Before 1974, the team's official nickname was the Bulldogs, although the current nickname was in common use with the football team for approximately the decade prior.
Division history
Conference affiliations
Louisiana has been both independent and a member of four different conferences.
Louisiana has won 8 conference championships, with the 2013 championship later vacated. † Co-champions ‡ Louisiana vacated the 2013 Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations.
Since joining the NCAA Division I-A in 1978, the Ragin' Cajuns have played in six bowl games, although two of those games were vacated due to sanctions. Officially, they have a record of 3–2 in bowl games.
Home stadiums
McNaspy Stadium
In 1940 McNaspy Stadium was built on the campus of Southwestern Louisiana Institute. It served as the Cajuns home field through the 1970 season and was demolished in 2000. McNaspy Stadium was located at the site where the current computer science building Oliver Hall now stands.
Cajun Field
Cajun Field is a football stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana, and has served as the home field of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team since 1970. Cajun Field has an official capacity of 41,426 with 2,577 chairback seats, and its nickname is "The Swamp."
Head coaches
† Hudspeth's record of 51–38 was reduced to 29–38 due to alleged NCAA violations.
The Battle on the Bayou is the annual rivalry game between Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and ULM. The wooden boot-shaped rivalry trophy was created in 2002 to be awarded to the victors.
Although no longer a rivalry, the first Sabine Shoe trophy was first awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game. The name of the bronze rivalry trophy was derived from the Sabine River that forms the Texas-Louisiana border. USL defeated Lamar in the 1978 edition of the rivalry game, but the Ragin' Cajuns were not awarded the trophy as it had vanished. The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex.
This is another former rivalry. The Cypress Mug was the turned, polished mahogany mug awarded to the winner of the Southwestern–Southeastern football game.
Games played
First meeting
Last meeting
LA wins
LA losses
Ties
Win %
40
November 11, 1930
September 2, 2017
20
17
3
58.8%
Arkansas State
Primarily only in football, this rivalry has been predominant due to the conference alignments of the Cajuns and Red Wolves. This rivalry also dates back to 1953, but became heated in 1971 when they both became Southland Conference members and met every year from 1971–1981. Then, in 1993, both teams played again in the Big West Conference as football-only members from 1993–1995 and played all years. In 2001, when the Sun Belt Conference added football to the conference, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State both joined the same conference for the third time and have played every year since. It was known for a short time that when Louisiana and Arkansas State met in Sun Belt play, which ever team had homefield advantage would most likely win and have a good chance at winning the conference.. Louisiana leads the series at 24–20–1 through the 2018 season.
