FAN: UL, ULM alumnus has divided loyalties

Megan Wyatt, Daily Advertiser, Dec. 3, 2013

Jeffrey Miller and his wife Shanna Miller show off their half-UL, half-ULM T-shirts while tailgating today. Although Jeffrey Miller is a graduate of both UL and ULM, he is rooting for the Cajuns today because there is more at stake for the team. / Megan Wyatt, The Advertiser

For Jeffrey Miller, deciding which team in the UL System rivalry to root for wasn’t easy. The Church Point native graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then USL) in 1996 and completed pharmacy school at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1999. This evening, he wears a half-red, half-maroon T-shirt with each of the school’s logos and the words “Graduate Divided” across the front.

“I was molded by both universities,” Miller said before the game’s start. “That’s where my education comes from. That’s how I make a living. And that’s why it’s hard to choose just one.”

His wife, although not a graduate of either school, wears a matching shirt with the words “Husband Divided” across it. The Millers sit on the Cajuns side of the stadium since they are season ticket holders.

Miller said tonight he favors the Cajuns because they have more at stake than the Warhawks.

And although it can sometimes get ugly, Miller said he is happy there is a rivalry between both UL schools.

“I’m just glad there’s actually a rivalry because the Cajuns need one, and ULM needs one,” Miller said. “They play each other every year, and they’re only divided by 180 miles and three hours, so why not?”