History
The early years
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
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.
Provost Umphrey Stadium is a 16,000-seat multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. The stadium, home to the Lamar Cardinals football team, is located next to the Montagne Center. While primarily used for football, Provost Umphrey Stadium is also a concert venue with seating up to 20,000 for concerts. The stadium was completely renovated in 2009 and is designed to allow for a future expansion to 28,000.
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 McNeese Cowboys football program is the intercollegiate American football team for McNeese State University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. McNeese's first football team was fielded in 1940. The team plays its home games at the 17,410 seat Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
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 Lady Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. The team plays in the 10,080 seat Montagne Center. The Lady Cardinals currently compete at the NCAA Division I level in the Southland Conference.
The Battle of the Border is the name of the athletics rivalry between the Cardinals and Lady Cardinals of Lamar University and Cowboys and Cowgirls of McNeese State University. Originally in football, the rivalry now covers all sports. In 2009, the rivalry was expanded to include "...head-to-head and SLC [Southland Conference] Championship competition in 14 different sports...". The competition is a joint agreement with the two universities and sponsor, Verizon Wireless
The Lamar Lady Cardinals softball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team competes in the Southland Conference. The Lady Cardinals are currently led by head coach Amy Hooks. The team played its home games at the off–campus Ford Park for the first two seasons following the program restart in 2013. The Lady Cardinals began playing home games at the Lamar Softball Complex located on the university's campus starting with the 2015 season.
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 1988 Lamar Cardinals football season was the program's second season as an NCAA Division I-AA independent following the move from the Southland Conference to the newly formed non-football American South Conference. The Cardinals ended the season with a 3–8 overall record in the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Cardinals played their home games at the on-campus Cardinal Stadium, now named Provost Umphrey Stadium.
The 1977 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1977 NCAA Division I 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 1977 season with a 2–9 overall record and a 1–4 conference record. One highlight for the season was that the game against the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns was the fifth-highest-attended game in the history of the stadium, with 17,222 fans in attendance.
The 1978 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Southland Conference. NCAA Division I split into Division I-A, the current Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and Division I-AA, the current Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), for football in 1978. Lamar and the Southland Conference opted to compete at the Division I-A level. The Cardinals played their home games at Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar finished the 1978 season with a 2–8–1 overall record and a 0–5 conference record. The 1978 season marked Bob Frederick's final season as Lamar's head football coach.
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 1982 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 1982 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 1982 season with a 4–7 overall record and a 1–4 conference record. The 1982 had a couple of firsts for the program. 1982 was the first season for the Cardinals to play at the NCAA Division I-AA level. The 1982 season was also the first season with new head coach Ken Stephens.
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 Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I college soccer. The team, currently led by head coach Nathan Kogut, competes in the Southland Conference. The team's initial season was 2007. The Lady Cardinals' home stadium is the Lamar Soccer Complex located on the university's campus. The team began playing home games there starting with the 2009 season. The Lady Cardinals home stadium for the first two seasons was Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium.
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 2021 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Cardinals were led by second-year head coach Blane Morgan and played their home games at Provost Umphrey Stadium. The game against North American University is not included in the Western Athletic Conference or AQ7 standings because it was classed as an exhibition game and was not countable due to NCAA policies.
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, United States, 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.
The 2024 Lamar Cardinals football team represented Lamar University in the 2024 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. They were led by second–year head coach Pete Rossomando. The Cardinals finished the season with a 7–5 overall record, and a 4–3 record in Southland Conference play tied with Stephen F. Austin for a third–place conference finish. The 2023–24 seasons mark the Cardinal's first consecutive winning seasons since 1966–67.
