(10-18-2014 11:31 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote:  If you want to know the whole history of the battle for a name.

http://www.angelfire.com/la3/ulragincajuns/battle.html

If you read this you will understand.

I'm pretty familiar with the Cajuns side and understand why they want to be UL. But I'm really not sure why UL-M wants to be UL-M. It seems to me they would be much better off with "University of Monroe". I don't see what the negative to that would be.

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yes.

(10-18-2014 11:18 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 10:57 PM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 10:47 PM)SBEagle Wrote:  A friend, who is a uga fan asked me who was in our conference. I started naming schools and after reading this board I mentioned Louisiana. He looked at me like a deer in headlights. I then said Louisiana layfayette, and he said oh the Cajuns. Like it or not, it's who you are to most of the college football world.

I've experienced this too. I try to do my part in using Louisiana, but when I tell e.g. my dad that we're playing Louisiana this weekend, I don't think it registers like Louisiana-Lafayette does. I also feel like I've heard announcers refer to "Lafayette" as much as I've heard "Louisiana." I'm not saying it's fair, and I know it's not the brand that's being sought, but it's still the state of things.

I guess I'd understand the anger more if I were in the position of Cajun fans and saw folks using the "wrong" terms just to get under my skin, but I bet there's no ill intent most of the time.

This is fundamentally a Louisiana issue. It won't be solved until it is solved in Louisiana. At some point "ULL" and "ULM" need to figure out that it needs to be solved because it is holding both back, and then get a solution implemented.

Frankly, they would be better off as "University of Louisiana" and "University of Monroe" or "ULM" and "Acadiana". Being hyphenated helps neither.

It really doesn't matter if they are in a conference with LaTech, ULM, or Tulane it will be the same unless it is solved in Louisiana first.

Jumping on other fan bases until that point is counter-productive and makes them WANT to use it to get them riled up.

We have tried we are not switching again. Fans have come up with all types of alternatives Acadiana University, Louisiana University, like KU, or OU. We can't legally use UL, ULA. Some fans think we should just use LA as a reference. I personally think we need to use Lou.

Then you get into the discussion LA looks to much like Los Angeles and Lou looks to much like Louisville.

(10-18-2014 11:37 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yes.

Depends on their records.

I think the name game is just stupid. I don't see Louisiana as being more impressive than ULL. Actually just the opposite, since there's so many schools in Louisiana.

(10-18-2014 11:50 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:37 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yes.

Depends on their records.

I think the name game is just stupid. I don't see Louisiana as being more impressive than ULL. Actually just the opposite, since there's so many schools in Louisiana.

It makes us look small-time. We are thinking on a bigger level

(10-18-2014 11:50 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:37 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yes.

Depends on their records.

I think the name game is just stupid. I don't see Louisiana as being more impressive than ULL. Actually just the opposite, since there's so many schools in Louisiana.

For better or worse "directional school" or "hyphenated-school" is a derogatory term in college sports. That's pretty widespread.

Again, I don't understand why UL-M is insistent on the status quo.

How is this not in the smack bin?

Oh, that's right. We are the red headed step child here.

(10-19-2014 12:17 AM)AstroCajun Wrote:  How is this not in the smack bin?

Oh, that's right. We are the red headed step child here.

;_; ;_; ;_;

(10-18-2014 10:28 PM)_x_ Wrote:  I've never fully understood why it makes the UL(L) fans so mad. Haven't been associated with the conference long enough to know the history I guess. What's so bad about Louisiana-Lafayette?

Sam Houston State fans called us Texas State-San Marcos (which was our official name until a couple years ago) because they didn't approve of our name change when it happened. Difference is there were no other Texas State-(city name)'s in the state. We were always the only Texas State.

Why do the Cajun fans consider ULL so derogatory?

Imagine wanting something for 30 years and never quite getting it. Then you can start to begin to see how we see things.

(10-19-2014 12:23 AM)AstroCajun Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 10:28 PM)_x_ Wrote:  I've never fully understood why it makes the UL(L) fans so mad. Haven't been associated with the conference long enough to know the history I guess. What's so bad about Louisiana-Lafayette?

Sam Houston State fans called us Texas State-San Marcos (which was our official name until a couple years ago) because they didn't approve of our name change when it happened. Difference is there were no other Texas State-(city name)'s in the state. We were always the only Texas State.

Why do the Cajun fans consider ULL so derogatory?

Imagine wanting something for 30 years and never quite getting it. Then you can start to begin to see how we see things.

How about a good, consistently winning football team? Yeah, we've been waiting since 1982.

look every fan base have radicals not every Cajun fan hate every member of the conference I for one am a conference supporter I support every team OC schedule and support the ones that play for my cause doing conference but we all do that. To judge the whole fan base off of our board is crazy Im sure if I went on any one else fan base you could find the same.

