Cajundome

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Cajundome
Cajundome Logo.svg
Cajundome (2011), Lafayette, LA IMG 5000.JPG
Cajundome
Location444 Cajundome Boulevard
Lafayette, Louisiana 70506
Owner University of Louisiana at Lafayette
OperatorCajundome Commission
Capacity Basketball: 11,550
Ice Hockey: 11,433
Concerts: 13,500 [1]
Pro Wrestling: 12,121
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 27, 1982 [2]
OpenedNovember 10, 1985 [3]
Construction cost$60 million
($170 million in 2023 dollars [4] )
ArchitectNeil Nehrbass
Structural engineerWilliam J. Mouton [5]
General contractorBlunt Brothers Corp. [6]
Tenants
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball (NCAA) (1985–present)
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball (NCAA) (1985–2018; doubleheaders) (2019–present; regular)
Louisiana IceGators (ECHL) (1995–2005)
Lafayette SwampCats (EISL) (1997–1998)
Lafayette Roughnecks (af2) (2001)
Louisiana IceGators (SPHL) (2010–2016)
Lafayette Wildcatters (SIFL) (2010)
Cajundome Cajundome Afternoon.JPG
Cajundome

The Cajundome is a 13,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Lafayette, Louisiana on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. It is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's and women's basketball programs in addition to hosting various university events and commencement ceremonies including high school graduations.

Contents

The arena hosts many regional & national touring concerts (seating for concerts up to 13,500) and special events, such as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events and the annual outdoor Cajun Heartland State Fair, an eleven-day state fair that attracts more than 50,000 guests. The arena also hosts the annual Jr. Beta Club Louisiana state conventions for middle and elementary school students and the Sr. Beta Conventions for high schoolers on occasion. The facility is a recognizable Lafayette landmark that was built by the State of Louisiana, partially funded by the City of Lafayette, and is owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and managed by the CAJUNDOME Commission. [7]

Currently, the CAJUNDOME is the largest basketball arena in the Sun Belt Conference, the largest college basketball arena in Louisiana, the third largest overall indoor arena in Louisiana (behind the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans and the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City), one of the largest mid-major college basketball arenas, and in the top 10 largest college basketball arenas in the Deep South. [8]

History

Renovations

The arena underwent a $20 million renovation in 2016, providing seating, concession, and accessibility along with signage & branding updates to the venue.

The CAJUNDOME completed renovations in January 2020 on a former storage space to open The Table Room, an approximate 300 capacity venue available for pre-show early entry events and private event rentals. The all-ages venue consists of table seating, a small performance area and full bar service.

Sports

Arena football

Lafayette Roughnecks

The Lafayette Roughnecks of the AF2 played at the CAJUNDOME in 2001. [9]

Lafayette Wildcatters

The Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League played at the CAJUNDOME from 2009 to 2010. [10]

Basketball

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Basketball

The CAJUNDOME is home to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball and Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball programs. [11]

Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournaments

It hosted the 1998, 1999, and 2007 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournaments.

Boxing

On April 27, 2019, Regis Prograis defeated Kiryl Relikh in the sixth round by TKO to win the WBA super-lightweight championship. [12]

Ice Hockey

Louisiana IceGators

The Louisiana IceGators of the East Coast Hockey League played host in the CAJUNDOME from 1995 to 2005. [13] During that time, the arena earned the nickname 'The Frozen Swamp'. In 2005, the franchise folded due to financial problems and drops in attendance after the IceGators were in the Top 4 for attendance in the ECHL. In 2009, Danny Smith, a local businessman, decided to bring back the Louisiana IceGators but this time in the Southern Professional Hockey League. [14] A few months after Smith bought it, the franchise was sold to E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo Jr. and E.C. "Chuck" Anselmo, III. In their first season, the IceGators played at Blackham Coliseum. In their second season, the IceGators moved to the CAJUNDOME. In early 2016, the Louisiana IceGators and the SPHL announced that the IceGators would suspend operations for the 2016–17 season citing that the arena renovations would not be completed in time for the season. [15]

