Lamar Cardinals football

College football program of Lamar University

Lamar Cardinals football

| | 2024 Lamar Cardinals football team

|

First season| 1923; 102 years ago (1923)[a]
Athletic director| Jeff O'Malley
Head coach| Peter Rossomando
2nd season, 13–10 (.565)
Stadium| Provost Umphrey Stadium
(capacity: 16,000)
Field| W. S. Bud Leonard Field
Field surface| Tarkett Fieldturf Classic HD CoolPlay Turf[1]
Location| Beaumont, Texas
Conference| Southland
All-time record| 221-307-9 (.420)
Bowl record| 2-1 (.667)
Playoff record| 0–1
Conference titles| 5 (1957, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1971)
Rivalries| McNeese State (rivalry)
Louisiana (rivalry)
Colors| Red and white[2]

Fight song| Cardinals Fight!
Mascot| Cardinal
Marching band| The Showcase of Southeast Texas[3]
Website| lamarcardinals.com

The Lamar Cardinals football program represents Lamar University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Cardinals are members of the Southland Conference and play their home games in the 16,000 seat Provost Umphrey Stadium.[4] The Cardinals left the Southland Conference in July 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference, which relaunched its football league at the FCS level during the 2021 season.[5] After one season in the WAC, Lamar and the Southland Conference announced on July 11, 2022 Lamar's accelerated return to the Southland Conference effective immediately.[6]

## History

[edit]

See also: List of Lamar Cardinals football seasons

### The early years

[edit]

From its inception as South Park Junior College in 1923, football was a part of Lamar's history. It was discontinued in 1928 because of a lack of common opponents but was revived again in 1932 by the renamed Lamar College. Coach John Gray led his charges to records of 8–1 that season and 8–1–1 in 1934 before the program was discontinued again in 1942 and did not resume again until the end of World War II. Football was restored in 1946 and the first football scholarships were offered. In the 1946 season Lamar posted an 8–2 ledger. The 1948 club (8–4–0) won two bowl games, and the 1949 outfit won an all time school record 10 games and another bowl trophy as the school bade farewell to the junior college era.

After the school moved up to the NAIA level in the Lone Star Conference, the Cardinals didn’t have a winning season until a superb 8–0–2 season in 1957 ignited a string of 11 consecutive winning campaigns. The 1961 team advanced to the Tangerine Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) against Middle Tennessee State on December 29, 1961, and won 21–14.

Just as the Cardinals were becoming a perennial contender in the Lone Star loop, school officials moved the athletic program forward into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college division ranks in 1963 via the Southland Conference. The football team enjoyed immediate success with three straight SLC grid titles (1964–66). In 1964 the Cardinals were invited to the Pecan Bowl after a 6–3–1 campaign. The Cardinals lost 19–17 to Northern Iowa. The Cardinals had a second-place finish in 1967. A year later, the school's athletic program embarked on another challenge by upgrading to the NCAA Division I level.[7]

Lamar averaged 12,000 patrons through 1974, drawing a then record 16,226 against arch-rival McNeese State to Cardinal Stadium in 1972. The transition to Division I proved to be a spark for many LU sports but football experienced a downturn after 1974. Fans responded when new coach Larry Kennan delivered a 6–3–2 club in 1979; Games against Louisiana Tech (17,600) and West Texas State (17,250) rank second and third, respectively, behind the standing-room-only 18,500 Baylor drew for the 1980 opener. Lamar set an all-time attendance record by averaging 16,380 that season. The Cardinals’ signature win came on September 5, 1981, in an 18–17 win over the UPI No. 20 ranked Baylor Bears under Head Coach Larry Kennan.

Football competed as an independent from 1987 to 1989 after Lamar left the Southland Conference in 1987 to join the newly formed non-football American South Conference.

### Disbandment and reintroduction

[edit]

Dismal support finally led to larger-than-expected deficits and provided the bottom line fodder for five new appointees to the then-Lamar University System board of regents to discontinue football at their first official session on December 15, 1989 (5 to 4 vote).[8][9] Their vision was to divert money that was being spent on football to the basketball program and build Lamar into a basketball powerhouse.

