Sports

Big weekend for UL fans

by Leslie Turk

Saturday night's Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Celebration will be followed by Sunday afternoon's Fall Fan Day. This weekend UL Lafayette football fans have two great opportunities to get ready for the Cajuns Aug. 31 season opener on the road against Arkansas.

T-shirts courtesy of MidSouth Bank and Louisiana Safety
Systems, featuring Coach Hud's rope and rings from the Cajuns'
back-to-back bowl victories, will be given out to the first
5,000 fans at Fall Fan Day Sunday.

The 2nd Annual Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Celebration, an event to support all of the university's athletic program coaches, is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Cajundome Convention Center.  The event, organized by business leaders in the community, is expected to draw 1,200 to 1,500 Cajun supporters to salute the work the Cajun coaches are doing to build the athletic program and to retain quality coaches.

"We were grateful for the support for the inaugural event last year, but the response this year has been amazing," Blaine Barrilleaux, one of the coordinators for the RCAF event, says in a press release. "Businesses from throughout Acadiana are stepping up to sponsor this event, buy tables and be a part of what we know is going to be a special night for our coaches."

Groovy 7 is providing musical entertainment. Corporate tables are sold out, but tickets, $150 for two people, are still available.

Those supporters and more - the first 5,000 through the door receive a T-shirt from MidSouth South Bank and Louisiana Safety Systems, will return to the Cajundome (the dome itself) Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for Fall Fan Day, a free event to kick off game week. There will also be free Ragin' Cajuns autograph pennants for young fans.

Posters for the 2013 Louisiana football, volleyball, soccer teams as well as the Ragin' Jazz and cheerleaders will be available, as will Ragin' Cajuns schedule key tags. Fans will have a chance to get autographs from Ragin' Cajun football, soccer and volleyball players and coaches. The Ragin' Cajun cheerleaders and the Ragin' Jazz will also be on hand for autographs.

There will be fun jumps for the young fans, and the Red Zone will be set up for fans seeking to purchase Ragin' Cajuns merchandise.

Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to purchase season tickets, join the RCAF and pick up the commemorative DVD of the 2012 football season documentary "Tie That Binds."

The Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Department is hosting the event, which is presented by MidSouth Bank.

For more information on the Cajuns, like the Facebook page here; visit ticketmaster.com to purchase tickets for Saturday's RCAF fundraiser.