Tier I projects slated for completion in fall of 2015

Click here for groundbreaking photo and caption.

LAFAYETTE – In a year that saw unprecedented success on the field and in the classroom, the Ragin’ Cajuns Athletic Foundation Annual Fund recorded historic success during the 2014 campaign as the fundraising arm saw significant growth in both donations and total donors.

In an announcement on Thursday, RCAF Chairman Wayne Elmore stated that 2014 Annual Fund donations increased 31-percent from the previous year and the total number of donors increased by 29-percent.

The RCAF eclipsed the $2 million mark for the first time in history, finishing with a total of $2.16 million and surpassing the previous record of $1.67 million raised in 2013.

The record-setting amount in donations comes on the heels of a 2014 calendar year in which Ragin’ Cajuns athletics was the only school in the country to: win a football bowl game, send a team to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships, host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals in both baseball and softball, and send a team Women’s College World Series.

“Across the board, it was an incredible year for Ragin’ Cajuns athletics,” Elmore said. “Beginning with our tremendous success in the spring and ending with a fourth consecutive victory in the R?L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, our fans were treated to a very special year and we are very thankful for their support. With the help of the RCAF and continued support from its donors, we can continue in our goal of attracting the top coaches in the country, upgrading our facilities and allowing our coaches to attract the highly-talented student-athletes needed to build a championship-caliber program.”

Investments to the RCAF Annual Fund provide unrestricted funds to enhance support for overall operations, personnel, and facility improvements, such as elements of the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, which was released in 2013. Work on the final two projects included in Tier 1 of the three-tier plan is currently in progress with construction on the new Track/Soccer facility and the Student-Athlete Performance Center. Both projects are slated for completion in the fall of 2015.

Other projects included within Tier 1 included several enhancements to Cajun Field prior to the 2014 season including the addition of nearly 6,000 seats in the south end zone, the installment of a new state-of-the-art video display system, and additional concession stands and restroom facilities.

“In order to keep growing and continue to compete on a national level we ask that our current donors consider increasing their current level of giving, recruit at least one new donor during 2015 and ask their employers about starting a corporate matching gift program,” Elmore added. “We have made impressive strides over the past several years and are still growing. It is great to see what can happen when we all come together and don’t let go of the rope. I look forward to breaking this record again in 2015.”

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