In 2010, as a member of the Texas State University System, the university brought the football team back.[10] In preparation for the return of play the University did extensive work on the facilities including, Provost Umphrey Stadium, a new 54,000 sq ft Athletic complex,[11] and seven high class suites built into the existing Montagne Center,[12] new field turf,[13] and a new 26' X 51' video board.[14] The university hired former NFL player Ray Woodard as the head coach to lead the charge in bringing the Cardinals back to the gridiron. Former Basketball Coach Billy Tubbs was hired as the Athletic Director in 2006 and had a significant role in bringing back the Cardinals football team.

The football program, discontinued at the end of the 1989 season, was restarted with its first season back in 2010. The team competed as an independent that year. The first conference competition following the restart was in 2011.

## Conference affiliations

[edit]

Seasons  | Conference

|

1923–1926 | Independent
1927–1931 | Football not a sponsored sport
1932–1942 | Independent
1943–1945 | Football not a sponsored sport – World War II
1946–1950 | Southwestern Junior College Conference
1951–1962 | Lone Star Conference
1963–1986 | Southland Conference
1987–1989 | Division I-AA Independent
1990–2009 | Football not a sponsored sport
2010–2020 | Southland Conference
2021 | Western Athletic Conference
2022–present | Southland Conference

### Division history

[edit]

Seasons  | Division

|

1923–1926 | National Junior College Athletic Association
1927–1931 | Football not a sponsored sport
1932–1942 | National Junior College Athletic Association
1943–1945 | Football not a sponsored sport – World War II
1946–1950 | National Junior College Athletic Association
1951–1962 | National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
1963–1972 | NCAA College Division (Small College)
1973–1977 | NCAA Division I (University)
1978–1981 | NCAA Division I-A
1982–1989 | NCAA Division I-AA
1990–2009 | Football not a sponsored sport
2010–present | NCAA Division I FCS

Early Years Reference:[15]

## Conference championships

[edit]

Season  | Conference  | Coach  | Overall Record  | Conference Record

|
|
|
|

1957†[16] | Lone Star Conference | James B. Higgins | 8–0–2 | 5–0–2
1964 | Southland Conference | Vernon Glass | 6–3–1 | 3–0–1
1965 | 6–4 | 3–1
1966† | 6–4 | 3–1
1971† | 5–6 | 4–1

† Denotes co-champions

## Bowl games

[edit]

Lamar participated in two NCAA College Division level bowl games, going 1–1.

Season  | Coach  | Bowl  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|
|

1950 | Stan Lambert | Silver Bowl "Tazon De Plata" | Mexico City College | W 19–13
1961 | James B. Higgins | Tangerine Bowl | Middle Tennessee | W 21–14
1964 | Vernon Glass | Pecan Bowl | State College of Iowa | L 17–19

## FCS playoffs

[edit]

Lamar participated in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs for the first time in 2018.

Season  | Coach  | Round  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|
|

2018 | Mike Schultz | First Round | Northern Iowa | L 13–16

## Attendance

[edit]

### Highest attendance

[edit]

Source:[15]

Below is a list of the Cardinals top 10 best-attended home games (all at Provost Umphrey Stadium).

Rk. | Date | Opponent | Attendance

|
|
|

Highest attendance
1 | September 13, 1980 | Baylor | 18,500
2 | September 22, 1979 | Louisiana Tech | 17,600
3 | October 9, 2010 | Langston University | 17,306[17]
4 | October 6, 1979 | West Texas State | 17,250
5 | September 17, 1977 | Louisiana-Lafayette | 17,222
6 | October 2, 2010 | Sam Houston State | 17,187[17]
7 | September 11, 2010 | Webber International | 16,600[17]
8 | October 16, 2010 | South Alabama | 16,150[17]
9 | October 9, 1965 | Arkansas State | 16,000[18]
10 | September 24, 1966 | Southwest Missouri | 15,643[19]

As of the 2024 season.

