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. The Cardinals left the Southland Conference in July 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference, which relaunched its football league at the FCS level during the 2021 season. After one season in the WAC, Lamar and the Southland Conference announced on July 11, 2022 Lamar's accelerated return to the Southland Conference effective immediately.

History

The early years 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.

Lamar averaged 12,000 patrons through 1974, drawing a then record 16,226 against arch-rival McNeese State to Cardinal Stadium in 1972. The transition to Division I proved to be a spark for many LU sports but football experienced a downturn after 1974. Fans responded when new coach Larry Kennan delivered a 6–3–2 club in 1979; Games against Louisiana Tech (17,600) and West Texas State (17,250) rank second and third, respectively, behind the standing-room-only 18,500 Baylor drew for the 1980 opener. Lamar set an all-time attendance record by averaging 16,380 that season. The Cardinals’ signature win came on September 5, 1981, in an 18–17 win over the UPI No. 20 ranked Baylor Bears under Head Coach Larry Kennan.

Football competed as an independent from 1987 to 1989 after Lamar left the Southland Conference in 1987 to join the newly formed non-football American South Conference.

Disbandment and reintroduction Dismal support finally led to larger-than-expected deficits and provided the bottom line fodder for five new appointees to the then-Lamar University System board of regents to discontinue football at their first official session on December 15, 1989 (5 to 4 vote). Their vision was to divert money that was being spent on football to the basketball program and build Lamar into a basketball powerhouse.

In 2010, as a member of the Texas State University System, the university brought the football team back. In preparation for the return of play the University did extensive work on the facilities including, Provost Umphrey Stadium, a new 54,000 sq ft Athletic complex, and seven high class suites built into the existing Montagne Center, new field turf, and a new 26' X 51' video board. 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.

The football program, discontinued at the end of the 1989 season, was restarted with its first season back in 2010. The team competed as an independent that year. The first conference competition following the restart was in 2011.

Conference affiliations 1923–1926 Independent 1927–1931 Football not a sponsored sport 1932–1942 Independent 1943–1945 Football not a sponsored sport – World War II 1946–1950 Southwestern Junior College Conference 1951–1962 Lone Star Conference 1963–1986 Southland Conference 1987–1989 Division I-AA Independent 1990–2009 Football not a sponsored sport 2010–2020 Southland Conference 2021 Western Athletic Conference 2022–present Southland Conference

Division history 1923–1926 National Junior College Athletic Association 1927–1931 Football not a sponsored sport 1932–1942 National Junior College Athletic Association 1943–1945 Football not a sponsored sport – World War II 1946–1950 National Junior College Athletic Association 1951–1962 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 1963–1972 NCAA College Division (Small College) 1973–1977 NCAA Division I (University) 1978–1981 NCAA Division I-A 1982–1989 NCAA Division I-AA 1990–2009 Football not a sponsored sport 2010–present NCAA Division I FCS

Early Years Reference:

Conference championships 1957† Lone Star Conference James B. Higgins 8–0–2 5–0–2 1964 Southland Conference Vernon Glass 6–3–1 3–0–1 1965 6–4 3–1 1966† 6–4 3–1 1971† 5–6 4–1 † Denotes co-champions

Postseason Bowl games Lamar participated in two NCAA College Division level bowl games, going 1–1. 1950 Stan Lambert Silver Bowl "Tazon De Plata" Mexico City College W 19–13 1961 James B. Higgins Tangerine Bowl Middle Tennessee W 21–14 1964 Vernon Glass Pecan Bowl State College of Iowa L 17–19

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoffs The Cardinals have made two appearances in the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs, with an overall record of 0–2.

2018 Mike Schultz First Round Northern Iowa L 13–16 2025 Peter Rossomando First Round Abilene Christian L 20–38

Attendance

Highest attendance

Source:

Below is a list of the Cardinals top 10 best-attended home games (all at Provost Umphrey Stadium). Rk. Date Opponent AttendanceHighest attendance 1 September 13, 1980 Baylor 18,500 2 September 22, 1979 Louisiana Tech 17,600 3 October 9, 2010 Langston University 17,306 4 October 6, 1979 West Texas State 17,250 5 September 17, 1977 Louisiana-Lafayette 17,222 6 October 2, 2010 Sam Houston State 17,187 7 September 11, 2010 Webber International 16,600 8 October 16, 2010 South Alabama 16,150 9 October 9, 1965 Arkansas State 16,000 10 September 24, 1966 Southwest Missouri 15,643

As of the 2024 season.

Yearly attendance Below is the Cardinals' home attendance since program reinstatement. Season Average HighLamar Cardinals 2024 6,706 8,443 2023 5,643 6,583 2022 5,069 6,627 2021 5,716 6,812 2020 3,293 * 3,833 * 2019 7,173 9,218 2018 7,077 8,028 2017 6,631 8,417 2016 7,429 8,697 2015 9,364 13,136 2014 8,347 10,212 2013 8,379 10,738 2012 11,119 15,367 2011 14,442 15,367 2010 16,078 17,306 Attendance restricted due to COVID19 restrictions.

As of the 2024 season.

Rivalries

McNeese

The two teams have met 43 times on the football field, with McNeese holding a 29–13–1 edge in the all-time series. The rivalry has been expanded from football to head-to-head competition in all sports under a joint agreement with the two universities and Verizon Wireless. + McNeese–Lamar: All-Time RecordGames playedFirst meetingLast meetingLamar winsLamar lossesTiesWin %42November 10, 1951 (lost 7–13)November 22, 2025 (lost 19–21)13291

Louisiana

The first Sabine Shoe trophy was first awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game. The name of the bronze rivalry trophy was derived from the Sabine River that forms the Texas–Louisiana border. USL defeated Lamar in the 1978 edition of the rivalry game, but the Ragin' Cajuns were not awarded the trophy as it had vanished. The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex. + Louisiana–Lamar: All-Time RecordGames playedFirst meetingLast meetingLamar winsLamar lossesTiesWin %34October 27, 1923 (lost 16–19)September 1, 2012 (lost 0–40)11230

Future non-conference opponents Announced non-conference opponents as of July 23, 2026.

Abilene Christian at Abilene Christian at Weber State at Texas State Abilene Christian at Abilene Christian at Louisiana at Rice at Idaho

See also List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs List of Lamar Cardinals football seasons

Notes and references

External links