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 seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
General history 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 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 to 1981. Lamar and the remainder of the Southland Conference moved to NCAA Division I-AA (FCS) in 1982.
On January 14, 2021, Lamar was one of five institutions announced as future members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), alongside three other Southland members from Texas (Abilene Christian, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin) plus Big Sky Conference member Southern Utah. Initially, all five schools were to join in July 2022, but the entry of Lamar and the other Texas schools was moved to 2021 after the Southland expelled its departing members.
The university has been a member of several conferences, including:
Conference History: Lone Star Conference 1951–52 to 1962–63 Southland Conference 1963–64 to 1985–86; rejoined 1999–2000 to 2020–21; 2022–present American South Conference (football Independent) 1986–87 to 1990–91 Sun Belt Conference (The larger American South Conference merged with the Sun Belt retaining the Sun Belt name.) 1991–92 to 1997–98 NCAA Division I Independent 1998–99 Western Athletic Conference, from 2021 to 2022
Sports sponsored Baseball Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Golf Football Soccer Golf Softball Tennis Tennis Track and field† Track and field† Volleyball
Men's sports
Baseball
The Cardinals baseball team has been coached by Coach Will Davis since 2017. He replaced Jim Gilligan who retired after the 2016 season. Gilligan coached the Cardinals for 39 years. With over 1000 career wins as a head coach he is one of the most winning coaches in NCAA history. Over ten LU players have moved on to play in the MLB, such as Kevin Millar and Brian Sanches. According to Baseball America.com, 83 Lamar Cardinals have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft as of the 2016 draft. Eleven drafted players played on a Major League Baseball team during their career. A total of six players have been selected in the first three rounds of the draft; two players in each of the first three.
The Cardinals baseball team has appeared in 13 NCAA Division I tournaments. The most recent appearance was in 2010. The Cardinals lead the Southland Conference with 10 regular season titles. The team won one regular season title in the Sun Belt Conference. Additionally, the team has won five conference tournaments. Two conference tournament titles were in the Sun Belt Conference (1993, 1995), and three conference tournament titles were in the Southland Conference (2002, 2004, 2010).
In the 2010 season the Lamar Cardinals Baseball team, seeded 7th in the SLC at the beginning of the conference tournament, went undefeated through the tournament and were crowned the 2010 SLC conference champions. The team received an NCAA tournament bid, playing TCU and Baylor.
Home games have been played at 3,500-seat Vincent-Beck Stadium since 1969. The stadium was also host to minor league baseball Double A Texas League pro team Beaumont Golden Gators as well as semi-pro Texas-Louisiana League Beaumont Bullfrogs.
Men's basketball
The basketball team plays in the 10,080-seat Montagne Center.
Jack Martin (1951–1976) led the Cardinals from NAIA to NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. He also led the Cardinals in the Lone Star Conference as well as the Southland Conference. The Cardinals won or shared three Lone Star Conference championships (1960–1961, 1961–1962, and 1962–1963) and two Southland Conference championships (1963–1964, 1969–1970) and also won 20 or more games in three seasons under Coach Martin (1961–1962, 1962–1963, and 1968–1969).
The Cardinals under Coach Billy Tubbs (1976–1980) had a Cinderella story NCAA tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16. During Tubbs's reign at Lamar he recruited 2 players, Clarence Kea and B.B. Davis, who would become all-Americans for Lamar, while Clarence would go on to play professionally in the NBA. The 1979 Cardinal Basketball team set records when it beat Portland State University 141–84; at the time, that game set an NCAA record for points in a single game. During the game, Mike Olliver set the single game scoring record at Lamar with 50 points; that record stood until January 4, 2011, when reserve guard Mike James scored 52 points in 28 minutes in a 114–62 win over Division III Louisiana College. As of January 5, 2011, James's performance is the top single-game scoring performance of the NCAA basketball season.
Pat Foster (1980–1986) continued the team's success by leading the Cardinals to three Southland Conference titles, two NCAA tournament appearances and four NIT appearances.
Following Pat Foster, there was a period of several short-term head coaches, including Tom Abatemarco (1986–1988), Tony Branch (1988–1990), and Mike Newell (1990–1993). During the period the Cardinals changed conferences three times moving from the Southland Conference to the newly formed American South Conference and then to the Sun Belt Conference. The best season during the period was a 20–11 overall record under Tom Abatemarco in the 1987–1988 season.
