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HEAD COACH MARK HUDSPETH Mark Hudspeth is a winner. It’s that simple. From his days coaching Winston (Miss.) Academy to the 1997 state title to last December, when he provided Ragin’ Cajun fans a last-second 32-30 win over San Diego State in the program’s first bowl appearance in 41 years, Hudspeth has been a champion. Like football, winning is all he knows. Hired as Louisiana’s 26th head coach in program his- tory on Dec. 13, 2010, Hudspeth quickly grabbed the atten- tion of Ragin’ Cajuns fans with his dynamic personality, energy and desire. He tirelessly toured the Acadiana area, visiting all five parishes to speak to any group that wanted to listen to him talk about Ragin’ Cajuns football. And seemingly overnight, he reversed UL’s football fortunes, taking the Ragin’ Cajuns from nine losses in 2010 to a school-record tying nine wins in 2011. From the day he arrived on campus, Hudspeth began educating the Ragin’ Cajuns on how to win. One of the first lessons he gave came when he had the offense and defense engage in an old-fashioned tug of war. As the rope went back and forth with neither team gener- ating enough force to win the battle, Hudspeth stopped the Cajuns and had both teams move to the same side of the rope, pointing out how much easier it is to move the rope when everyone was on the same side and fighting for the same thing. Months later in New Orleans with Louisiana down a point with 35 seconds left and a seemingly endless length of Superdome turf away from even having a chance to win, the Ragin’ Cajuns remembered that lesson by digging in and driving 49 yards in five plays to set up Brett Baer’s game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired. “We never let go of the rope”, Hudspeth told the Cajun fans in attendance. Hudspeth also boldly predicted that home games at Cajun Field would be the place to be and all but demanded that Louisiana fans be there. True to his word, the Ragin’ Cajuns went undefeated at home for only the fourth time in stadium history (and first since 1987). Cajuns fans believed the young coach, setting a school record for season tickets sold which helped to set a stadium record by averaging 29,171 fans per game in the 31,000 seat facility. The increase of 11, 788 fans per game was the highest in the nation. Hudspeth was rewarded for turning around the Ragin’ Cajuns, being named a finalist for both the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and Paul Bear Bryant Awards. A 20-year coaching veteran, Hudspeth carries a 75-25 career record in eight seasons as head coach into the 2012 campaign, winning 10 or more games five times and hav- ing winning records in seven straight campaigns. Hudspeth’s coaching philosophy focuses on the tradi- tional core values that he learned growing up in small town Mississippi, with the willingness to shake things up when given the chance. Hudspeth’s desire is to dominate physically and always keep the pressure on. In fact, he utilizes a pass-first no- huddle spread offense with a bevy of trick plays in each game plan, knowing that the constant pressure keeps opponents off guard. And, when they make a mistake, the Cajuns are ready to make the most of them. A master motivator, he takes advantage of every opportunity to teach a lesson to the Cajuns. Prior to the FIU game last year, he surprised the Ragin’ Cajuns by outfitting them in black helmets and black pants, a combination that was never used before. The motivation worked as UL ended a two-game losing streak against the Panthers. Hudspeth is also a teacher, knowing that the onus is on him to not only win football games, but to do so the right way. He realizes that it is more important that he help the Ragin’ Cajuns players make the transformation from young adults to men, knowing that he has been entrusted with the lives of his players by the parents and families of each player. Hudspeth takes that to heart, instructing the squad on the life’s lessons he has learned. He demands that each player give 100 percent. . . on the field, in the classroom and in their personal life. . . knowing that by doing so, they will eventually become champions in their personal life when their football playing days are over. And as good as the 2011 season went for UL, Hudspeth has his sights set on even greater accomplishments starting in 2012, knowing that the Ragin’ Cajuns have only scratched the surface of what is possible. Hudspeth, 43, came to Lafayette after serving as the passing game coordinator at Mississippi State for two sea- sons (2009-10), helping the Bulldogs end eight years of football frustrations by posting an 8-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance in his final season. Head Coach Mark Hudspeth Eyes Greater Milestones After Leading Ragin’ Cajuns To Nine Wins & A New Or- leans Bowl Victory In His First Season At Louisiana 34 UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA www.ragincajuns.com 2012 Football

