Vintage Louisiana

20-60s SLI Bulldog — In 1921, Southwestern’s athletics teams adopted the nickname of “Bulldogs,” a moniker befitting “the quality of our team,” according to L’Acadien yearbook. An illustration of a bulldog mascot is used in L’Acadien for the first time in 1923.

The school shed its industrial role by 1921 and became Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI). Enrollment was 2,000-plus students, and more land was acquired, leading to 12 new buildings. The 1950’s baseball team’s Honk Hebert rounds the bases here.

Southwestern and SLI were secondary references to the Institute that were used up until the 1960’s. Campus visitors can catch glimpses of Southwestern on the marquee of E.K. Long Gym. The 1922 track and field team is shown holding a Southwestern banner.

Variations of the University’s bulldog can be seen throughout the decades. This bulldog’s red and white beanie mirrored the ones that freshmen wore from the late 1930’s until the 1960’s. This is from a TV broadcast ad for a 1971 football game.

The Ragin' Cajuns name likely began in a 1960's civic club meeting, adopted by USL head football coach Russell Faulkinberry for press releases. The stylized Ragin' Cajuns mark is shown on basketball player Wayne Julien in 1982.

In 1960, Southwest Louisiana Institute (SLI) was renamed to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL). The block USL letters were used as a secondary institution mark, and featured on basketball uniforms throughout the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Similar to the Ragin’ Cajuns mark, the stylized USL adorned the back of men’s basketball jerseys in the 1970’s and 1980’s; baseball uniforms also sported it during the same time period. The mark is shown here on Raymond Johnson shooting a layup in 1976.