Soccer

Lafayette SwampCats

The CAJUNDOME was home to the Lafayette SwampCats of the EISL from 1997 to 1998. [16]

Top 10 sports crowds at the Cajundome

  1. 11,479 vs. Loyola Marymount (12/16/92)
  2. 11,137 vs. New Orleans (02/01/92)
  3. 10,802 vs. New Orleans (01/18/90)
  4. 10,651 vs. Massachusetts (10/06/90)
  5. 10,487 vs. Georgia (11/22/85)
  6. 09,715 vs. Western Kentucky (02/05/94)
  7. 09,153 vs. New Orleans (01/05/91)
  8. 09,121 vs. South Alabama (03/03/98)
  9. 09,121 vs. Western Kentucky (02/26/03)
  10. 09,086 vs. Lamar (03/01/86)

[17]

Professional Wrestling

Numerous episodes of WWE television shows have been taped at the arena including WWE Raw , WWE SmackDown , WWE NXT , WWE Heat and WWF Jakked/Metal as well as episodes of WCW television shows WCW Thunder and WCW Worldwide .

Superstars of Wrestling - February 2, 1997

Convention Center

In 2002, a new convention center addition to the arena was built. [18] The new addition added 37,301 square feet (3,465 m2) of exhibit hall space to the Cajundome's 40,000 square feet (3,716 m2) of arena floor space plus 39,685 square feet (3687 m2) of meeting space including a 15,682 square foot (1457 m2) ballroom, 12,159 square feet (1130 m2) of pre-function space and a 17,590 square foot (1630 m2) outdoor mall holding up to 2,118 for outdoor events.

Use as a shelter

In 2005, following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and soon after Hurricane Rita, the Cajundome became one of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's evacuee shelters. Staffed by Red Cross, Salvation Army, Americorp and a host of local charities, the facility became a center of relief for thousands. The recently opened Convention Center addition was also utilized as a distribution logistics point and also housed a Special Needs Clinic. This clinic served those needing additional care not deemed urgent or emergency by local area hospitals.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackham Coliseum</span>

Blackham Coliseum is a multipurpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was built on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus in 1949 as the home to the then-named SLI Bulldogs, now called the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball teams. The arena was named for Stafford Morgan Blackham, former dean of the Department of Animal Husbandry at SLI, and as such it was built to host livestock exhibitions as well as athletics. It replaced the 1,500-seat Earl K. Long Gymnasium as home to the athletics teams. It remained the home for the men's team until the Cajundome was completed in 1984. The women continue to play the majority of their games at Earl K. Long. Blackham hosted the Southland Conference men's basketball tournament in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns</span> University of Louisiana athletic teams

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The college has been competing athletically since 1901. The Ragin' Cajuns compete in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Roughnecks</span> Arena football team

The Lafayette Roughnecks was arena football team based in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Roughnecks were members of the South Central Division of the National Conference of af2. They played their home games at the Cajundome. They only played for one season before ceasing all operations after the season ended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl K. Long Gymnasium</span> University of Louisiana sports facility in Lafayette

Earl K. Long Gymnasium is a 1,121-seat multi-purpose sports venue on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns volleyball team. It was built in 1939 and named for Earl K. Long, who served as governor of Louisiana at the time. The gym was home to the Ragin' Cajuns' men's program until 1950, when the teams moved to Blackham Coliseum.

The 2011–12 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by second year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome and are members of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 10–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place in the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Basketball tournament to North Texas. They were invited to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Rice.

The 2012–13 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by third year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome and were members of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 13–20, 8–12 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place in the West Division. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament to Middle Tennessee.

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball program represents intercollegiate women's basketball at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The Ragin' Cajuns compete in the Sun Belt Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and play home games at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The 2015–16 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by sixth year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome and were members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 12–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place. They defeated South Alabama to advance to the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament where they lost to Arkansas–Little Rock. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Texas A&M–Corpus Christi and Furman to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to UC Irvine.