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Page 1: hEAD cOAch mARK hUDspEth - Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

hEAD cOAch mARK hUDspEth

Mark Hudspeth is a winner. It’s that simple. From his days coaching Winston (Miss.) Academy to the 1997 state title to last December, when he provided Ragin’ Cajun fans a last-second 32-30 win over San Diego State in the program’s first bowl appearance in 41 years, Hudspeth has been a champion. Like football, winning is all he knows. Hired as Louisiana’s 26th head coach in program his-tory on Dec. 13, 2010, Hudspeth quickly grabbed the atten-tion of Ragin’ Cajuns fans with his dynamic personality, energy and desire. He tirelessly toured the Acadiana area, visiting all five parishes to speak to any group that wanted to listen to him talk about Ragin’ Cajuns football. And seemingly overnight, he reversed UL’s football fortunes, taking the Ragin’ Cajuns from nine losses in 2010 to a school-record tying nine wins in 2011. From the day he arrived on campus, Hudspeth began educating the Ragin’ Cajuns on how to win. One of the first lessons he gave came when he had the offense and defense engage in an old-fashioned tug of war. As the rope went back and forth with neither team gener-ating enough force to win the battle, Hudspeth stopped the Cajuns and had both teams move to the same side of the rope, pointing out how much easier it is to move the rope when everyone was on the same side and fighting for the same thing. Months later in New Orleans with Louisiana down a point with 35 seconds left and a seemingly endless length of Superdome turf away from even having a chance to win, the Ragin’ Cajuns remembered that lesson by digging in

and driving 49 yards in five plays to set up Brett Baer’s game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired. “We never let go of the rope”, Hudspeth told the Cajun fans in attendance. Hudspeth also boldly predicted that home games at Cajun Field would be the place to be and all but demanded that Louisiana fans be there. True to his word, the Ragin’ Cajuns went undefeated at home for only the fourth time in stadium history (and first since 1987). Cajuns fans believed the young coach, setting a school record for season tickets sold which helped to set a stadium record by averaging 29,171 fans per game in the 31,000 seat facility. The increase of 11, 788 fans per game was the highest in the nation. Hudspeth was rewarded for turning around the Ragin’ Cajuns, being named a finalist for both the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and Paul Bear Bryant Awards. A 20-year coaching veteran, Hudspeth carries a 75-25 career record in eight seasons as head coach into the 2012 campaign, winning 10 or more games five times and hav-ing winning records in seven straight campaigns. Hudspeth’s coaching philosophy focuses on the tradi-tional core values that he learned growing up in small town Mississippi, with the willingness to shake things up when given the chance. Hudspeth’s desire is to dominate physically and always keep the pressure on. In fact, he utilizes a pass-first no-huddle spread offense with a bevy of trick plays in each game plan, knowing that the constant pressure keeps opponents off guard. And, when they make a mistake, the

Cajuns are ready to make the most of them. A master motivator, he takes advantage of every opportunity to teach a lesson to the Cajuns. Prior to the FIU game last year, he surprised the Ragin’ Cajuns by outfitting them in black helmets and black pants, a combination that was never used before. The motivation worked as UL ended a two-game losing streak against the Panthers. Hudspeth is also a teacher, knowing that the onus is on him to not only win football games, but to do so the right way. He realizes that it is more important that he help the Ragin’ Cajuns players make the transformation from young adults to men, knowing that he has been entrusted with the lives of his players by the parents and families of each player. Hudspeth takes that to heart, instructing the squad on the life’s lessons he has learned. He demands that each player give 100 percent. . . on the field, in the classroom and in their personal life. . . knowing that by doing so, they will eventually become champions in their personal life when their football playing days are over. And as good as the 2011 season went for UL, Hudspeth has his sights set on even greater accomplishments starting in 2012, knowing that the Ragin’ Cajuns have only scratched the surface of what is possible. Hudspeth, 43, came to Lafayette after serving as the passing game coordinator at Mississippi State for two sea-sons (2009-10), helping the Bulldogs end eight years of football frustrations by posting an 8-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance in his final season.

head coach

markhudspethEyes Greater milestonesAfter Leading Ragin’ cajuns to Nine Wins & A New Or-leans Bowl Victory In his First season At Louisiana

