Interesting helmet....

[CajunNation]

I find it funny that everyone here is complaining about the helmet and forgets about the rest of the football uniform that has "LOUISIANA" on the front of the jersey (although I think the lettering could be a bit BIGGER!) and the interlocking "UL" on the pants. Where else could you put RAGIN' CAJUNS except on the helmet??

Rhineaux is correct in saying that I am merely promoting the idea that UL or Louisiana should be the focus, and that Ragin Cajuns given secondary status.

In regards to the football uniforms, the Louisiana on the jerseys and the UL on the pants are completely unnoticeable from the stands and TV. Helmet logos are vastly more noticeable. I suggest we simply switch them.

UL on the helmet, Ragin Cajuns on the jersey.

This would obviously require that we forego our mantra of "Ragin Cajuns is the brand" idea. I believe that the time has come to do this.

We will never get the outside media and the rest of the country to refer to us as UL until we decide that it is important enough for us to do so as well.

[Hammer58]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

[RCAJUN90]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

This is one of our biggest problems. We worry how we look instead of our record. McNeese looks like s*it with blue and gold but they beat us. We could change our colors to purple and pink as long as we win people will come. Right now you are supporting more of the same. What is a "replicajersies"? Sign Bustle to another 8 years of misery and we will not have to worry about the helmet because there will be none.

[CajunNation]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

You bring up an interesting topic.

By far, the most prevalent Cajun football jerseys worn by fans at the games are the throwback Delhomme jerseys.

They are freakin' beautiful.



Also, you speak of revenues.

If revenues were really important to UL, we would listen to the fans and junk the garbage we are selling now, go back to our traditional colors and styles, and focus on selling stuff with UL or Louisiana on it.

You see. This is what I'm talking about. It's not about revenues. It's not about our university name.

It's about an administration promoting the ideas of a couple of terribly misguided people.

[Just1More]

_ You don't know how wrong you are.

People do not link Ragin Cajuns with UL or Louisiana. This is especially true on a national scale.

It is a foolish thing to do by marketing a nickname so much more than the actual name of your university.

Show me an athletic schedule put out by any D1 university that lists their opponnents by their nickname. You won't.

People first learn your name, THEN your nickname. That is reality.

The next time you get frustrated because someone on TV or elsewhere in the media does not know what to call us or continually refers to us as Lafayette, LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

Because, we have no one to blame more than ourselves. _

Sitting here in my condo in Destin... Way back when (1984) I marched on the Capitol in BR to enforce the name change. Few are a bigger supporter/advocate for doing what it takes to get UL and Louisiana as the common name for our school. Our school has created the mass confusion in our name... not me... so "they" need to look in the mirror... not me. The helmet issue with Ragin Cajuns is not to take away from my enforcement of UL and Louisiana. It is the means by which I believe we can eventually get those names infused into our identity. With all of the name variations we are not going to somehow come out being known as "Louisiana" or "UL" simply by having it on our sports uniforms. I believe it will be by virtue of the very well known nickname and the connection that everyone will make... eventually.

You say that everyone knows a school's name first... then references their nickname. Unfortunately, we have not been allowed to take the path everyone else has. We have a well known nickname, and a huge debacle in a school name. Our university staff has created this confusion in the merchandizing and licensing path chosen. It is not me and others. I am not creating or continuing confusion with "Ragin Cajuns". I believe we will eventually get UL and Louisiana (not totally, but largely) into the broader minds and mouths by having it on the uniform ALONG with Ragin Cajuns. HOWEVER, I am not hell bent on which goes where on the uniforms. I just do not think Ragin Cajuns on the helment is a bad idea. Once we win a few bowl games, and know that we have more to come because we've built a huge funding engine that will ensure it... then we can switch to UL or Louisiana and finalize our mission.

A lot of people need to get on-board that "winning is a result of a lot of things being done right". (RC90) No one cares about "how we look" more than "winning" just because they discuss it.

[Hammer58]

_ This is one of our biggest problems. We worry how we look instead of our record. McNeese looks like s*it with blue and gold but they beat us. We could change our colors to purple and pink as long as we win people will come. Right now you are supporting more of the same. What is a "replicajersies"? Sign Bustle to another 8 years of misery and we will not have to worry about the helmet because there will be none. _

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?

[ShowDog]

_ My only problem with our current helmet is Ragin Cajuns is not tied into the University of Louisiana. Our softball team had Ragin Cajuns on everything except the batting helmet which had Louisiana. But, we were still referred to as Louisiana Lafayette. On ESPN a couple of months ago was a game between Southern and USC. The announcers talked about several of the Southern players being Ragin Cajuns with no idea that name is associated with our university. When LSU games are televised, which is pretty often, I hear announcers referring to Ragin Cajun players at LSU. Here in Houston, I was wearing a Ragin Cajun shirt and someone asked me if I was associated with the Ragin Cajun restaurant in Houston, not the university. We have the #1 moniker in the country, but it has no tie in to the University of Louisiana. I would rather see "UL" on the helmet and Ragin Cajuns on the jersey. We must better connect the two and, IMO, that is a great way to do that. Just my preference. _

I've watched many an LSU game and have never once heard their players called "Ragin Cajuns", they may have been referred to as having Cajun heritage but I've never heard the former.

I DID hear an announcer call us UL when LSU was playing Ole Miss for the SEC baseball championship. He stated that during LSU's winning streak, many of the teams were not pushovers including the UL Ragin Cajuns.

[ShowDog]

I'd sure like to see people get one thing absolutely "correct"... we are best known as the Ragin Cajuns... and that is the best and first identity, especially in athletics, to push. The UL and Louisiana should be a subtle addition... eventually, people put the two together.

