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Baseball: Robichaux’s Cajuns had ‘certain values, certain qualities’Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, July 8, 2019 Longtime Ragin’ Cajuns play-by-play man Jay Walker may never forget the day Tony Robichaux clinched his first Sun Belt Conference championship. It was 1997, and Robichaux was late in his third of 25 seasons as head coach at UL. The Cajuns were on the road in Edinburg, Texas, playing then-Sun Belt member Texas Pan-American, now part of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. “I went out, and I bought a bottle of champagne, and I brought it to the room where he and (then-assistant coach) Wade Simoneaux were staying,” Walker said. “These were in the days before Coach was able to afford a room by himself. “And he said, ‘Thank you,’ But he told me later, ‘I hope you don’t mind; I didn’t drink it.’” Why not? A devout Catholic, Robichaux — who died Wednesday morning at the age of 57 after having suffered a heart attack June 23 — had a reason. Related: Legendary UL baseball coach Tony Robichaux dies More: Cajuns coach Robichaux ‘was one of the good guys’
UL radio play-by-play man Jay Walker, left and shown here speaking with athletic director Bryan Maggard, was close with late Ragin’ Cajuns baseball coach Tony Robichaux. (Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network) “He said, ‘I refused to drink champagne at my wedding, because I don’t really like it, and I felt like if I couldn’t drink it at my wedding it would not have been proper for me to drink it this time,’” Walker said. “It was almost like he was saying that we were almost ‘cheating on my wife.’ “But that just went to show you that he lived on principle, and he got his instruction from God, and he set out to fulfill, as best he could — despite the fact he was only a man and had shortcomings — to live his life in a godly manner, and to teach others to do the same.” Walker spent many a day each spring, for years upon years, by Robichaux’s side, on the road and at home, in the dugout and on the diamond, talking with him before games and after, talking about him during. He knew the man well. “I don’t necessarily mean that everybody who played for him had their own bible,” Walker said. “But there were certain values and certain qualities. “(He said) many times that his job was to turn out better husbands and better fathers, and he believed it. “And every day that was what he was about, in addition to baseball,” Walker added. “And most people didn’t see that, because they only saw him when he was going out to change pitchers.” Remembering UL’s Robichaux: Leger pours his heart out Reds shortstop Trahan on Robichaux: ‘You felt that light’ Robichaux, who doubled as UL’s pitching coach, was the No. 7 all-time active winningest NCAA Division I baseball coach at the time of his death. He had a 1,177-767-2 career record, including his time at McNeese State in Lake Charles before coming to UL. Robichaux’s 1,000th win came early in the 2015 season, on the road against Alabama. “When he won his 1,000th … his former players got together and got him and (wife) Colleen a trip to Hawaii for a week,” Walker said, “and Phil Devey and Scott Dohmann — Devey finished in 1999, and Dohmann in 2000 — were the ones that made the presentation.” Dohmann, a St. Thomas More High product, pitched in the majors from 2004-08 for Colorado, Kansas City and Tampa Bay. Devey, a Los Angeles Dodgers draft choice who made it to as high as the AAA level, pitched for Canada’s Olympic Team in 2004. More: Jonathan Lucroy credits Robichaux for opportunity to play in major leagues More: Cajuns’ Robichaux was ‘fierce competitor,’ but helped LSU before 2000 national title game “Devey said, ‘Coach, we’re better husbands and better fathers because of you,’” Walker said. “I asked (Robichaux) about it afterward in the post-game interview, and he said, ‘That’s the greatest thing anybody’s ever said about me.’ “Those two guys were just an example. I’m not going to be so foolish as to say every guy who ever played for him turned out to be perfect. “But from the time he got to UL, and I’m going to suggest at McNeese as well … I don’t think the message has ever wavered as to what his calling was and what his purpose was. “As you talk to former players,” Walker added, “they’re gonna tell you that ‘I’m a better man because I played for Tony Robichaux.’” Lafayette’s Sam Taulli Sr.: ‘Tragic loss for our entire community’ More: Community reacts to Tony Robichaux’s passing More: Former player starts GoFundMe for Coach Robichaux and family
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