Raymond "Coach" Blanco, longtime UL administrator and former First Gentleman of Louisiana, has died.
He was 87.
Coach was married to former Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who died in 2019, for more than 55 years and they shared six children. Kathleen Blanco was Louisiana's first and to date only female governor. After making a name for himself as head football coach at New Iberia Catholic High, Coach started his career at what was then called the University of Southwestern Louisiana in the 1960s as a football coach. He then moved over to the administration in 1969 when he was named Dean of Men. He remained in the school's administration until he retired in 2009. He was a respected political strategist and was a vital part of his wife's political career; she began as a state legislator, the first female elected to the post from Lafayette. She then was the first female elected to Louisiana's Public Service Commission and during her tenure on that board was the first female Chair. She was elected Lieutenant Governor and then Governor, and held that position when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the state.
Coach Blanco was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2019.
Here's the biographic video prepared for that ceremony:
In 2019, UL named part of its student union after Coach Blanco. To read that story, click here: https://www.katc.com/news/around-acadiana/lafayette-parish/2019/05/24/university-dedicates-raymond-s-blanco-dean-of-students-suite/
He's the one who hired "T-Joe" Savoie, who is the current president of UL, back in the 1970s.
When he retired in 2009, he said the following:
“During my 46-year career at the university, I have watched the evolution of student life on campus from integration to student protests of the war, to the current era of instant communication,” said Blanco. “But the one thing that has remained constant is that kids want to be respected and they want to know someone cares about them. We were able to deal with difficult times because we listened, we communicated, and we truly cared about kids."
Here's the University's statement:
Raymond S. “Coach” Blanco joined the football coaching staff in 1963. From 1969 and 1974, he was dean of men, dean of student personnel, and dean of students. He then became vice president for Student Affairs, a position he held until his 2009 retirement.
Dr. Joseph Savoie is currently UL Lafayette’s president, but Blanco hired him in 1978 as an assistant dean of student personnel. The following is his statement:
Coach Blanco once said that students were among his best friends – and our students never had a better friend, or fiercer advocate, than Raymond Blanco.
His devotion to their success and his belief in social justice created a legacy that remains deeply rooted in our University’s culture.
Those of us who worked for and with Coach heard him say many times that it was a moral obligation to listen to students and to respond to their concerns with fairness and kindness.
While there are hundreds of stories about his larger-than-life exuberance and escapades, there are just as many tales of quiet mentorship and guidance. In dorm rooms and locker rooms, in his living room and kitchen, he sat with students and simply listened.
He treated them as if they were his own, and offered counsel grounded in a definite sense of right and wrong. He connected with students as individuals who deserved attention and respect. He listened with his ears and heard them with his heart.
If we are today a University that encourages dialogue and understanding, that prioritizes the success and safety of students, that infuses caring and compassion into our mission, then we can rightfully claim to be following the example set by Raymond Blanco.
The University community joins me in offering condolences to Karmen, Pilar, Monique, Nicole, Ray, and their families.