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 10:27 PM)Eagles Cliff Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 10:14 PM)swampbear Wrote:  Good luck to all here...I am sorry to say that I am done with the fan forum.......

What an entitlement mentality!

3 winning seasons and some butts in the seats for a change and you're too good for the SBC and need to be called UL even though your official name is UL-Lafayette? Your program has been a dumpster fire for decades. Congrats on being relevant for at least 40% of one decade.

Be proud you've built the program up from where it was, have local and alumni support and appear to be stable. The SBC is just as good a place as any for your program because it will NEVER be a P5.

We are all specks on a gnat's butt in the big picture of college football, especially in SEC territory. Win your conference and punch Big Boy in the mouth from time to time - same formula for MAC, CUSA, AAC, and MW.

Our name was changed to University of Louisiana in 84 or 85. Then after the law was passed that only the State Legislators had the power to change a Schools name and not the Board of Trustees which was the process other schools changed their names such as UNO. After they made us change our name back like 3 months after the name was changed, we had to change our name back to USL. We were UL officially for a few months.

Officially the University's name is University of Louisiana at Lafayette annd that name is used on all official correspondence, but in sports the fans or media can call us what they want such as the Texas Longhorns are officially University of Texas at Austin. And the same with other schools such as Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Tennessee, etc.

And you are free to call us ULL, ULALA, LA LAF, LAFAYETTE. I really don't care. In at least the Acadiana area, all students refer to the University as UL or Louisiana whether they are a sports fan or not. That's just the name it's known as at least in south Louisiana.

Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette. You are free to say it. Up here in Boise, they say they beat Louisiana, they aren't afraid of the LSU police. At our game against Boise, so many of their fans asked me if I was an LSU fan, I'd say nope and thry would respond, good.

When I determined how important it was for Cajun fans' school to be referred as University of Louisiana, I accommodated them. It didn't matter to me.

(10-18-2014 07:20 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote:  First off we do not have a LaTech complex. It's the fact that this conference and teams in this conference undermine what we are trying to do. Our goal is to become Louisiana, and to become the 2nd best in Louisiana. We have been trying to earn that name for the past 14 years. Also it does not help also with being in a conference with ULM. The fans take it as a slap in the face by conference members and by the conference itself when they refer to us as ULL.

The thread got started because you have AState fans calling us ULALA, LALA, and ULL. But I understand why you want to be called UL rather than ULL and I support your cause. Also support ULM doing something other than ULM.

You say you want to be the second best in the state and you had a chance to show that with LaTech early in the season and fell flat on your face. Made UL and the SBC look bad. My problem with UL is they continue to fall flat on their face in almost every bigger OOC game. A major reason why I believe Hud won't make it out of Cajun country. I also support your cause with UL rather than ULL and wish ULM would agree to another change. There is no magic in ULM.

(10-19-2014 05:53 AM)Florida Red Wolf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 07:20 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote:  First off we do not have a LaTech complex. It's the fact that this conference and teams in this conference undermine what we are trying to do. Our goal is to become Louisiana, and to become the 2nd best in Louisiana. We have been trying to earn that name for the past 14 years. Also it does not help also with being in a conference with ULM. The fans take it as a slap in the face by conference members and by the conference itself when they refer to us as ULL.

The thread got started because you have AState fans calling us ULALA, LALA, and ULL. But I understand why you want to be called UL rather than ULL and I support your cause. Also support ULM doing something other than ULM.

You say you want to be the second best in the state and you had a chance to show that with LaTech early in the season and fell flat on your face. Made UL and the SBC look bad. My problem with UL is they continue to fall flat on their face in almost every bigger OOC game. A major reason why I believe Hud won't make it out of Cajun country. I also support your cause with UL rather than ULL and wish ULM would agree to another change. There is no magic in ULM.

That's why the fans were pissed after that lost. That's why you don't get blown out by LaTech. Hud got a lot $hit from some fans after that one.

(10-18-2014 09:04 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  You being branded as Louisiana would be a benefit to the conference and the rest of us. Your fans sometimes make it really, really, hard to want to though.

I use Louisiana so the thread doesn't get hijacked.
UL does make the conference sound better more P5ish.
Most of the seven recent football additions have that .
The casual fan would be more interested in playing Texas State than UT-SAn Marcos.

(10-19-2014 07:27 AM)Bigtom12 Wrote:  

(10-19-2014 05:53 AM)Florida Red Wolf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 07:20 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote:  First off we do not have a LaTech complex. It's the fact that this conference and teams in this conference undermine what we are trying to do. Our goal is to become Louisiana, and to become the 2nd best in Louisiana. We have been trying to earn that name for the past 14 years. Also it does not help also with being in a conference with ULM. The fans take it as a slap in the face by conference members and by the conference itself when they refer to us as ULL.

