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UL Athletics has long, distinguished history by Bruce Turner – famous players, coachesUL Athletics has long, distinguished history by Bruce Turner, University Archivist I would like to thank Ryan Broussard and Allison Moon of the Vermilion staff for asking me to do a series of articles on aspects of the history of the university. I hope readers have gained an appreciation about some of the people who have shaped and developed this institution. For this last article I would like to cover a variety of topics. My favorite place on campus to show visitors, especially from out-of-state, is Cypress Lake. Probably very few universities can boast of a swamp right in the middle of campus. However, it has not always been Cypress Lake. Originally this area was part of the demonstration farm on campus and was used as a pig wallow since it was a natural depression. By the 1920s it had become known as Cypress Grove and was the site for many outdoor concerts and events. During Commencement Week each year during most of the 1920s and 1930s the Aesthetic Dance class presented a program based on a classical theme such as “Ode To a Grecian Urn” or “Ulysses and Circe.” In 1942 during World War II the grove was filled with water to become Cypress Lake. There are two major stories about why this occurred – and both probably have validity. Joel L. Fletcher, Jr. had become president of Southwestern in 1940, and he realized that the cypress trees in the grove were endangered because they were not in water. Cypress grew in swamps. Therefore he wanted the area filled. Also there was the realization that the campus needed better fire-fighting capabilities – especially if there was an attack by the Germans who were knows to have submarines in the Gulf of Mexico. A lake on campus would greatly help in emergency response if needed. In any case, the campus swamp was created. In the 1940s and 1950s there was a very picturesque wishing well adjacent to the lake which was a favorite gathering place for students. In January, 1962 Cypress Lake froze over and students ice-skated on it. A photograph of this very unusual event in south Louisiana appeared in Life magazine. Southwestern had a number of outstanding debate teams from the 1940s through the 1970s. They constantly placed very high in regional competitions and often won awards at national events. The coach was Roy Murphy who was head of the Speech Department for about thirty years from the mid 1940s to the mid 1970s. One of the better known students who participated in the debate team was John Breaux who went on to get a law degree at LSU and represent Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The nickname for the university has not always been the “Ragin’ Cajuns.” Starting 1921 the Southwestern mascot was the Bulldog. It remained that until 1963 when the football coach, Russ Faulkenberry, began favoring the “Ragin’ Cajuns” which was soon adopted for all athletic teams. No one knows for sure where this new name came from. One popular story was that it was started by Sid Ory, a former Southwestern student who was an insurance agent in Lafayette. Ory was a very strong supporter of Southwestern’s athletic program. He used the name “Ragin’ Cajuns” as part of a football season ticket selling campaign in the early 1960s and Coach Faulkenberry adopted it for the team’s nickname. There have been a number of remarkable athletes who have attended this university. I can name only a very few of them here. [For more information about the university athletic program and those who have participated in it see the Athletic Network at http://www.athleticnetwork.net.] One of the greatest football players for Southwestern was Christian Keener “Red” Cagle who played here 1923-1926. He than played for the U.S. Military Academy 1926-1929. [This, obviously, was before the NCAA existed and restricted the number of years one could play college football.] Cagle was a tremendous offensive talent both running and passing. Although he died in 1942 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Brian Mitchell was the first quarterback in NCAA Division 1-A history to pass for 5,000 yards and run for 3,000. After playing at USL he went on to a stellar National Football League career mainly with the Washington Redskins as a kick return specialist. Mitchell was elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Redskins Ring of Fame. Two former Southwestern players are still in the NFL: Jake Delhomme and Brandon Stokley. They put on some electrifying performances as quarterback and wide receiver when they were Cajun teammates. One other notable football player was E. Glynn Abel who was chosen as a Little All-American in 1938. He also lettered in track and baseball. After service in W.W. II Abel was Dean of Men at Southwestern for over twenty years. Andrew Toney played basketball for the Cajuns 1976 – 1980 finishing as the second leading scorer in career points. He then went on to an outstanding professional career with the Philadelphia 76ers. Kim Perrot played basketball for the Lady Cajuns 1986-1990. She led the NCAA in scoring her senior year. She was a member of Team USA in international competitions and then later starred for the Houston Comets in the WNBA. She died of cancer in 1999. Perrot has also been elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Probably the most famous baseball player to ever wear a Southwestern uniform is Ron Guidry who pitched for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 1969 and 1970. He then played for the New York Yankees from 1975 to 1988. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 1978. The most successful athletic program here has been women’s softball which began in 1980 led by coach Yvette Girouard. Some outstanding players who have participated in this sport are Ursula Quoyeser, Stefni Whitton [Lotief], Kyla Hall [Holas], and Alyson Habetz. This team almost always wins its conference championship and tournament and appears in the NCAA tournament. It has gone to the softball College World Series twice. At least two Southwestern track athletes have done very well in national and international meets. Johnny Morriss held the national and world record time for his hurdles event in the early 1930s. Hollis Conway won high jump medals in both the 1988 and 1992 Olympic games. There have been a number of outstanding coaches at Southwestern over the years. I will mention just a few. Yvette Girouard started the softball intercollegiate program and coached it for 20 years. She was named the 1976 female athlete of the year at Southwestern as a member of the volleyball team. She compiled a 759-250 record at USL/UL while garnering NFCA South Region Coach-of-the-Year honors 7 times and the national Coach-of-the-Year award twice. She became the head coach at LSU in 2001. Julien C. “Dutch” Reinhardt coached basketball 1931-1957 and served as athletic trainer from 1931 until 1967. Beryl Shipley was the basketball coach 1957-1973. He had tremendous success on the court. Shipley got in trouble for violating some NCAA rules but mainly for recruiting black athletes before this was an accepted practice in the deep South. Jeff Hennessy coached gymnastics and trampoline 1959 – 1986. Between `1965 and 1982 athletes he coached won 26 World Championship medals in trampoline and double mini-tramp competitions. Among his better known athletes were his daughter Leigh Hennessy, Jimmy Younge, and Judy Ann Ford [who attending USL her freshman year and then won the Miss American title representing her home state Illinois. She did a trampoline routine for the talent competition.] SLII/SLI/USL/UL-Lafayette has had an interesting history. I hope you have enjoyed reading a little about it this year.
Published in the July 21, 2010 issues of The Vermilion and reprinted in the Athletic Network with permission of the author. Bruce Turner bturner@louisiana.edu I. Bruce Turner Ph.D., C.A. 337.482-5702 [voice] 337.482-5841 [fax]
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