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hEAD cOAch mARK hUDspEth After three years as an assistant coach at Delta State (1999-2000) and Navy (2001), Hudspeth took over as head coach at North Alabama and the winning quickly com-menced. He guided the Lions to a 66-21 record in seven seasons (2002-08), winning two Gulf South Conference titles and making five appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship, advancing to the semi-finals three times (2003, 2005 & 2008). Taking over a program that had three consecutive los-ing records, Hudspeth turned things around quickly, help-ing the Lions to a 13-1 record in just his second season (2003). UNA claimed the league title with a perfect 9-0 mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time in seven years, defeating Southern Arkansas and Carson-Newman before falling at North Dakota in the national semi-finals. For his effort, Hudspeth was named the Gulf South Coach of the Year while also being voted the NCAA Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. The Lions were led that year by Wil Hall, who com-pleted 72-percent of his passes, throwing for 3,531 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to winning the Harlon Hill Award, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The winning didn’t stop there as the Lions went 11-3 and advanced to the NCAA semis in 2005, the first of four straight 10-win campaigns. UNA went 11-1 in 2006, including 8-0 in league play to

claim its second Gulf South title, with Hudspeth earning his second coach of the year award while also being select-ed as the NCAA Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year again. The Lions fol-lowed that up with a 10-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in 2007. Hudspeth capped off his tenure at North Alabama by guiding the Lions to a 12-2 record in 2008 and making their fourth straight NCAA appearance, fall-ing in the semifinals. Born on Nov. 10, 1968 in Montgomery, Ala., Hudspeth moved to Louisville, Miss. before the age of one. In a town with a population of just 7,000, he quickly became one of the towns’ most notable young men. He lettered a total of 16 times in five sports at Winston Academy, four each in foot-ball, baseball and track, three in bas-ketball and one in golf, and was voted the school’s most versatile athlete as a senior. Success came to Hudspeth at Winston Academy as he helped the Patriots to the state title game as a senior in football 1987. He went on to

earn all-county honors three times and play in the Mississippi High School All-Star game as a senior. Hudspeth continued his playing career at Delta State (1987-91), lettering all four years. He started at safety as a junior and at quarterback as a senior. After graduating from Delta State with a degree in health and education in 1992, Hudspeth began his coach-ing career as a graduate assistant at Central Arkansas, receiving his master’s degree in secondary school adminis-tration in 1993. While at Central Arkansas, he was part of the coaching staff that guided the squad to the 1992 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference crown. Hudspeth earned his first full-time coaching position when he went to Nicholls State, coaching the wide receiv-ers and tight ends in 1994 and the running backs in 1995. His high school alma mater beckoned in 1996 as Hudspeth returned to Winston Academy as head coach, guiding the team to a 25-1 record and the 1997 state title during his two seasons. It was back to Delta State in 1999, where he served as offensive coordinator for two seasons, winning the NCAA Division II national title in 2000. The Patriot offense broke 21 school records, 12 Gulf South Conference records and six NCAA Division II records en route to the title. Hudspeth moved to U.S. Naval Academy to serve as the offensive coordinator in 2000 before leaving to become the head coach at North Alabama the following year. Hudspeth, who is married to the former Tyla McConnell, has two sons, Gunner (16) and Major (2), and one daughter, Carley (13).

thE hUDspEth cOAchING FILEAs HeAd CoACH

Year School Overall Conf. Notes2002 North Alabama 4 -7 3 -6 2003 North Alabama 13 -1 9 -0 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals GSC Coach of the Year, GSC Champs2004 North Alabama 5 -5 4 -5 2005 North Alabama 11 -3 7 -2 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals2006 North Alabama 11 -1 8 -0 Reached Div. II Quarter-Finals GSC Coach of the Year, GSC Champs2007 North Alabama 10 -2 7 -1 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals2008 North Alabama 12 -2 7 -1 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals

UNA Totals 66 -21 45 -15 (Seven Years)

2011 Louisiana 9 -4 6 -2 New Orleans Bowl Champions

UL Totals 9 -4 6 -2 (One Year)

Career Totals 75 -25 51 -17 (Eight Years)

As AssistAnt CoACH

Year School Position Postseason1999 Delta State Offensive Coor. 2000 Delta State Offensive Coor. NCAA Div. II National Champions2001 Navy Offensive Coor. 2009 Mississippi State Passing Coor./WR 2010 Mississippi State Passing Coor./WR No. 15 Final AP Ranking Toyota Gator Bowl

the hudspeth Family (clockwise): mark, tyla, Gunner, major & carley.

