SportsPage.com ranks Ragin' Cajuns nickname 6th

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A college nickname or mascot defines the school and the students who attend it, as well as the alumni and fans of each particular institution. It serves as a rallying cry and source of pride to all those affiliated with the school. Some schools only have a nickname, others have a nickname and mascot which are different, while the majority have a nickname and mascot which are the same.

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RAGIN' CAJUNS - A tremendous nickname, which pays tribute to the origins of the Acadian French people, which populated southwestern Louisiana beginning in the mid to late 1700's. They were ostracized and basically forced to leave what are now known as two of the Maritime Provinces of Canada (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick), which the French ceded to the British by treaty, along with the rest of Canada except for the St. Lawrence River valley (now Quebec). Since the French still owned Louisiana in those days, they headed south after the British took over. Somehow the word "Acadian" became "Cajun" in the pronunciation of the Louisiana locals, and it stuck. They are a fun-loving people who love to eat spicy hot food and party. Lafayette has a large population of offshore oil rig roughnecks, and they don't get much time on shore, so they make the most of it by partying hearty while on land. The rest of the top-100 Larry Nauss SPM Assistant Editor