Lamar Cardinals football
| Lamar Cardinals football | |||
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| First season | 1923 | ||
| Athletic director | Jason Henderson | ||
| Head coach |
Mike Schultz 1st year, 0–0 (–) |
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| Stadiums |
Provost Umphrey Stadium (1964–present) South Park High School "Greenie Stadium" (c. 1923–1963) |
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| Field | W. S. Bud Leonard Field | ||
| Seating capacity | 16,000 | ||
| Field surface | Hellas Matrix Turf | ||
| Location | Beaumont, Texas | ||
| Conference | Southland | ||
| All-time record | 202–263–9 (.436) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) | ||
| Conference titles | 5 (1957T, 1964, 1965, 1966T, 1971T) | ||
| Colors | Red and White |
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| Fight song | Cardinals Fight! | ||
| Mascot | Cardinal | ||
| Marching band | The Showcase of Southeast Texas | ||
| Rivals |
McNeese State Louisiana–Lafayette Sam Houston State |
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| Website | Lamar Cardinals | ||
The Lamar Cardinals football program represents Lamar University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Cardinals are members of the Southland Conference and play their home games in the 16,000 seat Provost Umphrey Stadium. As of December 22, 2016 The team's head coach is Mike Schultz.
From its inception as South Park Junior College in 1923, football was a part of Lamar's history. It was discontinued in 1928 because of a lack of common opponents but was revived again in 1932 by the renamed Lamar College. Coach John Gray led his charges to records of 8–1 that season and 8–1–1 in 1934 before the program was discontinued again in 1942 and did not resume again until the end of World War II. Football was restored in 1946 and the first football scholarships were offered. In the 1946 season Lamar posted an 8–2 ledger. The 1948 club (8–4–0) won two bowl games, and the 1949 outfit won an all time school record 10 games and another bowl trophy as the school bade farewell to the junior college era.
After the school moved up to the NAIA level in the Lone Star Conference, the Cardinals didn’t have a winning season until a superb 8–0–2 season in 1957 ignited a string of 11 consecutive winning campaigns. The 1961 team advanced to the Tangerine Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) against Middle Tennessee State on December 29, 1961, and won 21–14.
Just as the Cardinals were becoming a perennial contender in the Lone Star loop, school officials moved the athletic program forward into the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college division ranks in 1963 via the Southland Conference. The football team enjoyed immediate success with three straight SLC grid titles (1964–66). In 1964 the Cardinals were invited to the Pecan Bowl after a 6–3–1 campaign. The Cardinals lost 19–17 to Northern Iowa. The Cardinals had a second-place finish in 1967. A year later, the school's athletic program embarked on another challenge by upgrading to the NCAA Division I level.
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