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Reed Stringer is in his second season at UL where he serves as assistant head coach. He works directly with the Cajuns tight ends while also serving as recruiting coordinator. Prior to working at Louisiana, Stringer served as the offensive player development coach at Clemson in 2010. In his first season with the Cajuns, Stringer helped Ladarius Green emerge as one of the top tight ends in the country, earning first team All-Sun Belt honors while also being a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end. Green was a fourth round selection by the San Diego Chargers in the NFL Draft. Stringer’s efforts as recruiting coordinator have paid bigger dividends. His initial class produced eight players who were able to contribute to the Cajuns’ success last year with the rest redshirting. The 2012 class looks to be even stronger. Before his time at Clemson, Stringer spent seven seasons at Mis-sissippi State in a variety of roles. He began as a graduate assistant with the Bulldogs offense from 2003-2004. Stringer was then named the tight ends and special teams coach from 2005-08. He took over as Mississippi State’s coordinator of recruiting op-erations in 2009 and coached alongside current Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth that year. Considered to be a relentless and effective recruiter, Rivals.com rated Stringer among the “SEC’s Top 10 Recruiters” for 2009. As tight ends coach, Stringer responded in 2005 by helping Eric Butler become the school’s all-time touchdown receptions leader among tight ends. Under Stringer’s guidance, Butler and team-mate Dezmond Sherrod worked their ways to professional football careers. Stringer’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant/tight ends coach at Delta State in 2002. He was a four-year starter on Delta State’s offensive line, helping DSU claim the 2000 NCAA Division II national championship with then-DSU offensive coordinator Mark Hudspeth. In addition to that ‘00 national title, he was also instrumental in helping Delta State win the 1998 and 2000 Gulf South Conference titles. Stringer was a two-time academic All-Gulf South Conference player and an Academic All-American and was named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll three times. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Delta State in 2001 and completed a master’s in business administration from Delta State in 2003. Stringer was born on January 26, 1979 in Canton, Miss. He is married to the former Emily Howell and they have two sons, Smith and Banks.

An offensive strategist with two decades of coaching experience, Jay Johnson is in his second season at Louisiana, where he serves as the Cajuns’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under Johnson’s tutelage in 2011, the Cajuns became just the

second UL team to amass over 5,000 yards of total offense. Blaine Gautier emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the south, throwing for a school record 2,958 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Cajuns also scored a school-record 420 points. Johnson came to Lafayette after serving as quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan in 2010, helping sophomore Ryan Radcliff 3,358 yards & 17 TDS) post one of the top seasons in school history. Johnson began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Columbia-Hickman High in Columbia, Mo., in 1993. He was a graduate assistant at Missouri in 1994 prior to working as offensive coordina-tor role at Augsburg that season. From 1995-96, Johnson served as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Truman State. Johnson moved on to Kansas for the next five seasons (1997-2001) as an assistant coach. He worked as quarterbacks coach from1997-2000 before handling the running backs in 2001. Johnson’s career led him to Southern Miss in 2003, starting a five-year tenure that had him working with the tight ends (2003), running backs (2004) and the final three as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2005-07). USM flourished with Johnson on the coaching staff, making five consecutive bowl appearances. Johnson headed to Louisville, where he spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the last serving as the team’s tight ends coach. A 1992 graduate of Northern Iowa, Johnson was a three-time All-Gateway Conference selection as a quarterback and two-year team captain. He led UNI to a combined record of 31-8 during his career, three conference championships and three appearances in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. He finished his career with almost 500 completions and threw for more than 8,000 yards and 58 touch-downs. The 1992 team finished the season 12-2 overall and ranked No. 3 nationally. Johnson earned President’s Academic Excellence honors in the Gateway Conference and was a Dean’s List scholar at Northern Iowa where he compiled a 3.47 GPA. He held a perfect 4.0 grade point av-erage while completing his master’s degree at Missouri. That earned him a Superior Graduate Achievement Award from the Department of Health and Exercise Science. Jay and his wife, Lori, are the parents of one son, Cole.

REED stRINGERAssistant head coach/tE & Recruiting coor.