The 2016–17 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by seventh-year head coach Bob Marlin and played their home games at the Cajundome, with four home games at Blackham Coliseum, as members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. They defeated Little Rock before losing to Georgia State in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo Bates</span> American football player (born 1989)

Leonardo Bates is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He played college football at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and attended L.W. Higgins High School in Marrero, Louisiana. He has been a member of the New Orleans VooDoo, Portland Steel and Tampa Bay Storm.

The 2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by eighth-year head coach Bob Marlin and played their home games at the Cajundome as members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 27–7, 16–2 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship. The conference championship was the school's first since first regular-season title since sharing the 2000 title and its first outright title since joining the conference in 1991. They defeated Texas State in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament before losing in the semifinals to Texas–Arlington. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to LSU.

The 2017–18 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns are led by sixth-year head coach Garry Brodhead and play their double-header home games at the Cajundome with the men and single games at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium, which is located on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a 3-way tie for sixth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt women's tournament where they lost to Texas State.

The 2018–19 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represents the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns are led by seventh-year head coach Garry Brodhead and play all home games at the Cajundome along with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference.

The 2013–14 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by second-year head coach Gary Broadhead; they played their double-header home games at the Cajundome with other games at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium, which is located on campus. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 14–16, 7–11 in Sun Belt play to finish in a two-way tie for seventh place. They were eliminated in the first round of the Sun Belt women's tournament.

The 2014–15 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by third-year head coach Garry Brodhead and played all their home games at the Cajundome with the a select few at the Earl K. Long Gymnasium, which is located on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. They were members in the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 23-12, 10–10 in Sun Belt play to finish in sixth place. They advanced to the semifinal game of the Sun Belt women's tournament where they lost to Arkansas State by the score of 61-63. They competed in the Women's Basketball Invitational and went to the championship game, winning by the score of 52-50 against the Siena Saints

The 2020–21 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by eleventh-year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome as members of the Sun Belt Conference. With the creation of divisions to cut down on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they played in the West Division.

The 2021–22 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by tenth-year head coach Garry Brodhead, played all home games at the Cajundome along with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team. They were members of the Sun Belt Conference.

The 2022–23 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ragin' Cajuns, led by 13th-year head coach Bob Marlin, played their home games at the Cajundome as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 26–8, 13–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Georgia Southern, Texas State, and South Alabama to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East region. Then they lost to Tennessee in the first round.

References

  1. ↑ "Cajundome - A - Z". Archived from the original on 2016-10-29. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  2. ↑ Gomez Sr., Ronald J. (2006-11-16). "8". My Name Is Ron, and I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative. Lafayette, LA: Zemog Publishing (published 2000). pp. 73, 95. ISBN   0-595-86001-X . Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Cajundome Turns 25 Today! | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana". Archived from the original on 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
  4. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ Weingardt, Richard G. (May 1, 2013). "William J. Mouton: Tube Structure Pioneer and Foundation Innovator". Structure Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  6. ↑ "A Concrete Achievement". Engineering News-Record. 213 (1). New York City: McGraw-Hill Education: 77. 1984. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Mission Statement of Cajundome". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  8. ↑ "Largest College Basketball Arenas". Fueled by Sports. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Lafayette Roughnecks". arenafan.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Lafayette Wildcatters Minor League Football". oursportscentral.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns School History". sports-reference.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Winning the big one has been elusive for New Orleans pros lately, but Regis Prograis changed that". nola.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Louisiana IceGators Statistics and History (ECHL)". hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  14. ↑ Burgess, Richard (August 17, 2010). "IceGators to chill at the 'Dome'". The Advocate. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Louisiana IceGators suspend operations for 2016-2017 season". SPHL. May 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ Crossley, Andy (September 5, 2013). "1997–1998 Lafayette SwampCats". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Cajundome". Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Department.
  18. ↑ "Cajundome and Convention Center". Cajundome. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

30°13′6.4″N92°2′20.6″W / 30.218444°N 92.039056°W / 30.218444; -92.039056

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