Louisiana-Lafayette stadium slated for $15M in upgrades

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Louisiana-Lafayette's Cajun Field will undergo $15 million in renovations and improvements because of a local hospital's decision to provide the largest philanthropic gift in the history of the Ragin' Cajuns athletic department.

Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center will receive naming rights in exchange for what ULL Athletic Director Bryan Maggard described as a “transformational gift" this week.

Provided during a 15-year period, the donation will help finance suites, a club level with outdoor seating, loge boxes, and press box at the university's 50-year-old football stadium.

The gift comes on the heels on the most successful football season in Ragin' Cajuns history. Louisiana-Lafayette ended last season ranked 15th in the AP Top 25 Poll after capping a 10-1 campaign with a victory over Texas-San Antonio in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.

The Cajuns are coming off consecutive seasons with double-digit victories under coach Billy Napier after going 11-3 in 2019.

Napier, who was reportedly a candidate to fill head coaching openings at Auburn and South Carolina last year, called the stadium upgrades “a crucial part of the overall process of building our football program from both a recruiting and developmental standpoint.”

The on-campus stadium, which opened in 1971, will now be renamed Cajun Field at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.

The renovations "will play a pivotal role in the future of our campus community and Ragin’ Cajuns athletics,” Maggard said.

The club area will also serve as a dining facility for the university's 400-plus student-athletes throughout the year.

Further planned improvements include a videoboard, lights, a sound system, renovated seating along the west sideline, a new facade on the stadium's east side and office space.

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