Grey Giovanine (1993–1999) was hired in 1993. The Cardinals completed the conference cycle moving from the Sun Belt Conference back to the Southland Conference in his last season with the Cardinals.
Mike Deane (1999–2003) was hired in 1999. In his first year, he returned the Cardinals to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the Pat Foster era. The Cardinals played Duke in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament.
Billy Tubbs (2003–2006) returned to Lamar University in 2002 as Athletics Director. In addition to Athletics Director, Tubbs returned as the Cardinals basketball team head coach in 2003 following Mike Deane's reassignment. Tubbs' return was highly anticipated and increased attendance. He turned the program around from 10th place in 2003 to tied for 4th in 2006. In 2006 Coach Tubbs stepped down as head basketball coach to concentrate on the athletic director position. He was succeeded by assistant and Lamar Alumnus Steve Roccaforte.
In the Roccaforte era (2006–2011) of Lamar Basketball Lamar had erratic success. The Cardinals under Roccaforte had wins over major programs like the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2008. Coach Roc took the Cardinals to the East Division Championship and a 19-win season in 2007–2008. Following the SLC championship the Cardinals failed to reach the conference tournament for the next three seasons. Coach Roc's time at Lamar has been marked by some successes and very highly ranked recruiting classes. Coach Roc was relieved of duties after the 2010–2011 season.
Pat Knight (2011–2014) was hired on April 5, 2011, as head coach. He previously served as head coach at Texas Tech University from 2008 to 2011. In his first year as Lamar head coach, Coach Knight led the Cardinals to the NCAA tournament and the first 20+ win season since 1988. The Cardinals played Vermont in the 2012 NCAA tournament After failing to win more than three games each of the next two seasons, Coach Knight was relieved of his duties in February 2014.
Tic Price (2014–2021) served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2013–2014 season. He was named head coach on March 18, 2014. Price coached through the 2020–21 season.
Alvin Brooks (2021–present) was named head coach on April 1, 2021.
Men's cross country Men's cross country holds 17 Southland Conference titles and two American South Conference titles as of 2019. The team won six of those titles consecutively from 2006 to 2011. Men's cross country also won five consecutive conference titles from 2013 to 2017.
USTFCCCA All-Americans 1969 – Gerry Garcia (23rd) 2006 – Francis Kasagule (29th) 10K 2007 – Francis Kasagule (24th) 10K 2008 – Samuel Kosgei (37th) 10K 2012 – Matt Johnsen (33rd) 10K
Football
1923–1989 Football began in 1923 when the university was known as South Park Junior College. It was discontinued in 1928 because of a lack of common opponents but was revived again in 1932 by the renamed Lamar College. The program was suspended during World War II again in 1942 and was restored in 1946 and the first football scholarships were offered.
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. Home games during the Lone Star Conference years were at South Park High School's Greenie Stadium, an 8,500-seat stadium at the original site of Lamar's predecessor, South Park Junior College.
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.
Football went independent when Lamar left the SLC in 1987 to join the basketball-flavored American South Conference. Dismal support finally led to larger-than-expected deficits and provided the bottom line fodder for five new appointees to the then-Lamar board of regents to pull the plug on football at their first official session in 1989 (5 to 4 vote).
2010–present After over 20 years with no football program, Lamar restarted the program with first games in 2010. The university hired former NFL player Ray Woodard as the head coach to lead the charge in bringing the Cardinals back to the gridiron. Former basketball coach Billy Tubbs was hired as the athletic director in 2006 and had a significant role in bringing back the Cardinals Football team. Lamar played their first game in over 20 years on September 4, 2010, at rival McNeese State University. The Cardinals lost a close game 27–30 in front of over 19,000 at MSU's Cowboy Stadium. The 2010 Cardinals finished 5–6 with DI wins over Southeastern Louisiana and South Dakota.
Stadiums
South Park High School Greenie Stadium (c. 1923–1963) Home games through the Lone Star Conference years were at South Park High School's Greenie Stadium, an 8,500-seat stadium at the original site of Lamar's predecessor, South Park Junior College. Although Greenie Stadium was off-campus, it was less than one mile from the Lamar's current campus.
Cardinal Stadium now named Provost Umphrey Stadium (1964–present)