore Field. Donated by Ideal Steel ($10,000). Project in Progress

· Color Digitial Media Center and brick wall will be built at corner of Bertrand and Congress ($205,000). Donated by Lamar Advertising & Guidry Begnaud Developers. Project in Progress

· New carpeting in Athletic Administration Building donated by Georgia Carpet Outlets. New glass doors installed. Karl Comeaux and Brooks Bernard donated doors and installation of carpet. ($19,000) Completed




· Athletic Academic Center. Donors and volunteers have succeeded in beginning the restoration and rebuilding of the Academic Center. 25 new computers, 20 new tables, 75 new chairs, 8 new cameras and monitors, plus clean up and painting of all 4 rooms was accomplished in phase one of this project. Value of materials and labor $45,000. Phase 2 will include restoration of conference center porch and lobby. (Approximate cost $50,000) In progress

· 4 more new entrance gates will be built at the Athletic Complex. Location: 3 on the Cajundome side of the football stadium and 1 at the entrance to the new indoor practice facility. 2 of 4 are already sold to corporate sponsors. Will raise additional $65,000 annually. In progress

· Restoration of a number of gates and fences around the Athletic Complex. $25,000 In progress

Equipment Additions & Improvements
· Coordinating 2nd Phase of enlarging UL weight room. Many aspects of this phase are in place:

° Three construction companies will make significant contributions
° Architect indicates he will donate services – Perry Segura
° Concrete will be donated – Angelle Concrete
° Large transformer will be moved by LUS
° Binks Michotta will totally donate forming up the foundation for the project.
° All weights, work out equipment will be donated by Body Masters.
° Strong possibility of $60,000 being pledged by one entity.
$200,000 Raised/ $260,000 Needed

· Eight new Schwinn Air Byne bicycles were donated to the athletics weight room at a value of $5,000. (Donated by Ross Brupbacher.) Completed

· A turf lift was donated by Ed and Ricky Domingue. This lift will help facilitate better care of our athletic fields. ($5,000) Completed

Special Event Fundraising Projects
· The Saints Black and Gold Scrimmage was held August 2, 2003 and raised $70,000 for UL Athletics. Completed

· New Orleans Hornets/Los Angeles Clippers Exhibition game – October 16, 2004. (Raised $30,000 for UL Athletics.) Completed

· The UL “Hot and Spicy” Golf Classic (sponsored by TABASCOâ) was held in April of 2004 at Squirrel Run in New Iberia and over $27,000 was raised to benefit recruiting for all UL athletic teams. $31,000 was raised in April of 2005. In 2006, $35,000 was raised. Thanks to the title sponsorship by TABASCOâ this will be an annual event. Annual Event


· Several other golf tournaments are being formed to benefit athletics – two in Lafayette, one in Patterson, Houston, New Orleans, Dallas, and Atlanta. These are projected to raise $250,000 annually to benefit athletics. Ongoing project

· Steven’s RV will donate a $50,000 fifth-wheel travel trailer. The travel trailer will be raffled with proceeds benefiting athletic recruiting and/or athletic facility improvements. Project in progress

· The Village of River Ranch & Robert Daigle will host an annual event to raise money for UL athletics. Project in progress

Fundraising Projects & Initiatives
· Gerald Hebert was hired with the sole responsibility of Athletic Development. Completed

· The UL Foundation established the Ragin’ Cajun Athletic Endowment Advisory Committee to oversee all monies donated for UL athletics. Completed

· A football fundraising effort to increase the athletic recruiting budget generated $37,000 in 2003. A similar effort in 2004 has generated $51,000 to date. This increased funding has been tremendously helpful to UL’s recruiting efforts. ($70,000 in 2005) On going project

· Operation Kickoff was begun as the 1st phase in establishing a $20 million endowment to fund 200 athletic scholarships. Project in progress

· A link to athletic development was created as part of the University’s website for philanthropy. The link can be accessed at www.louisianagifts.org. Completed

· A minimal parking surcharge for all athletic events was enacted beginning in 2004. It is projected that this small fee will raise $200,000-$250,000 annually with all proceeds benefiting UL athletics. Completed

· A donor Wall of Honor was being installed in the lobby of the athletic administration building to honor and recognize our athletic major gift donors. Completed

Marketing & Promotional Initiatives
· Eric Maron was hired with his sole responsibility being Athletic Marketing. Completed

· “Support Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns – It’s Great for Acadiana” campaign has been initiated. Sponsored by The Daily Advertiser, LEDA (Lafayette Economic Development Authority,) LUS (Lafayette Utility Systems,) and the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau. On going project

· A new pickup truck was donated as a give-away for the 2002, 2003, and 2005 football seasons. (Donated by Courtesy Motors.) Completed