The thread got started because you have AState fans calling us ULALA, LALA, and ULL. But I understand why you want to be called UL rather than ULL and I support your cause. Also support ULM doing something other than ULM.

You say you want to be the second best in the state and you had a chance to show that with LaTech early in the season and fell flat on your face. Made UL and the SBC look bad. My problem with UL is they continue to fall flat on their face in almost every bigger OOC game. A major reason why I believe Hud won't make it out of Cajun country. I also support your cause with UL rather than ULL and wish ULM would agree to another change. There is no magic in ULM.

That's why the fans were pissed after that lost. That's why you don't get blown out by LaTech. Hud got a lot $hit from some fans after that one.

Any suggestions for Monroe maybe University of Monroe .
Maybe Duck Dynasty will pay to change it to Robertson U.

(10-18-2014 11:50 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:37 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(10-18-2014 11:35 PM)IdahoCajun Wrote:  Don't you think it would be better to say you beat Louisiana instead of ULL or Louisiana-Lafayette.

Yes.

Depends on their records.

I think the name game is just stupid. I don't see Louisiana as being more impressive than ULL. Actually just the byopposite, since there's so many schools in Louisiana.

Our President fiought for the name change for Academics, not Sports. With all he did to get the Academics and Research where it needed to be, he felt that we outgrown the double directionak name of Southwestern Louisiana. We were also the 2nd largest University in the tri-state area of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

He felt that double Directional name made us seem like a small regional college. For instance if you were hiring for a company and 2 people walked in, one with a degree from the University of Southwestern (State) and University of (State), you would automatically think that the person from University of (State) had the better education.

My best friend has a degree fron University of Louisiana when we changed our name in April of 84, but when the law was passed, led by LSU,, our name was changed back and they had to issue my friend a degree with the old name.. So he hws a souvenir.

Then in 1999, to appease us, a law was passed that stated for any school to change their name to University of Louisiana, 2 schools had to change at the same time with the city tag. LSU supporters knew this would cause troub)e. Also, known as the LSU Rule, LSU had to be refered to the Flagship University of the State even though they are no part of the University of Louisiana school system

I would rather my degrees have the University of Louisiana name instead of Southwestern Louisiana and UL Lafayette. Southwestern to an outside employer looks like a small regional school and the at Lafayette looks like it is a branch of a larger university.

The name had nothing to do with Sports, our President didn't even like Sports, it was all about academics which I don't think is STUPID since everything is in a name and reputation when trying to get research grants. When I was going for my PhD at Ole Miss, the name and reputation definitely helped when we were trying to get our research grants.

Just in case you are interested in the Louisiana politics and the LSU paranoia, read the following, it's really interesting. You will have a different opinion on the importance of our name change that was stipped from us after we officially changed our name to the University of Louisiana in 1984. This fight has been going on for over 30 years.

http://www.angelfire.com/la3/ulragincajuns/battle.html

For those of you interested in the name change issue, I will give my own opinion of that change. As a Cajun fan stated earlier, it required 2 or more universities to change and that each would carry the University of Louisiana at (city) title. There was to be NO University of Louisiana. The vast majority of alumni opposed the name change. Partly due to nostalgic reasons and partly due to many of us feeling that ULL would do exactly what they are doing now....attempting to usurp the name University of Louisiana and drop all references to Lafayette. Look at their uniforms, their field markings and their URL for the school. They can call it a "branding" issue all they want but they couldn't get it in the 80s so they are trying a backdoor way now.

Back to the change. This was pushed by the ULM President at the time, Lawson Swearigen. Believe me, he was extremely disliked by students, alumni, and faculty. He took a good university, with great programs in Pharmacy, Nursing, Construction, and Business and nearly cost us our accreditation. That was the reason for an unannounced early resignation. He even replaced the coach who brought us into D1A, Ed Zaunbrecher, who was getting us 5 wins a year as an independent. If your think our OOC schedule is rough now, you should have seen the schedules he had to go up against. Swearigen saddled us with Bobby Keasler, a political move many of us felt, and away we went to great seasons of losing to Wofford. Swearigen is so disliked that they school brings him back and announces him at football games and he is roundly booed.

Sorry I went on a tangent. I have very strong feelings about the man who shoved a name change down our throats and damn near ruined my Alma Mater. Long story short, there won't be a name change to something else. We chose ULM as a branding name that honors the intent and letter of the law. And we oppose any attempt by ULL to do otherwise.[/i]

(10-19-2014 07:50 PM)InjunJohn Wrote:  For those of you interested in the name change issue, I will give my own opinion of that change. As a Cajun fan stated earlier, it required 2 or more universities to change and that each would carry the University of Louisiana at (city) title. There was to be NO University of Louisiana. The vast majority of alumni opposed the name change. Partly due to nostalgic reasons and partly due to many of us feeling that ULL would do exactly what they are doing now....attempting to usurp the name University of Louisiana and drop all references to Lafayette. Look at their uniforms, their field markings and their URL for the school. They can call it a "branding" issue all they want but they couldn't get it in the 80s so they are trying a backdoor way now.