### Yearly attendance

[edit]

Below is the Cardinals' home attendance since program reinstatement.

Season | Average | High

|
|

Lamar Cardinals
2024[20] | 6,706 | 8,443[21]
2023[20] | 5,643 | 6,583[22]
2022[20] | 5,069 | 6,627[23]
2021[20] | 5,716 | 6,812
2020[20] | 3,293 * | 3,833 *
2019[20] | 7,173 | 9,218
2018[20] | 7,077 | 8,028
2017[20] | 6,631 | 8,417
2016[20] | 7,429 | 8,697
2015[20] | 9,364 | 13,136
2014[20] | 8,347 | 10,212
2013[20] | 8,379 | 10,738
2012[20] | 11,119 | 15,367
2011[20] | 14,442 | 15,367
2010[20] | 16,078 | 17,306

* Attendance restricted due to COVID19 restrictions.[24]

As of the 2024 season.

## Rivalries

[edit]

### McNeese State

[edit]

Main article: Battle of the Border (Lamar–McNeese State)

The two teams have met 42 times on the football field, with McNeese State holding a 28–13–1 edge in the all-time series. The rivalry has been expanded from football to head-to-head competition in all sports under a joint agreement with the two universities and Verizon Wireless.[25]

McNeese State–Lamar: All-Time Record Games played  | First meeting  | Last meeting  | Lamar wins  | Lamar losses  | Ties  | Win %

|
|
|
|
|
|

42  | November 10, 1951 (lost 7–13)  | November 23, 2024 (won 26-24)  | 13  | 28  | 1  | .321

### Louisiana

[edit]

Main article: Sabine Shoe

The first Sabine Shoe trophy was first awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game.[26] 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.[27] The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex.

UL Lafayette–Lamar: All-Time Record Games played  | First meeting  | Last meeting  | Lamar wins  | Lamar losses  | Ties  | Win %

|
|
|
|
|
|

34  | October 27, 1923 (lost 16–19)  | September 1, 2012 (lost 0–40)  | 11  | 23  | 0  | 32.4%

## Future non-conference opponents

[edit]

Announced non-conference opponents as of February 4, 2025.[28]

2025  | 2026  | 2027  | 2028  | 2029

|
|
|
|

at North Texas | at Louisiana | at Rice | at Weber State | at Texas State
South Dakota | at Idaho |  |  |
at Texas Southern | at Sacramento State |  |  |
Central Arkansas |  |  |  |

## See also

[edit]

* List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs
* List of Lamar Cardinals football seasons

## Notes and references

[edit]

1. ^ The team has been disbanded and reinstated several times, with the following stages being where Lamar University has fielded a football program:
*       * From 1923 to 1926
* From 1932 to 1942
* From 1946 to 1989
The team has played continuously since its last launch in the 2010 season; 15 years ago.

