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FAN DAY: Mingling with fans – crowd estimated at 4,000 + photo galleryJoshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • August 23, 2010
Photos by Denny Culbert/dculbert@theadvertiser.com UL cornerback Orkeys Auriene takes a turn on the inflatable slide as the 2010 Fall Sports Fan Day comes to a close Sunday at Cajun Field. Ragin’ Cajuns football, soccer and volleyball players along with the Ragin’ Jazz and Ragin’ Cajuns cheerleaders were on hand to sign autographs. Click here for the Daily Advertiser Photo Gallery of UL Fan Day Richie Falgout still remembers the excitement of meeting UL student-athletes and getting their autographs during his childhood. Those memories are part of what made UL’s Fall Sports Fans got to meet and collect signatures from UL football "It’s a chance for all the fans to come out and see us without our helmets on and for us to communicate with them a little bit," said Falgout, a Lafayette High School grad. "I think this is great for the community. The most exciting part is seeing all of the little kids out here because we all remember doing the same thing when we were little. "I still have autograph books from old baseball, basketball and football players from UL. This is a great set-up so people can see our faces and talk with us." Spencer Ortego, a senior punter, agreed. "These are local people and Ragin’ Cajun fans from all over the place," said Ortego, a former Teurlings Catholic standout. "As a local guy, it’s good to see them all show up. They really want to see us, and it’s good for us to interact with them. "The kids are always so excited to see us. It’s good to sign their hats and footballs because I remember doing that when I was little. I think it means a lot to them." During the autograph session, Ortego sat next to UL coach Rickey Bustle. The line of autograph seekers for Bustle was the longest for anyone at the event. UL closed preseason camp with Saturday’s scrimmage and will practice for the next two weeks before opening the regular season Sept. 4 at Georgia. The Cajuns won six games for the fourth time in the past five years last season. They are eager to take the next step this year and earn the program’s first bowl bid since 1970. "We’ve been looking forward to this day," Bustle said. "It’s great to see so many fans come out and support all of our athletes. I think it’s important for our freshmen because they don’t really realize what they’re getting into just yet, so it’s great for them to see this. "We’ve been in camp for the past two weeks, so it’s great to see some people other than our coaches and players."
Gerald Hebert, UL’s athletic development director, was the man behind Fan Day for the third consecutive year. According to Hebert, Sunday’s attendance was around 4,000. That was an improvement over last year’s crowd of about 3,500. The year before that, the event drew 2,500. In the year before Hebert changed the format — the event once had the players standing on the field without any entertainment or major sponsorship — only about 200 people showed up for Fan Day. Fans got free Borden’s ice cream and Coca-Cola products to cool down on the steamy day and watched a group of skydivers descend on the field to kick off the event. "This is fantastic," said David Walker, UL’s athletic director. "It’s grown every year for the past few years. This is an indication that people are encouraged by the program and think it’s on the right path." Junior running back Julian Shankle was impressed with Sunday’s turnout. "This is big time," Shankle said. "It shows me that people support us and support the team. It seems like it’s grown every year. We feel good knowing that these people care about us." Junior quarterback Brad McGuire was equally appreciative. "It’s amazing to see all of these fans come out here and support us," McGuire said. "The fan support really means a lot to us. Now we want to bring them a winning season and a Sun Belt Conference championship."
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