Welcome- Coach Bob Marlin

October 19, 2011
To: Players, Coaches, Athletic Trainers, Managers, Voices of the Bulldogs/Cajuns, SID personnel, Athletic Administration, etc. of the 1957-73 years of the Beryl Shipley Basketball Program.

My Staff and I would like to cordially invite you to attend the inaugural Beryl Shipley Classic presented by Budweiser. As many of you know I was blessed to form a special relationship with Coach during the last year of his life. During my time with him I was able to learn more about the storied past of this great university and its basketball program. Not only did I learn about the past, I heard many stories about each of you and the relationships Coach formed with you. He was a spectacular coach and even better man. Thanks to the support we have received from Dr. Savoie, Scott Farmer, and Herb Schilling we are able to honor Coach’s legacy with this tournament. We believe this tournament will not only honor Coach Shipley but connect the historical past with the current and future Cajuns.

We are excited about the future of Ragin’ Cajun basketball. The tradition, passion, and success of this program were on display during the eleven game winning streak to end the 2010-11 season. The streak was the longest winning streak for UL in thirty eight years, which happened to be Coach Shipley’s final season. Our final standing in overall conference play was second, and we were co-champions of the western division. We lead the Sun Belt Conference in attendance last season and look to increase our attendance this season. I believe you will be very proud of the young men who will represent your team in 2011-12.

The tournament will be held November 18, 19, and 20 at the CAJUNDOME. Visiting teams are: Nicholls State, Cal State Fullerton, and Houston Baptist. Attached to this letter you will find a full itinerary of the weekend’s events. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to gather with former players, coaches, trainers, SID’s and fans. Please review the enclosures for information on the Wednesday-Sunday schedule, registration, publicity, lodging, recognitions, tickets, development, etc., and respond within the stated timelines. Also, there will be a special gift presented to Mrs. Shipley during halftime of the UL game November 18. We are attempting to gather as many former players’ signatures as possible to make this gift special. Please take special notice of the instructions and due dates to assist with this special gift. We sincerely hope you will be able to attend this exciting event and look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Bob Marlin

RLM/bm