Lamar Cardinals
| Lamar Cardinals Lady Cardinals |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Lamar University |
| Conference | Southland Conference |
| NCAA | Division I – FCS |
| Athletic director | Jason Henderson |
| Location | Beaumont, Texas |
| Varsity teams | 17 (8 men's, 9 women's) |
| Football stadium | Provost Umphrey Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Montagne Center |
| Baseball stadium | Vincent-Beck Stadium |
| Softball stadium | Lamar Softball Complex |
| Soccer stadium | Lamar Soccer Complex |
| Other arenas |
McDonald Gym Thompson Family Tennis Center Ty Terrell Track |
| Mascot | Big Red |
| Nickname | Cardinals |
| Fight song | Lamar Fight song |
| Colors | Red and White |
| Website | www |
The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals (variously Cardinals or Cards) refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in all seventeen NCAA Division I sports sponsored by the Southland Conference.
The school has participated in practically every level of collegiate athletics from its inception as a junior college in 1923 to its realization as a university in 1971. The newest teams are the reinstated football team which returned in 2010 and Women's softball which returned in the 2013 season. The adoption of the nickname "Cardinals" dates back to the school's name change to Lamar in 1932.
Athletics at Lamar University began when the school opened as South Park Junior College in September 1923. Initially the school was using the name "Brahmas" as its mascot. When the school changed its name in 1932 to reflect that it served a much wider area than just South Park, a contest was held to determine the school's name. When Lamar was finally chosen, John Gray — head coach and athletic director at the time dropped the old athletic nickname "Brahmas" and chose a new name, "Cardinals."
When Lamar became a four-year college in 1951, it entered the highly competitive Lone Star Conference, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) association. Lamar moved to NCAA College Division (Now NCAA D-II) in 1963 along with the newly formed Southland Conference. In 1973, the university and Southland Conference moved to NCAA University Division (Now NCAA D-I). Lamar has competed at the NCAA Division I level since that time.
When the NCAA Division I split, the Southland Conference competed at the NCAA Division I-A (now FBS) level from 1978–1981. Lamar and the remainder of the Southland Conference moved to NCAA Division I-AA (FCS) in 1982.
The university has been a member of several conferences, including:
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Wikipedia