Back to the change. This was pushed by the ULM President at the time, Lawson Swearigen. Believe me, he was extremely disliked by students, alumni, and faculty. He took a good university, with great programs in Pharmacy, Nursing, Construction, and Business and nearly cost us our accreditation. That was the reason for an unannounced early resignation. He even replaced the coach who brought us into D1A, Ed Zaunbrecher, who was getting us 5 wins a year as an independent. If your think our OOC schedule is rough now, you should have seen the schedules he had to go up against. Swearigen saddled us with Bobby Keasler, a political move many of us felt, and away we went to great seasons of losing to Wofford. Swearigen is so disliked that they school brings him back and announces him at football games and he is roundly booed.

Sorry I went on a tangent. I have very strong feelings about the man who shoved a name change down our throats and damn near ruined my Alma Mater. Long story short, there won't be a name change to something else. We chose ULM as a branding name that honors the intent and letter of the law. And we oppose any attempt by ULL to do otherwise.[/i]

Bobby Keasler was actually our defensive backs coach in high school in Abbeville when I played defensive tackle. He then went to McNeese.

I thought at first Swearingen was originally opposed to the name change along with the alumni, fans, students, etc. It took nearly 4 yrs for NLU to jump on board as the second University, probably pressure from USL.

The name changed did have advantages academically, especially in getting research grants. When going for my PhD at Ole Miss, your name does come into play when trying to get research grants, especially when you are competing with other big name Universities for the grant money.

The thing that upset me the most of us getting stripped of the University of Louisiana name after a few months of having the name in 84 was mainly academically. I was going to get my degree with the new name but ended up with the USL degree which wasn't as attractive to employers as Louisiana in my opinion. The alumni was upset because of sports.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette must be used on all official correspondence by the University. Alumni, fans, media, other teams fans are free to call the Sports teams whatever they feel. Just like it doesn't bother me if other fans call us ULALA, LA LAF, ULL, or Lafayette.

I think we need to stick with 1 name in sports and use it consistently, whether its Louisiana-Lafayette or Louisiana. Louisiana hadn't caught on Nationally, just local. Nationally most people know us as Louisiana-Lafayette, Cajuns, or Ragin Cajuns. I'm in Idaho and the names I just stated are the names we wre known as. If you say University of Louisiana, people not local always asks where is that?

I just hate that both schools names makes it look like we are a branch of University of Louisiana which doesn't exist, especially academically.

(10-19-2014 07:50 PM)InjunJohn Wrote:  For those of you interested in the name change issue, I will give my own opinion of that change. As a Cajun fan stated earlier, it required 2 or more universities to change and that each would carry the University of Louisiana at (city) title. There was to be NO University of Louisiana. The vast majority of alumni opposed the name change. Partly due to nostalgic reasons and partly due to many of us feeling that ULL would do exactly what they are doing now....attempting to usurp the name University of Louisiana and drop all references to Lafayette. Look at their uniforms, their field markings and their URL for the school. They can call it a "branding" issue all they want but they couldn't get it in the 80s so they are trying a backdoor way now.

Back to the change. This was pushed by the ULM President at the time, Lawson Swearigen. Believe me, he was extremely disliked by students, alumni, and faculty. He took a good university, with great programs in Pharmacy, Nursing, Construction, and Business and nearly cost us our accreditation. That was the reason for an unannounced early resignation. He even replaced the coach who brought us into D1A, Ed Zaunbrecher, who was getting us 5 wins a year as an independent. If your think our OOC schedule is rough now, you should have seen the schedules he had to go up against. Swearigen saddled us with Bobby Keasler, a political move many of us felt, and away we went to great seasons of losing to Wofford. Swearigen is so disliked that they school brings him back and announces him at football games and he is roundly booed.

Sorry I went on a tangent. I have very strong feelings about the man who shoved a name change down our throats and damn near ruined my Alma Mater. Long story short, there won't be a name change to something else. We chose ULM as a branding name that honors the intent and letter of the law. And we oppose any attempt by ULL to do otherwise.[/i]

Actually you didn't chose ULM first, your administration used Louisiana first and when that didn't work out ULM was chosen. Sadly, not only do you oppose UL, but the use of Louisiana after the fact. It certainly honored the intent of the law for ULM until it failed. You can count on the Monrovians to leave out parts of the story, never the complete truth.