Would you support a change

[rhineaux]

_ If I remember correctly the Flaming Pepper (among the kindest of terms I've heard used to describe it) wa designed by a professional firm (from New York, I believe). I believe they also came up with the hot wheels logo and the pointy font used on the lettering for "Ragin Cajuns" and the uniform numbers. When the pepper and the uniform numbers were met with derision and calls for change I recall the response was that too large of an investment had been made to just drop it. It took some doing just to modify the numbering so that player numbers on the jerseys could be more easily identified. At least that is how I remember it. Maybe someone else can correct me or add more. _

I think that actually helps make my point. When tasked with choosing a new brand, the lack of marketing “know-how” chose what we see now. We need help with marketing, and we need that “help” to lead us down a more respectable and reasonable path to a new brand.

Let me also say that in some ways, more recently, I think that the school is doing a better job with some marketing aspects. They are doing a much better job at spreading the good things that the University is doing. However, there is a lot more to it than that, and as with most areas of the University, they are understaffed and overworked, mostly due to budget constraints. This is why I think it could be beneficial to enlist the help of an outside source, which would likely be a better investment of funds, than hiring a qualified staff to do the job.

I don't think it would be bad to use the Catahoula as long as you use it like the Vols. Don't plaster it accross our logos in any way. Just let it be out mascot. Stick with the interlocking UL and the "Ragin' Cajuns" logo.

Exactly. A mascot and a logo are not the same thing, and one should not influence the other, which is the mistake that was made by those who chose the current scheme. Secondly, we should realize the difference between a “mascot” that we would consider to be representative of our school and heritage, and a mascot that would walk through the stands an entertain kids. Using examples mentioned in this thread, I think the Catahoula is the type of animal that could fill the role of both…an alligator could fill the role of both…the crawfish would only fill the role of the latter. Regardless, the pepper fills neither role.

I hate the M f'n pepper. I have sent very nice e-mails to both Scott Farmer and that idiot that was head of marketing (retired now or quit, whichever she is gone now) telling them that no one likes the pepper and our school colors are vermillion and white, not red/orange/yellow/black, but never got a response. That was 3 years ago. I did sit down with Scott Farmer last year to speak with him about this and other issues I had, and he basically agreed that the pepper needs to go and that the colors should be simplified back to vermillion and white (with a modest amount of black for uniforms as the players love black). However, he said that this was not at the top of his priority list, and I agree with him that raising money and putting a better product on all of the athletic fields is priority one. However, something needs to be done about these issues.

My personal vote is for the Bull Gator, but anything is better than what we have now.

That same person spoke at the Alumni Council Meeting last Fall. She talked about how great our brand was and how merchandisers have commented at how our sales are surprisingly high, and a bunch of other BS…it was always known that she was totally in love with the pepper. In a later conversation with her boss, I mentioned how badly our school is branded and how much the pepper and the colors suck. He started giving me the same line of BS about how great it sells and that means that people want it. I replied by basically saying that just because you’re the only fruit stand in town and everyone shops there, doesn’t mean that everyone loves your fruit…it just means that you’re their only option.

[Just1More]

_ I'm almost dumb founded at the fact that no one thinks a crawfish is a good mascot.

A crawfish is not suitable for a mascot. It runs/swims "backwards" ala "crawfishing". It hides in mud. We boil them, peel them, pinch their tails, suck their heads, and eat them. There is nothing about a crawfish that is suitable for a "mascot".

I am like some in that I almost see the logic in dropping the pepper and not adding another failed attempt. We need to be smart about this. Most mascots were chosen animals or human groups that represented fearsomeness. We are the Ragin Cajuns, and a Cajun can kill anything.

We are the Ragin Cajuns (one thing they got right). We have to be careful with adding any more to our already ridiculous attempts. Whoever didn't have the foresight when it came to a flaming pepper is not much of a marketing mind. The crawfish is right up there with a flaming pepper when it comes to displaying it beside our sports programs.

If anything ever materializes with mascots and logo stuff, it has to be to simply eliminate the pepper. We have some folks in the university that are great people at parties, for decorating houses, and to have arguments with, but they cannot govern themselves out of a wet paper bag. It never occurred to them (and may still not) the total "miss" with a flaming pepper.

Mascot and logo ideas should be reviewed with men in the age range of 18 to 35 that love women, hate cats, can do 75 push-ups and sit-ups in under 10 minutes, cuss when they're mad, love their grandparents, and would rather hunt or fish than go to the mall. I only miss on the age range.

The Bullgator is OK for a variety of reasons.
The Catahoula is unique and cool.