· The Athletic Network website (www.athleticnetwork.net) was created by Dr. Ed Dugas, and his son John. The website is reconnecting former athletes, coaches, managers, cheerleaders, etc. to the University and with each other.
Project on going

· A media banner for Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns is being sponsored by MidSouth Bank. The banner is used as a backdrop during media interviews of UL coaches. ($12,000 annually) Completed

· Corporate leaders (from various businesses) are organizing and hosting Progress in UL Athletics presentation meetings. At these meetings UL fans and supporters are seeing a power point presentation on the progress being made in UL Athletics. To schedule this presentation for your civic club meeting, call the UL Office of Development a (337) 482-0922. On going project

· Researching/planning the building, marketing, financing, and selling of luxury suites for football stadium. Project in progress

· Albertsons/Rich Cline agreed to sell football game tickets at all Albertson’s stores. Will include support Ragin’ Cajun campaign in all flyers on a weekly basis, will display signage in all stores. On going project

· New scoring table and major graphics project will be in place before August 25th. Cost $6,000. Earl W. Long Gym. $3,000 needed to finish project. In progress

· 100’ long X 25’ high brick wall and color matrix center at corner of Bertrand and Congress. $230,000 project. In progress

· The forming of a women’s support group for athletics. This will take place immediately. In progress

· The Difference Makers, a new support group for athletics will be 30 to 50 men dedicated to moving many improvement projects forward at a more rapid pace. They will aid with fundraising and networking capability. In progress

Student Involvement and Support of Athletics
· The student body approved (during the 2003 fall semester) a referendum for a $20 fee per student, per semester, to benefit athletics. Assessment began in 2004. ($500,000 annually) Ongoing

· The student Union Program Council (UPC) and the Student Government Association (SGA) are working on projects to promote and inform students about the importance of student attendance at home football games. On going project

· Twelve computers were donated by UPC and SGA to the Athletic Academic Center. ($10,800) Completed


With YOUR help we will continue adding to these accomplishments!

Please help us network with potential athletic donors; help us by volunteering; and help us by making financial and/or in-kind gifts.

To help in any of these ways, please contact:

Gerald Hebert
Athletic Development Coordinator
University of Louisiana Office of Development
P.O. Drawer 43410
Lafayette, LA 70504
Phone: (337) 482-0922
E-mail: sports@louisiana.edu
Website: www.LouisianaGifts.org
(Click on “Athletics” under the column titled “Where your Gift is Needed”)



Info from:
http://www.uoflgifts.com/uploads/ATH...tedMay2006.doc

[rhineaux]

Geez, when is Hebert gonna get off his ___ and do something?

Seriously, I really just spent a long time reading all of that. Looks like a lot of cool stuff. I can't wait until we can start moving more of the 'in progress' stuff to the 'completed' section.

Another money maker, with essentially no overhead, is the tailgating spots, which have been a hot topic the last few weeks. I was lucky to get one this year. but, i want a second one, I'm a big guy and i like to stretch out a bit. Has anyone heard, from any reputible sources, whether or not they would expand the tailgating area to offer more spots and/or increase the cost. Demand is definitely high above supply right now and I learned in Economics at UL that when that occurs, jack up the cost until they even out.

[USLJim]

you guys' athletic dept is getting reemed. What I don't understand, If yall have the second highest enrollement in the state. Why the :confused: don't they raise the athletic budgett. That would help. Maybe yall wouldn't have to be the subject of 3-4 rent a wins every year to begin the season. Just be glad your not like FAU. Look at their schedule. That is retarded.

Bare with me on this. I am not going to ridicule your University but this is a Louisiana Government Controlled thing.

THE STATE OF LOUISIANA AND ITS GOVERNMENT CONTROLS, HAVE LIMITED, AND THAT INCLUDES LSU, ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY EACH UNIVERSITY CAN ASSESS ATHLETIC FEES FOR ITS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT FROM ITS STUDENT BODY . LOUISIANA IS ONE OF ONLY A FEW STATES THAT DOES THIS. Example: Florida Atlantic can assess whatever amount it deems fit to its student body. In fact, they assess them alot.

So, based on our enrollment, we can only assess a certain percentage from the semester tuition, limiting us to a set figure, which comes to a little more than $3,000,000.00. All the rest we get is based on what everybody else has, ticket sales, donations, conference distributions from TV and Radio, concessions, and so on.

The success of LSU and other BCS schools is its ticket sales, contributions and Conference distributions from tv and radio and so on.

I do not and will not ever KNOCK LSU'S ability to raise money and how they do it. They are successful at doing it and you can't knock success. What bothers me though is when we do it, its a major issue with us trying to become successful. Enough of that.

I know that if the Colleges and Universities ever get the legislature to allow the Universities and colleges to assess like they want to , then I bet most of them will reevaluate their tuition distributions to include more moneies toward athletics. Let's face it, that is what brings me back to campus 99% of the time.

