Inside The Birdcage - Remembering Ray
Cajun Nation mourns the loss of a familiar face from behind-the-scenes
Jay Walker, Special to RaginCajuns.com
Cajun Nation lost a good one early Monday morning.
You may not know the name Ray Sutley. But if you are a Ragin' Cajuns fan, you probably recognized his face. And, if you listened to the radio, you certainly knew his voice.
Ray lost a long battle with lymphoma and its complications at the age of 66.
Those of us in the media lost a cherished colleague. My personal relationship with “Sudsy”, as a lot of us called him, went all the way back to 1977 when I went to work at KSMB Radio. Ray did the mid-day show. I did afternoons. And, for the last 30 years, Ray and I were together at KPEL Radio. He most recently oversaw commercial production at Townsquare Media, a position he held for over a decade.
Ray worked on Ragin' Cajuns Football broadcasts in the mid-1980s and early 90s. But his relationship with Cajuns sports was deeper than that.
When he wasn’t on the football broadcasts, he was on the athletic department's stat crew, helping to compile the information that you read about or heard about. He did the same for basketball and that went back to the days at Blackham Coliseum.
Ray had the best seat in the house, watching more than 30 years of Ragin' Cajuns’ basketball courtside. He continued on the stat crew, even as his health declined. He also pinch hit at the Cajundome as public address announcer if the need was present.
Ray loved the Ragin’ Cajuns. He was an alumnus, but even if he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have loved them any less. It was almost standard operating procedure for him to come by my office after each and every Cajuns game regardless of the season. But when he worked, he was all business. He did his job on the stat crew, and did it well. He refrained from yelling at officials or cheering a good play although I know he wanted to.
Ray was a devoted husband to Justine and God couldn’t have picked a better father for daughter, Eden. He was fiercely proud of both of them.
He worked with many of sports information directors during his time serving Ragin' Cajuns Athletics. And, if we lined them all up today, they’d all talk about how they loved him.
I loved him, too.
Rest in Peace, Sudsy. I’ll see you on the other side. And I’ll bring the single malt.
