- A 60 day demolition has begun for Cajun Field stadium, which will now be known as Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
- The renovations will begin by tearing down both the upper and lower decks of the field.
- A Demolition Watch Party was held to say goodbye to the beloved stadium which was built in 1971.
Demolition is underway at Cajun Field and for some UL fans, it's a bittersweet goodbye.
KATC spoke with a former University of Louisiana at Lafayette football player Nathan Thornton who was there to witness the tower being demolished.
He recalls when the stadium was first built back in the 70's when he first attended the university.
"We were excited when the stadium was built it was kind of like we built it and now its its a little sad but a little more invigorating too," he says. "Because it's a new era and we are looking for bigger and better things." Thornton said.
Thornton attended UL when it was known as University of Southwestern Louisiana back in 1970-1974. Already having to experience a name change, this isn't knew to him.
"Well you know I still got the hat so I like the change, change is good. I ran into my old teammates yesterday and they still call it USL and call us the bulldogs. So I'm good with the change, I feel good about it," he says.
Another Ragin' Cajun fan feels this demolition will bring in even more fans.
"It's basically to have more people come down here and enjoy our culture and enjoy our school and come see some good competitive ball and relax in state of the art suites where they can enjoy our good food," Elemi Brown stated.
Stuart Billeaud President of J.B. Mouton is overseeing the demolition project and feels this redo is beneficial for the community.
"I think it's a great project for the community the whole stadium was dated and there's lots of memories in it, but new stadium will be refreshing and take us into the next 50-100 years," Billeaud said.
Thornton says having Our Lady of Lourdes stadium ready for football season is something to look forward to.
"I'm excited to see the renovations and what it looks like I'm real excited about that," he expresses.
Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium is set to be completed by August 2025.