I was in St. Kitts last summer wearing a UL t-shirt and a native said, "YOU RAGIN CAJUN?? I said sure am. You're right, we need to be pushing the heck out of it. We should have copyrighted it but were too stupid. If I remember right, a few years ago, ESPN said it was the best nick name in college sports.

[ShowDog]

5) Finally, what would be the "mark" (pun intended) of a great university? Ohio State, who manage their logos like corporate Nazis, and allow very little diversity?

Not so sure I agree with you about the coolest names. Ohioans do not love the nick name Buckeyes, in fact the die hards just say "Bucks". Most make jokes about the Buckeye nickname as it is the flower of a tree that produces a worthless nut.

[RCAJUN90]

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?

Tony McRoni it was not directed at you. It was a general statement. Perhaps you should stop donating?

[leeman]

_ OUR CURRENT HELMETS ARE TERRIBLE!!!!!!! _

I agree... I like the ul lafayette helmet

[CajunFun]

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?

With all due respect, Hammer, I disagree. Winning is not the main thing, and you and I prove it every time we show up at a game, at tailgating, or even on these boards, and support the Cajuns even though they're losing.

In fact, that was your point above, that you support UL even when they aren't winning.

A more important thing is community... which is an extension of family, which is the most important thing. When our family is out there competing, we support them win or lose.

UL is my family. Which means you guys are also family.

Which, I'm afraid, means no more french-kissing between you & Zeebart.

8-D

Seriously, I thought about that a lot this year in baseball, when I was sitting up there and we were getting pounded. I'd look around at the hilarious jackasses who sit around me (and I suppose I'm one of 'em), and think how lucky I am, to live in this community.

I wouldn't trade this community for every national championship for the next 100 years. And I bet a lot of people here would agree with me... which is exactly why we stick around while the doggies and tiagras and pokebacks make fun of us.

Some things are more important than winning. Community is one of them.

[RCAJUN90]

_ With all due respect, Hammer, I disagree. Winning is not the main thing, and you and I prove it every time we show up at a game, at tailgating, or even on these boards, and support the Cajuns even though they're losing.

In fact, that was your point above, that you support UL even when they aren't winning.

A more important thing is community... which is an extension of family, which is the most important thing. When our family is out there competing, we support them win or lose.

UL is my family. Which means you guys are also family.

Which, I'm afraid, means no more french-kissing between you & Zeebart.

8-D

Seriously, I thought about that a lot this year in baseball, when I was sitting up there and we were getting pounded. I'd look around at the hilarious jackasses who sit around me (and I suppose I'm one of 'em), and think how lucky I am, to live in this community.

I wouldn't trade this community for every national championship for the next 100 years. And I bet a lot of people here would agree with me... which is exactly why we stick around while the doggies and tiagras and pokebacks make fun of us.

Some things are more important than winning. Community is one of them. _

The Kool aide sippers don't realize the most important thing. There is a point where you just give up. I don't live in Lafayette Parish. I would think many of our alumni do not if so then we don't deserve the name "Louisiana". Lafayette is a wonderful city but if that makes or breaks our college then we are a community college. BTW Nothing is more important than winning. You must win to make a community. A lot of regulars on here don't realize that you have grads from all 50 states. It is easy to forget a loser and just support the pro team in your area. Winning is everthing and it isn't a dollar value where you can place on it. Money helps but it isn't everything.

[Hammer58]

_ Tony McRoni it was not directed at you. It was a general statement. Perhaps you should stop donating? _

Yea, right. You quote my post and comment on it but its not directed at me.

As for your point suggesting that we stop donating, that's a real formula for success. (That was sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on it.) Money drives college sports today. If you want the level of success that you claim then you better be ready to step up. And that goes for all of us. Whenever the administration gets off its ass and starts up the Cajun Athletic Foundation we all better be ready to contribute or we can expect more of the same on the field. If you want a significanlty superior product on the field you had better be willing to contribute to greatly enhance our budget in order to eventually see it happen. And the investment needs to be made NOW. Like anything else the investment must be made first in order to see the results at a later date.

[CajunFun]

The Kool aide sippers don't realize the most important thing. There is a point where you just give up. I don't live in Lafayette Parish. I would think many of our alumni do not if so then we don't deserve the name "Louisiana". Lafayette is a wonderful city but if that makes or breaks our college then we are a community college. BTW Nothing is more important than winning. You must win to make a community. A lot of regulars on here don't realize that you have grads from all 50 states. It is easy to forget a loser and just support the pro team in your area. Winning is everthing and it isn't a dollar value where you can place on it. Money helps but it isn't everything.

We raised $150M without winning.

We were the first school to make Doc II in Louisiana without winning.

We'll be the first school to make it to Doc I & rival State, without winning.

We've grown R&D here to $50M/year (and still going) without winning.

We've continually grown our campus without winning.

We've added innovative PhD & research programs without winning.

And those things prove-- correction, they are the very things that prove-- that we're certainly no community college.

On the other hand, McNeese & Tech & others have won more than we have, but they aren't doing any of these things.

Sports don't make a great University. Being a great University makes a great University.

There are different flavors of Kool-Aid... I guess the one that bothers me the most is not the one that's a different color from mine, it's the one that leads people to start with a conclusion and build their arguments from there, the one that convinces people that there is only one way to do anything, the one that keeps them from ever admitting to any data that suggests that there might be another way to approach a problem, the one that makes one question the value of a college education.

Anyway, I have one great advantage over you; at least mine's vermilion: