Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium

The Moncus Family Entrance at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium

The entrance into the McElligott Club of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium

The new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium opened on August 15, 2025

Guests attending the Grand Opening of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on August 15, 2025

Football

STADIUM FACTS
Year Opened	1971; refurbished in 2025
Seating Capacity (2025)	30,392
Playing Surface	Legion Pro 2.0
First Game	September 21, 1971 (Louisiana 21, Santa Clara 0)
Largest Crowd	41,357 - vs. Southern (Sept. 5, 2009)

WEST SIDE RENOVATION (2023-25)
Designers	DLR Group
	AQ Studios
Contractor	J.B. Mouton, LLC
Total Square Feet	70,000
Suites	34
Loge Boxes	40
Club Seats	524
Elevators	4 (3 passenger, 1 service)
Stadium Lighting	Musco LED; Minimum average - 125 candles
	100 total fixtures, including 16 RGBW for light shows

The area formerly known as Cajun Field has served as the home of Ragin’ Cajuns football since September 1971. The stadium has undergone changes three times 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.

Beginning after the 2023 season, a $65 million project to renovate the west side of the football stadium began, the most significant improvement to the facility since its inception in 1971.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium west upper deck and lower bowl will be completely revitalized and create a modern gameday experience that embraces the rich history of festivity within the Cajun culture.

ACSW & DLR Group Architects designed the project, and J.B. Mouton, LLC served as the builder.

The new west side now features 34 suites, 40 loge boxes, 524 club seats, an indoor club, five new chairback sections in the lower west bowl and enhanced amenities for all fans with a total capacity of more than 30,000.

Premium seating opportunities in Lourdes Stadium will revolutionize the way Ragin' Cajuns fans take in the action for every game. Each premium seating area from luxury suites, club seats and loge boxes offers something unique that has never been available at Cajun Field.

THE CAJUN FIELD YEARS (1971-2024)
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 through a long tunnel that begins just outside 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 renowned 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
2021	SBC Championship Game
2024	SBC Championship Game

TOP 10 ATTENDANCE MARKS


1.	41,357 - Southern (9/5/2009)
2.	38,783 - Texas A&M (9/14/1996)
3.	36,170 - Southern (8/30/2014)
4.	36,133 - Alabama (10/6/1990)
5.	33,828 - McNeese State (9/15/2007)
6.	32,823 - North Texas (10/15/2011)
7.	31,014 - Appalachian State (12/4/2021)
8.	30,176 - Arkansas State (11/6/1976)
9.	30,028 - New Mexico State (11/2/2013)
10.	29,775 - Troy (10/8/2011)