Until, then how LSU , Alabama , Texas and others get their money is up to them. LSU is treated the same as UL, ULM, tech , mcneese and NSU when it comes to taking monies from student tuition fees. It is based on enrollement.

It is mostly our own fault for not having monies to support athletics just as it is other colleges and Universities in this state. Until we get our ticket sales and contributions up, we will remain "low funded" . Simple Truth.

GEAUX CAJUNS.

[shof]

Wow! Talk about a hijacked thread! But, good info and debate nonetheless.

A good example WRT funding is WKU. They don't even have D-1A football (clearly the most expensive sport to sponsor) and their athletic budget is probably 30-40% higher than ours! So, we need to compare apples to apples if you want to know the health of the program, and that means comparing (if thats what you want to accomplish) our program to other state D-1A football programs (minus LSU). LSU and other top BCS programs are just another animal. I don't like it; but that's the fact!

As many have noted, we (our administration) are often our worst enemy. Too much neglect in athletics during a period in which the BCS schools really exploded. We certainly hope its not too late to get things moving positively; and I think the recent past (and present) show that the university is making positive strides; but its an uphill battle. We as alumni and supporters of our school need to step forward. And, this can be as simple as buying tickets and going to games; especially for those in the Acadiana area. Get off you backsides and go pass a good time at the basin. For those who have the resources, sponsor something! I could go on; but I suspect you get the idea.
Finally, we need to keep improving on the field. Give the casual fan something to get interested in. Many of us on this board were around when it was common to see 20-25K at Cajun Field. With the growth of the Lafayette area these should be minimum numbers!

To echo rhineaux's comment about parking - I agree. $150 is CHEAP for a tailgating spot. There's a waiting list to get one for god sake, so the time is right to raise the cost a little (maybe $200-250). Ditto for a parking pass. $50 is very reasonable and I'd gladly renew mine next time around for $75-100. Every little bit helps!

Go Cajuns!

[JamesTheJeweler]

wow! i just read all of that too! a lot has been done and being done but it seems like a lot of people here have suggested some other great ideas too. would it be possible to have some sort of meeting of adm. and fans/alum./businesses? too kick around ideas and such and how to get them accomplished? we definitely need something like LSU has in TAF. SO SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THIS HASN'T HAPPENED! we need to seize the moment NOW while we have some momentum going for us. this is the time to do it. how do we make that happen? who should be called to get the ball rolling? any answers?

[UL Ragin Cajun]

who should be called to get the ball rolling?

Gerald Hebert

[rhineaux]

wow! i just read all of that too! a lot has been done and being done but it seems like a lot of people here have suggested some other great ideas too. would it be possible to have some sort of meeting of adm. and fans/alum./businesses? too kick around ideas and such and how to get them accomplished? we definitely need something like LSU has in TAF. SO SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THIS HASN'T HAPPENED! we need to seize the moment NOW while we have some momentum going for us. this is the time to do it. how do we make that happen? who should be called to get the ball rolling? any answers?

Whether or not it would happen, I think it would be a great idea to get people together and have some sort of forum about what should be done. Especially with the businesses who are going to be able to give more. If they are more involved and are able to give an opinion, they might be willing to do more. Plus, two heads are better than one, and 100 is better than 5, and so on.

[CajunNation]

wow! i just read all of that too! a lot has been done and being done but it seems like a lot of people here have suggested some other great ideas too. would it be possible to have some sort of meeting of adm. and fans/alum./businesses? too kick around ideas and such and how to get them accomplished? we definitely need something like LSU has in TAF. SO SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THIS HASN'T HAPPENED! we need to seize the moment NOW while we have some momentum going for us. this is the time to do it. how do we make that happen? who should be called to get the ball rolling? any answers?

In order for a Cajun Athletic Foundation to have a snowball's chance in hell of coming close to the TAF it would require that Martin Hall relinquish some power.

THAT is NEVER gonna happen until our so-called leadership changes.

[ATXCajun]

Wow. I've read that list of stuff before, but a lot has been added. A lot of little stuff that will make a big difference.

I get two things out of that: 1) UL has a lot of good corporate neighbors. they were just waiting to be asked to the dance. 2) Lafayette seems to be making progress in becoming a more visible college town, with more visible support and enthusiasm.

Expanding on that last point:

As soon as you exit the highway in Auburn, AL, one of the first things you see is paw prints painted on the street paving the way to campus. You know where you are and what drives that town. Here in Austin, UT athletics are obviously a big part of the community fiber. A lot of people that live here are transplants from other places, but they seem to support the Horns (even before the National Championship) in an effort to become a part of the community.

UL is what makes Lafayette great. People will realize that UL is the community and become more involved because of the programs that Gerald oversees. The programs accomplish the dual objective of raising funds and improving visibility. Each time I visit Lafayette, I see more and more outward and visible signs of UL.