The Back Alley Archives

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[TR]
[TD]Name:[/TD]
[TD]University of Louisiana, Lafayette(formerly University of Southwestern Louisiana)[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD]Location:[/TD]
[TD]Duh.[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD]Mascot:[/TD]
[TD] ​Although the athletic teams are known as the "Ragin' Cajuns," the school has no "official" mascot. Presently, an anthropomorphic cayenne pepper named "Cayenne" is the school's "spirit leader." The school has changed mascots several times, however, and the most popular by far was the Fabulous Cajun Chicken, whose antics entertained the fans from 1982-1999.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Colors:[/TD]
[TD]Vermillion and White[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Founded:[/TD]
[TD]1898[/TD]
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[TR]
[TD]Enrollment:[/TD]
[TD]~17,000[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Alumni:[/TD]
[TD]Richard Simmons went there, before transferring to Florida State.Also, John Kennedy Toole, the author of A Confederacy of Dunces.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Division and Conference:[/TD]
[TD]Div. I-FBS, Sun Belt Conference[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Head Coach:[/TD]
[TD]"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Pinkel"Mark Hudspeth
2nd year, 14-7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]All-Time Record vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]Have we ever played them? I have no idea.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]N/A[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 Record:[/TD]
[TD]9-4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Stunning Victory of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]A 36-35 victory over rival Louisiana - Monroe (formerly Northeast Louisiana University). That's right; their biggest rival is also a directional Louisiana school.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Devastating Loss of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]A season-opening 64-31 spanking, courtesy of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Traditions:[/TD]
[TD]Not really much of anything.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Player with the Silliest Name:[/TD]
[TD]I got three for you:Qyendarius Griffin, Harry Peoples and Emeka Onyenekwu.

Check out the chompers on the last guy:
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For the first 17 years, Louisiana’s football stadium was simply known as Cajun Field. In the summer of 1988, then-Strength & Conditioning Coach Mickey Faulkinberry suggested referring to Cajun Field as "The Swamp".

The name stuck for various reasons. To start, the field surface is set two feet below sea level in a natural bowl. In addition to providing a picturesque surrounding, the sunken facility allows most fans to walk down to their stadium seats. The Cajuns and their opponents must enter Cajun Field through a long tunnel from the Cox Communications Athletic Center.


"The Swamp" nickname also fits in with the geographic makeup of the area, with its many surrounding bayous and wetlands, as well as the close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, which lies just 30 miles south.