JAy JOhNsONOffensive coordinator/Quarterbacks

Reed stringer at a glanceCollege: Delta State (2001)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 10 seasons Delta State (2002), graduate assistant; Mississippi State (2003-04),

graduate assistant; Mississippi State (2005-08), tight ends & special teams; Mississippi State (2009), coor. of recruiting operations; Clemson (2010), offensive player development; Louisiana (2011-present), assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator & tight ends.

Jay Johnson at a glanceCollege: Northern Iowa (1992)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 17 seasons Missouri (1994), graduate assistant; Augsburg (1994), offensive

coord/recruiting coord.; Truman State (1995-96), offensive coord./reruiting coord.; Kansas (1997-98), graduate assistant; Kansas (1999-2000), quarterbacks; Kansas (2001), running backs; Southern Miss (2003-08), tight ends, running backs, offensive coord. & quarterbacks; Louisville (2008), administrative assistant; Louisville (2009), tight ends; Central Michigan (2010), quarterbacks; Louisiana (2011-present), offensive coord. & quarterbacks.

AssIstANt cOAchEs

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One of the best veteran defen-sive minds in the south, Greg Stewart is in his second season as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Stewart is charged with taking the young and talented Cajuns defenders and molding them into a unit that is capable of winning the Sun Belt championship. He took a good step towards that goal in 2011, but with just three starters back for 2012, his ability to turn potential into reality will have a great affect on the win total. Prior to coming to Lafayette, Stewart spent 18 seasons at Jackson-ville State, turning the Gamecocks into the most dominant defense in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 2010, JSU turned in one of the biggest upsets in college football, winning at Ole Miss. The Gamecocks narrowly missed upsets the previous year, hanging with No. 15 Georgia Tech and holding Florida State in check in a 19-9 defeat. In 2009, his defense led the conference in seven major defensive categories, including scoring defense (17.1) and yards per game al-lowed (304.8). JSU led the OVC in scoring defense for four straight years from 2006-09, allowing just 17.5 points per game in 2006. In 2007, the Gamecocks led the league in total defense (354.3 yards per game), rushing defense (145.5 yards per game) and opponent first downs per game (17.8). In 2006, the Gamecocks allowed just 17.5 points per game, 114.8 rushing yards and only 270.2 yards of total yards, which were all tops in the conference. In his time in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Gamecocks placed 24 defensive players on the All-OVC teams in his final three years. Stewart began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at JSU in 1989 and was elevated to full-time in 1991. He helped lead the Gamecocks to the 1992 NCAA Division II National Championship. He coached the Gamecocks’ outside linebackers from 1989-94, running backs in 1995, defensive backs in 1996 and defensive line in 1997. Stewart spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach at Delta State from 1998-99. He returned to Jacksonville State in 2000 as the defensive coor-dinator/inside linebackers coach. Stewart was a four-year starter at nose guard for current Sun Belt foe Troy from 1984-87. He helped guide the Trojans to two NCAA Division II National Championships and earned a degree in sociology in 1988. The Decatur, Ala., native was born on June 6, 1965. He is married to the former Angela Peacock and they have four children, Jessie Kate, Hannah, Kinsey and Holly.

A 25-year collegiate coaching veteran, Mitch Rodrigue is in his second season as the running game coordinator and offensive line coach at UL. Rodrigue joined the Cajuns staff after working with the tight ends and offensive tackles at South Ala-

