Red Dot Club

[Turbine]

Do you recall?

[CajunCharlie]

Do I ever recall? I had just retired from the AF and returned to SWLa. A friend, associated with the Athletic Dept gave me his tickets to a USL-Lamar game. He followed that up with tickets to the USL-McNeese game. I distinctly remember the Red Dots and their antics, such as reading the newspaper when the opposing teams was introduced, and holding up score cards for dunks. The opposing team never scored better than a 6, and Cajuns never less than an 8!! The next season and bought season tickets, and have been a season ticket holder ever since

[Rebel02]

I am a young one, but I hear stories of what the Red Dots used to do at games. Here is my idea. WE NEED THESE TYPE OF FANS BACK IN THE DOME!!! I'm all for being one of them. I think it is hilarious what some of these fans do at games. They are great to get to the crowd really into the game (and having a team currently on a 19 game home winning streak).

[Crowley Cajun]

Didn't they try to bring the Red Dots back within the last couple of seasons? For some reason, I think it was when Jesse started his first season with the Cajuns. Someone else might remember this.

[CajunCharlie]

Yes, they were hilarious, and added to the excitement. I too would like to see a comeback of the Red Dots. It was tried some years back, and did not catch on. The reason it failed, I feel, is because you need a block of seats reserved for these fans, as in Blackham. As a group your inhibitions are less, for one thing, and as a group you have selected cheers, antics, etc. It would lend itself to being student oriented, as it was, I believe, in Blackham. Perhaps someone associated with the UPC, or whomever, can get the ball rolling for next season!

[California Cajun]

I know an ex-Red Dot, and he said it ended after the move to the Cajundome because they no longer could sit together. There may have also been an attempt to control their behavior in some way, but I really don't remember that. One of the problems we have had in building tradition is that we foolishly kill some of them off before they become a unique part of a UL sporting event. In some instances it's not that we don't have it, it's that we don't hang on to it.

He wasn't interested in the comeback attempt because of the commercialization of it. When you bought the T-shirts it included a bunch of sponsors. He liked the way the original concept just naturally evolved and thought the comeback was contrived.

[CajunCharlie]

I agree with what has been said. The only way the Red Dots, or a facsimilie, could be brought back is if a section of seats were reserved for members, not have the campus police interfere, as long as things are above board, and not to commercialize, as you friend said. It is too bad that we can't establish and keep traditions. I certainly do not have the answer. I guess it starts with the students. Or does it?:confused:

[reddot]

The reason the Red Dots disappeared from Cajun games was that members(loosely used term) were moving along in their lives.Some moved, others stayed in Lafayette. But all have continued to support the Cajuns. Where do you think groups such as the Centerfield club in softball have their roots? You can still find the red dots from courtside seats to cheap seats to luxery suites.They are there supporting all sports at the university.If it's a Cajun team it deserves support. As far starting a new red dot group I think has to be something done spontaneously. Probably from a group of students,friends who really enjoy pulling for the Cajuns.I think the spark is there somebody just needs to run with it.

PS
Not a Tiger's fan, not a Tech fan and not a Cowboy's fan just a Cajun's fan and will never apologize for that.

[RedBug58]

I find this conversation interesting in that my neighbor has been talking about the "Red Dots" for years. It seems as though a growing group of students with little money loved to cut up at the basketball games. Since these guys were having great fun, the group grew larger and larger. A couple of the original guys thought it might be cool to make some t-shirts for the group but found out that it was just too expensive to make 'em. The guy with the T-shirt shop said that he could sell them the screwed up shirts for $1 each and he could blank out the screw up with a big red circle. The price was right and it looked kinda cool to the former "Northside" students so they picked up a bunch of these shirts an became known as the "red dots".
It can't be recreated.....To rekindle that same spirit, something new and different must emerge.

[California Cajun]

I'm sure that some people moved on. In the Blackham days, did people with tickets in the same section decide to start this thing, or did they have tickets at various places in the building and sit together anyway? I think the initial cause of break up for the group is that when UL moved to the Cajundome the Red Dots were no longer allowed to sit together. After that the members moved on with their lives.

[Turbine]

Originally posted by reddot
You can still find the red dots from courtside seats to cheap seats to luxery suites.They are there supporting all sports at the university.

As a member of the red dots, can you elaborate on their historical timeline?
Thanks

[reddot]

It began in the early 80s.You mix $1 t-shirt rejects+ good friends + a road trip to UNO + adult beverages + a game being broadcasted back to Lafayette + a game winning shot by Alonzo Allen and you hane the makings of something fun.

Years later when the red dots showed up as a promotion sponsored by a car dealership and radio station it was kind of neat to sit back and watch it happen. Just a couple of knuckle heads having fun would have something that others would try to mimic.

PS: The t-shirts were in a clearance box at Good Hope Printing on Moss Street.They had printed red dots over misprinted t-shirt for a festival.