Football: UL Announces Search for Football Coach

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns announced on Monday that head football coach Rickey Bustle will not be retained in 2011.

The Summerville, S.C. native became the 24^th head coach in Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns football history on December 13, 2001. His tenure for nine seasons is the fourth longest in school history behind Nelson Stokley (13), Russ Faulkinberry (13) and T. Ray Mobley (10)
UL won only nine games in the five seasons prior to Bustle’s arrival from 1997- 2001. Coach Bustle was victorious 23 times in his first five seasons with the Cajuns from 2002-06, including 11 of the last 17 games.
The Cajuns went 6-5 (.546) in 2005 to mark UL’s first winning record since 1995. Along with a winning season in 2005 came a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship. After starting 1-5 (0-2), Louisiana roared back into the SBC race with five straight victories, including a 54-21 win at La.-Monroe to claim the first school title since the 1994 Big West crown.
Bustle’s 12 wins from 2005-06 were the most in a two-year period since 1994-95. Louisiana won six games four times in a span of five seasons from 2005-09, a stretch not equaled at UL since 1986-89.
In addition to raised expectations, Bustle brought professionalism and discipline to the program. From 2002-10, the Cajuns committed the fewest penalties in the Sun Belt Conference and UL boasts the fewest penalties per game over that span.
One of Bustle’s proudest moments was seeing four-time All-Sun Belt selection Tyrell Fenroy become just the 7^th player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons.
Several Ragin’ Cajuns under Bustle have been considered for many prestigious national awards, including: Doak Walker Award Watch List & Semifinalist, Lou Groza Award Watch List, Mackey Award Watch List & Semifinalist, Outland Trophy Watch List, Rimington Trophy Watch List, Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List and William V. Campbell Trophy Candidate.
Following the 2010 NFL Draft, a total of 19 Ragin’ Cajuns coached by Bustle have either been drafted or signed NFL free agent contracts. North of the border, Bustle has seen a pair of offensive linemen selected in the CFL Draft – Jesse Newman was the third overall pick in 2008 and Nasser Jamal was the first pick of the sixth round in the 2010.
Under Bustle, the Cajuns were .500 or better at home in seven of his nine seasons. Bustle held a 25-24 (.510) career record at home.
The fans also took note, as 850,890 have attended games since 2002 for an average of over 17,300 per game. UL topped 100,000 fans in a season three times since 2004, including 111,998 in 2009. The Bustle-era owns five of the 16 biggest crowds in Cajun Field history, including a school-record 41,357 to open the 2009 campaign. UL owns the SBC record for largest home stadium crowd (41,357), second-largest home stadium crowd (33,828) and largest conference game attendance (29,031). The Cajuns led the SBC in attendance in 2004 and 2008.
For seven seasons prior to his appointment as head coach of the Cajuns, Bustle served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Va. Tech. With the Hokies, Bustle developed some of the finest quarterbacks in college football.
Bustle is a 1976 graduate of Clemson, where he received a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation administration. He was a four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver for the Tigers.

— Ragin’ Cajuns —