IMO

[RaginWaldo]

You miss on the age range???? you MUST be old LOL

[Turbine]

_ Still, we are #1 nationally for school name changes, tied for #1 for athletic team name changes, and #1 for mascot changes...NOTHING ELSE NEW. Do we reall want to keep this up? I love the alligator idea! But nothing else new! _

Yeah #1

For a very short stint the school once identified itself as the Attakapas through a weekly paper.

UL has had had more than a few "Spirit Leaders" but only "2" official mascots.

At UL the BullDog goes back to 1921 before that there were kids and students and people who were designated spirit leaders for games.

It wasn't till 1938 tht UL got a live one though in fact the year before the very first live mastcot was a PittBull. English BullDogs came in 1938. In 1943 the V-12 students adopted a stray named Willoughby

BudMan, CajunPower and the Chicken were all spirit leaders not mascots. At the same time they were parading the sidelines the mascot was still the BullDog -not that UL always had one on hand- they were harder than hard to keep healthy and alive.

Of course Louisiana BullGators frequent Buffalo Wallows which gave life to Cypress Swamp and thus the BullGator has the longest constant history of any creature on the UL campus.

[Turbine]

While I like the BullGator idea, I have never see it in photo's or articles about UL. Maybe a story or two about the gators in the swamp but....

Like I said I like the idea. I don't like bringing back the bulldog. It's LaTech's mascot and I want no comparison to that crappy school!

I know it's like the 800 pound Gorilla in the campus living room that no one wants to talk/write about.

Pictures not articles, it has been in most yearbooks and athletic prospectus magazines going back to the early 70's and before. UL has even had a yearbook cover wrapped in alligator hyde albeit simulated.

[RCAJUN90]

_ Being in the sales world I come across many USL (not UL or UL) grads and even the occasional USL grad with a family member that is an SLI or SLII grad. It is pretty much a unanimous decision that they all wish the school was still USL; as do I. But, I am not here to open that can of worms. The can I am looking for has do with our mascot. I just cannot seem to accept the flaming pepper as a mascot. Our marketing is already bad enough since we use more than two colors, that darn pepper doesn't help any. I would like to start a petition to bring back the bulldog as the mascot. We would still be the UL Ragin Cajuns but the bulldog would become our mascot and we could burn that pepper outfit at halftime one game. Feel free to comment but a simple yes or no would do. The only way I know to start this would be on facebook or here and once we had a significant number of people who agree we submit our findings to Savoie and Farmer and anyone else. I realize it may be a lost cause or a long endeavor but it is one I think is worth it. Does anyone agree? _

We did the Bulldog after we axed the Cajun man. Somethings are better left in the past. We need to stop worrying about our name or mascot and worry about putting skins on the wall.

[Just1More]

_ You miss on the age range???? you MUST be old LOL _

Old and cranky.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Why does the world need an education on a Catahoula? It isn't "who we are". When someone asks, tell them it's a dog we got at the pound and saved his life. All the chicks will dig you.

The ladies love a story about a blind Catahoula puppy we pulled out of the swamp that later came back and saved our life when we were attacked by a monster alligator. Mascots are all about the ladies, Turbine. Chicks dig dogs. Have you ever tried to pet an alligator? When was the last time an alligator greeted you at the door with his favorite toy? Did you ever walk an alligator and have the ladies ask you where you got the cute little fella? Alligators don't get you the ladies... unless you make them into a purse or a pair of shoes. Puppies Turbine. Puppies get you the really hot ladies. Not peppers, not alligators. Catahoula puppies.

Oh, and of course he's going to be deaf... haven't you heard our PA System!!! _

And, more importantly, it is the State Dog.

[Hammer58]

Still, we are #1 nationally for school name changes ...

Actually we do not have the most name changes even within the state. That distinction belongs to LSUA&MC. There website used to include a history section with a timeline of events including all of there name changes. If I remember correctly we still trail them by two.


igeaux.mobi

[Farbar]

Centenary College has been using a Catahoula mascot for three years now:

http://www.gocentenary.com/ViewArtic...ATCLID=1177342

[Turbine]

_ Centenary College has been using a Catahoula mascot for three years now:

"In December of 2007, the Centenary student body held a voting process"

Therein sits a key difference in how the pepper came about.

Lack of student body input.

[Just1More]

_ Centenary College has been using a Catahoula mascot for three years now:

http://www.gocentenary.com/ViewArtic...ATCLID=1177342 _

We'll trade them the pepper. They're pretty nice people. They'll do it.

OK... "unique" just went out the window... but "cool" is still in play. If they got him from a shelter I wonder if they really have a Catahoula. Some guy got mad because a neighborhood Springer Spaniel knocked up his Lab. He brings them to a shetler and says their "Catahoulas". Centenary people are so easy.