The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
The Lamar Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cardinals currently play in the Southland Conference following a return from the Western Athletic Conference on July 11, 2022. They were one of four programs, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference on July 1, 2021, to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Lamar left the Southland Conference for the second time, having initially joined at the league's formation in 1963, left in 1987, and returned in 1999. After one season in the WAC, Lamar returned to the Southland Conference. The Cardinals have played home games in the Montagne Center since 1984. The Lamar University basketball team is one of the school's most storied athletic programs. The Cardinals have competed in NCAA Tournament play eleven times and six times at the NCAA Division I level with the most recent appearance in the 2012 tournament. The 1979–80 team was one of the 1980 tournament's Sweet Sixteen teams. The Cardinals have also competed in four NIT tournaments. Heading into the 2014–2015 season Lamar had a 284–143 record in the Montagne Center. The Cardinals overall record going into the 2014–2015 season was 922–818.
The Lamar Cardinals football program represents Lamar University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The Cardinals are members of the Southland Conference and play their home games in the 16,000 seat Provost Umphrey Stadium. 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. 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.
The 2014 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals were led by fifth-year head coach Ray Woodard and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. They are a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals finished the season 8–4, 5–3 in Southland play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. The eight win overall and five win conference record matched the Cardinals' best overall win record in both categories as a four year program.
The 2015 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals were led by sixth-year head coach Ray Woodard and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. They are a member of the Southland Conference.
The 2016 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals were led by seventh-year head coach Ray Woodard and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 3–8, 3–6 in Southland play to finish in a tie for eighth place.
The 1964 Lamar Tech Cardinals football season represented Lamar State College of Technology—now known as Lamar University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. Led by second-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 6–3–1 with a mark of 3–0–1 in conference play, winning the Southland title. Lamar Tech was invited to the inaugural Pecan Bowl, losing to the State College of Iowa by the score of 19–17. The team played home game at the newly-opened Cardinal Stadium, located on Lamar Tech's campus in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1965 Lamar Tech Cardinals football team represented Lamar State College of Technology—now known as Lamar University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1965 NCAA College Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 3–1 in conference play, winning the Southland title. Lamar Tech played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1966 Lamar Tech Cardinals football team represented Lamar State College of Technology—now known as Lamar University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1966 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 3–1 in conference play, sharing the Southland title .sharing the conference championship with Arlington State. Lamar Tech played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1970 Lamar Tech Cardinals football team represented Lamar State College of Technology—now known as Lamar University—as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1970 NCAA College Division football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 3–7 with a mark of 1–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the Southland. Lamar Tech played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1971 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, sharing the Southland title with new conference member, Louisiana Tech, and the departing Trinity Tigers. Lamar played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1973 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1973 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 3–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the Southland. Lamar played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1974 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 12th-year head coach Vernon Glass, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing second in the Southland. Lamar played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1975 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Vernon Glass in his 13th and final season as head coach, the Cardinals compiled an overall record of 1–10 with a mark of 0–5 in conference play, placing last out of six teams in the Southland. Lamar played home games at Cardinal Stadium in Beaumont, Texas.
The 1981 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar finished the 1981 season with a 4–6–1 overall record and a 1–3–1 conference record. A highlight for the season was a last second victory over the defending Southwest Conference champion Baylor Bears at the Bears' home field, Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.
The 1986 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals played their home games at Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar finished the 1986 season with a 2–9 overall record and a 0–5 conference record. The season marked the first year with Ray Alborn as Lamar Cardinals head football coach. The 1986 season was also the Cardinals' last season as a member of the Southland Conference in football until the 2010 season. Lamar joined the non–football American South Conference as a charter member along with fellow SLC members, Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State and three other universities.
The 2018 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals were led by second-year head coach Mike Schultz and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. They played as a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 7–5, 6–3 in Southland play to finish in third place. They received an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Northern Iowa.
The 2019 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals were led by third-year head coach Mike Schultz and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Cardinals played a twelve game regular season schedule in 2019. The schedule included three non-conference and nine conference games.
The 2020 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals were led by first-year head coach Blane Morgan and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. Originally scheduled to play an eleven-game regular season schedule in 2020, the Cardinals played shortened 6 game schedule in Spring 2021 with all games against conference members due to the COVID19 Pandemic. The Cardinals finished the season with a 2–4 overall record. The conference record was also 2–4 tied for fifth place with McNeese.
The 2022 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cardinals played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas, and competed in the Southland Conference following an early return from the Western Athletic Conference. On July 11, 2022, Lamar announced that they would take an early transition back to the Southland Conference after the athletic department announced back in April 2022 a transition back to the conference for the 2023 season.
