Proud to be a Cardinal

[sleepy]

For the last 20 years it seems as if almost everything that involved in athletics at Lamar has been done half-@##.  Just so you know I was a cardinal athlete from 1998-2003 so I can say this without a bunch of people getting mad.  I have been a Lamar supporter for almost all of my 30 years on this earth.  I started going to basketball games in the mid 80's and have been a die hard card ever since.  When I went to school there it made me love the school even more.  

The reason I am posting all of this is because I had the chance to take a tour of the new facilities at Provost-Umphrey stadium and I was in complete shock.  I must admit that a few years ago when football was announced it never seemed like it would happen.  To good to be true type of thing for me.  Even when I bought my season tickets and my parking spaces for tailgating it still didn't seem as if it were real.  When I walked through the facilities yesterday and I had chills the entire time.  Coach was walking us around and showing every room and the attention to detail that they put in to this place is AMAZING!!!!  This facility literally blows anything else in the conference out of the water and is much like many of the major D1 facilities around the country on a slightly smaller scale.  I saw for the first time what I felt could EVENTUALLY turn in to a Division 1-AA power and I have never been so excited in my life.  I am as proud to be a cardinal as I have ever been in my life and cannot wait for the next few years of football.  This is indeed an exciting time in Lamar history!!!

[NorthoftheBorder]

Great post.  I was at a small business in Beaumont this morning that is selling LU merchandise and those guys are so fired up it was contagious.  There really is a real buzz going on in the community.

[bigred360]

[quote name="sleepy" post="842358" timestamp="1284043299"]
For the last 20 years it seems as if almost everything that involved in athletics at Lamar has been done half-@##.  Just so you know I was a cardinal athlete from 1998-2003 so I can say this without a bunch of people getting mad.  I have been a Lamar supporter for almost all of my 30 years on this earth.  I started going to basketball games in the mid 80's and have been a die hard card ever since.  When I went to school there it made me love the school even more.  

The reason I am posting all of this is because I had the chance to take a tour of the new facilities at Provost-Umphrey stadium and I was in complete shock.  I must admit that a few years ago when football was announced it never seemed like it would happen.  To good to be true type of thing for me.  Even when I bought my season tickets and my parking spaces for tailgating it still didn't seem as if it were real.  When I walked through the facilities yesterday and I had chills the entire time.  Coach was walking us around and showing every room and the attention to detail that they put in to this place is AMAZING!!!!  This facility literally blows anything else in the conference out of the water and is much like many of the major D1 facilities around the country on a slightly smaller scale.  I saw for the first time what I felt could EVENTUALLY turn in to a Division 1-AA power and I have never been so excited in my life.  I am as proud to be a cardinal as I have ever been in my life and cannot wait for the next few years of football.  This is indeed an exciting time in Lamar history!!!
[/quote]

Great post sleepy. From the pictures I've seen of the facilites they're first class.

[ForeverADog]

Great post sleepy! You aren't the only one excited!!!

[sleepy]

[quote name="bigred360" post="842430" timestamp="1284051283"]
[quote author=sleepy link=topic=72678.msg842358#msg842358 date=1284043299]
For the last 20 years it seems as if almost everything that involved in athletics at Lamar has been done half-@##.  Just so you know I was a cardinal athlete from 1998-2003 so I can say this without a bunch of people getting mad.  I have been a Lamar supporter for almost all of my 30 years on this earth.  I started going to basketball games in the mid 80's and have been a die hard card ever since.  When I went to school there it made me love the school even more.  

The reason I am posting all of this is because I had the chance to take a tour of the new facilities at Provost-Umphrey stadium and I was in complete shock.  I must admit that a few years ago when football was announced it never seemed like it would happen.  To good to be true type of thing for me.  Even when I bought my season tickets and my parking spaces for tailgating it still didn't seem as if it were real.  When I walked through the facilities yesterday and I had chills the entire time.  Coach was walking us around and showing every room and the attention to detail that they put in to this place is AMAZING!!!!  This facility literally blows anything else in the conference out of the water and is much like many of the major D1 facilities around the country on a slightly smaller scale.  I saw for the first time what I felt could EVENTUALLY turn in to a Division 1-AA power and I have never been so excited in my life.  I am as proud to be a cardinal as I have ever been in my life and cannot wait for the next few years of football.  This is indeed an exciting time in Lamar history!!!
[/quote]

Great post sleepy. From the pictures I've seen of the facilites they're first class.
[/quote]

I know this is hard to imagine but the pictures literally do it NO JUSTICE at all.  That is how good this place is.

[sleepy]

Here is a better way for people to understand it.

My former golf coach at Lamar is now the golf coach at the University of Arkansas.  A month ago he invited me to play in the athletic department and schools biggest supporters (Johny Tyson of Tyson Foods) golf tournament.  The reason I give you the name is because I got the grand tour from him of all of the facilities at the University because he is very proud of them obviously.  As he should be because they are amazing.  The thing about it is they are not any better than ours.  They are a bit bigger in scale and they do have an indoor practice facility but beyond that ours our every bit as good.  I thought that may give you guys a better idea of just how good ours are.

[Cat22]

[quote name="NorthoftheBorder" post="842381" timestamp="1284046250"]
Great post.  I was at a small business in Beaumont this morning that is selling LU merchandise and those guys for so fired up it was contagious.  There really is a real buzz going on in the community.
[/quote]

I was at this same place yesterday and yes they are fired up!! Good guys, then I found out our tailgates are close, so I'm looking forward to talking with them again.

[bigred360]

[quote name="sleepy" post="842486" timestamp="1284057920"]
Here is a better way for people to understand it.

My former golf coach at Lamar is now the golf coach at the University of Arkansas.  A month ago he invited me to play in the athletic department and schools biggest supporters (Johny Tyson of Tyson Foods) golf tournament.  The reason I give you the name is because I got the grand tour from him of all of the facilities at the University because he is very proud of them obviously.  As he should be because they are amazing.  The thing about it is they are not any better than ours.  They are a bit bigger in scale and they do have an indoor practice facility but beyond that ours our every bit as good.  I thought that may give you guys a better idea of just how good ours are.
[/quote]

Thanks for sharing your experience of observing the facilities first hand. YOU ARE REALLY GETTING ME FIRED UP!

[sleepy]

[quote name="bigred360" post="842520" timestamp="1284062451"]
[quote author=sleepy link=topic=72678.msg842486#msg842486 date=1284057920]
Here is a better way for people to understand it.

My former golf coach at Lamar is now the golf coach at the University of Arkansas.  A month ago he invited me to play in the athletic department and schools biggest supporters (Johny Tyson of Tyson Foods) golf tournament.  The reason I give you the name is because I got the grand tour from him of all of the facilities at the University because he is very proud of them obviously.  As he should be because they are amazing.  The thing about it is they are not any better than ours.  They are a bit bigger in scale and they do have an indoor practice facility but beyond that ours our every bit as good.  I thought that may give you guys a better idea of just how good ours are.
[/quote]

Thanks for sharing your experience of observing the facilities first hand. YOU ARE REALLY GETTING ME FIRED UP!
[/quote]

We should all be fired up in my opinion.  I am a realist and don't get overexcited about things to often.  I truly believe we can be a dominant d1aa team in the next 5-7 years.