Cajun Field - Facilities - Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Cajun Field

Football


Year Opened	1971
Seating Capacity	41,426
Playing Surface	Matrix Turf
First Game	September 21, 1971 (Louisiana 21, Santa Clara 0)
Largest Crowd	41,357 - vs. Southern (Sept. 5, 2009)

Cajun Field has served as the home of Ragin’ Cajuns football since September 1971. The stadium has undergone changes twice in its history with capacity increased to 31,000 beginning in 1992 before updated seating in the south end zone prior to the 2014 season expanded Cajun Field to 41,426.

Cajun Field was built in time for the 1971 football season. The characteristics which helped create the name and traditions have been there since the initial construction.

For the first 17 years, Louisiana’s football stadium was simply known as Cajun Field. In the summer of 1988, then-Strength & Conditioning Coach Mickey Faulkinberry suggested referring to Cajun Field as "The Swamp".

The name stuck for various reasons. To start, the field surface is set two feet below sea level in a natural bowl. In addition to providing a picturesque surrounding, the sunken facility allows most fans to walk down to their stadium seats. The Cajuns and their opponents must enter Cajun Field through a long tunnel from the Cox Communications Athletic Center.

"The Swamp" nickname also fits in with the geographic makeup of the area, with its many surrounding bayous and wetlands, as well as the close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, which lies just 30 miles south.

In fact, a popular gathering place for Louisiana students and a regular stop for visitors is the small swamp located in the heart of UL’s main campus, which sits adjacent to the Student Union. Ironically, the on-campus swamp, officially named Cypress Lake, lays over the original football field that existed during the early 1900’s, adding to the distinct nickname.

The National Wetlands Center, a nationally renown research facility that UL hosts and administers, is located less than a half-mile from Cajun Field.

In the summer of 2008, Cajun Field removed its long-standing natural grass and entered a new era with a synthetic playing surface
Cajun Field hosted the 1,000th Cajuns game in school history on Nov. 1, 2008 before a then-Sun Belt record crowd of 29,031. UL was the SBC Attendance Champion in 2004, 2008 and 2011.

Louisiana has enjoyed plenty of memorable moments since the venue opened in 1971.

The greatest of those moments came during the 1996 season when the Ragin’ Cajuns opened their 26th season in the facility with the biggest upset in school history, a 29-22 victory over No. 25 Texas A&M in front of a then- record crowd of 38,783 fans.

That mark surpassed the previous record crowd of 36,133 that saw the Cajuns face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 6, 1990.

EVENTS HOSTED


2005	New Orleans Bowl

TOP 10 ATTENDANCE MARKS


1.	41,357, Southern (9/5/09)
2.	38,783, Texas A&M (9/14/96)
3.	36,170, Southern (8/30/14)
4.	36,133, Alabama (10/6/90)
5.	33,828, McNeese State (9/15/07)
6.	32,823, North Texas (10/15/11)
7.	30,176, Arkansas State (11/6/76)
8.	30,028 New Mexico State (11/2/13)
9.	29,775, Troy (10/8/11)
10.	29,758, Tulane (10/6/12)