1. ^ James Dixon (July 1, 2021). "Venues Get Upgrade as LU Begins WAC Journey". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
2. ^ Lamar University Athletics Visual Standards Manual (PDF). Retrieved April 22, 2017.
3. ^ "The Showcase of Southeast Texas Marching Band". Lamar University. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
4. ^ "Provost Umphrey Stadium". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
5. ^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
6. ^ Thomas Scott (July 11, 2022). "Lamar moving to Southland Conference -- immediately". Hearst. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 22, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. ^ "Lamar University Drops Football". New York Times. December 15, 1989. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
9. ^ "Lamar University drops football program". United Press International. December 14, 1989. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
10. ^ "Houston couple gives Lamar University engineering, football program million gift – LAMARCARDINALS.COM – Lamar Cardinals Official Athletic Site". lamarcardinals.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014.
11. ^ "LAMARCARDINALS.COM – Lamar Cardinals Official Athletic Site – Facilities". lamarcardinals.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014.
12. ^ "Morgan Suites to enhance Lamar University athletics facilities – LAMARCARDINALS.COM – Lamar Cardinals Official Athletic Site". lamarcardinals.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014.
13. ^ "Football Artificial Turf Project Underway – LAMARCARDINALS.COM – Lamar Cardinals Official Athletic Site". lamarcardinals.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014.
14. ^ "Lamar University". daktronics.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
15. ^ a b http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/lama/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/6-3-1.pdf Archived July 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
16. ^ "LSC Championship History - Updated 8/9/22" (PDF). Lone Star Conference. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
17. ^ a b c d "Lamar University 2010-11 Football Game Results". NCAA. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
18. ^ "BRIEF SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE FOOTBALL STATISTICS - Final" (PDF). NCAA. November 20, 1965. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
19. ^ "BRIEF SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE FOOTBALL STATISTICS - Final" (PDF). NCAA. November 29, 1966. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "NCAA Statistics - Lamar University Football History - Year by Year History". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
21. ^ "NCAA Statistics - Lamar University Cardinals (7-5) 2024-25 Football". NCAA. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
22. ^ "NCAA Statistics - Lamar University Cardinals (6-5) 2023-24 Football". NCAA. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
23. ^ "NCAA Statistics - Lamar University Cardinals (1-10) 2022-23 Football". NCAA. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
24. ^ "Cardinals Release 2021 Spring Football Schedule". Lamar University Athletics. Retrieved May 5, 2022. "All home games will take place at Provost Umphrey Stadium ... Dates and stadium capacity will be contingent upon the current health conditions. Lamar University will continue to follow specific guidelines set forth by the NCAA, university and local medical authorities ..."
25. ^ "Verizon Wireless Announces Lamar-McNeese State Rivalry Series – LAMARCARDINALS.COM – Lamar Cardinals Official Athletic Site". lamarcardinals.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014.
26. ^ "Tribal lore". The Sporting News. 1997. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
27. ^ "The Week". CNN. October 9, 1978. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013.
28. ^ "Lamar Cardinals Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 4, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Lamar Cardinals football

Venues|

* South Park High School "Greenie Stadium" (c. 1923–1963)
* Provost Umphrey Stadium (1964–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* 1961 Tangerine Bowl
* 1964 Pecan Bowl
* Louisiana: Sabine Shoe
* McNeese: Battle of the Border

Culture & lore|

* Cardinal
* "Cardinals Fight!"
* The Showcase of Southeast Texas
* Big Red

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990–2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Lamar University

Academics|

* College of Business
* College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Education and Human Development
* College of Fine Arts and Communication
* College of Engineering
* TALH
* College of Graduate Studies

Athletics|

* Southland Conference
* Big Red
* Football
* Basketball (M)
* Basketball (W)
* Baseball
* Golf (M)
* Golf (W)
* Tennis (M)
* Tennis (W)
* Track (M)
* Track (W)
* Volleyball
* Soccer (W)
* Softball

Facilities
Provost Umphrey Stadium
Montagne Center
Vincent-Beck Stadium
McDonald Gym
Lamar Soccer Complex
Lamar Softball Complex
Thompson Family Tennis Center
Ty Terrell Track Complex
Dauphin Athletic Complex

Campus|

* Setzer Student Center
* Mary and John Gray Library
* The Quad
* Sheila Umphrey Center
* Cardinal Village
* Dishman Art Museum
* Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum

Student life|

* University Press
* Beaumont, Texas
* KVLU
* Students
* Downtown Beaumont

Misc.|

* Lamar University Literary Press
* List of Lamar University alumni
* History of Lamar University
* "Go Big Red"
* Alma Mater

* v
* t
* e

Southland Conference football

Teams|

* East Texas A&M Lions
* Houston Christian Huskies
* Incarnate Word Cardinals
* Lamar Cardinals
* McNeese Cowboys
* Nicholls Colonels
* Northwestern State Demons
* Southeastern Louisiana Lions
* Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Future teams|

* UTRGV Vaqueros (joining in 2025)

Championships & awards|

* All-time standings

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