bama for three seasons (2008-10). His work at UL immediately paid off as he molded an offensive line that reduced quarterback sacks from 39 in 2010 to 25 in 13 games in 2011. The Cajuns used the same five starters on the line in all 13 games with each playing 90 percent of the snaps or more. Prior to his arrival at South Alabama, Rodrigue spent the previous nine seasons at Southern Miss, where he coached the offensive line (2003-07), tight ends (2000-02) and running backs (1999). He was named one of the Top 10 recruiters from a non-BCS conference by Rivals.com in 2006. From 2004-06, Rodrigue’s offensive lines allowed 10 sacks or fewer, including just seven sacks in 2004. In 2007, he tutored linemen George Batiste and Travis Cooley, who became the school’s first All-Americans on the line in a half-century. In 2004, he helped develop Jeremy Parquet, who was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2005 NFL Draft. During his first season leading the USM offensive line (2003), Rodrigue helped the Golden Eagles win their fourth Conference USA title and earn an invitation to the Liberty Bowl despite working with a unit that had lost three starters to the NFL. Rodrigue saw three play-ers - Parquet (first-team), Jim Hicks (second-team) and Chris White (third-team) - garner all-league honors. Rodrigue also assisted with the offensive line during his initial stint at Southern Miss, serving as the program’s graduate assistant in 1989 and 1990. During his 11 seasons at USM, the Golden Eagles made nine bowl trips. Rodrigue also coached several seasons at his alma mater, Nicholls State (1993-98), serving as tight ends and offensive line coach as well as offensive coordinator. Rodrigue earned a bachelor’s degree in health & physical edu-cation from Nicholls State in 1988 and a master’s degree in educa-tional administration and supervision from Southern Miss in 1990. He helped Nicholls State to win the 1984 Gulf Star Conference title and reach the second round of the NCAA Division I -AA playoffs in 1986. A native of Thibodaux, La., Rodrigue was born on Jan. 2, 1965. He is the father of three children, Maci, Madden and Mallori.

GREG stEWARtDEFENsIVE cOOR./Linebackers

mItch RODRIGUERunning Game coord./Offensive Line

Greg stewart at a glanceCollege: Troy (1988)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 23 seasons Jacksonville State (1989-94), outside linebackers; Jacksonville State

(1995), running backs; Jacksonville State (1996), defensive backs; Jacksonville State (1997), defensive line; Delta State (1998-99), defensive coord. & inside linebackers; Jaksonville State (2000-10), defensive coord. & inside linebackers; Louisiana (2011-present), defensive coord. & linebackers

mitch Rodrigue at a glanceCollege: Nicholls State (1988)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 25 seasons Nicholls State (1987-88), student assistant; Southern Miss (1989-

90), graduate assistand; Pearl River CC (1991-92), offensive line; Nicholls State (1993-98), tight ends, offensive line & offensive coord.; Southern Miss (1999), running backs; Sothern Miss (2000-02), tight ends; Sothern Miss (2003-07), offensive line; South Alabama (2008-10), offensive tackles & tight ends; Louisiana (2011-present), running game coord. & offensive line

AssIstANt cOAchEs

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Running backs coach Marquase Lovings is ready for his second year on the Ragin’ Cajuns coaching staff after helping UL post one of the top offensive seasons in the Sun Belt in 2011. Lovings’ efforts during his first season helped freshman Alonzo Harris emerge early in the season, finishing the year with 700 yards and eight touchdowns to earn Sun Belt Freshman of the Year hon-ors. Prior to joining the Cajuns, Lovings spent four seasons at Missis-sippi State (2007-10), first as a defensive quality control coach before taking over as defensive graduate assistant for his final two seasons. It was at MSU where he met and worked with Mark Hudspeth, who served as the passing game coordinator for the Bulldogs from 2009-10. Lovings’ main focus with the Bulldogs defense was with the defen-sive linemen. He worked under defensive line coaches David Turner and Chris Wilson (Wilson became the MSU defensive coordinator in 2011). The Bulldogs had several standout defensive linemen during Lovings’ four years, including Titus Brown. Brown signed an NFL free agent contract and has been on the Cleveland Browns active roster since 2008. Lovings helped three defensive linemen earn All-SEC honors, with Brown (2007 second team), Fletcher Cox (2009 freshman team) and Pernell McPhee (2010 first team) taking those honors. Cox went on to become the 12th pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2012 NFL Draft. Lovings experienced coaching in a two bowl games at MSU, including the Bulldogs’ rout of Michigan, 52-14, in the 2011 Gator Bowl. It was the worst loss Michigan had ever suffered in any bowl game in its history. Lovings also helped MSU win the 2007 Liberty Bowl, as the Bulldogs defense held Central Florida to just three points and kept Knights’ star running back Kevin Smith from breaking the NCAA single-season rushing record. The junior finished 61 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ mark of 2,628 yards set for Oklahoma State in 1988. In 2007, Lovings’ defensive line faced three of the top four rushers in the country during the season, holding each of them well under their season average. MSU limited Arkansas’ Darren McFadden to 88 yards (143.8 season avg.), Tulane’s Matt Forte to 47 yards (177.3 season avg.) and UCF’s Smith to 119 yards (188.3 season avg.). A graduate of and former walk-on tight end with Howard Univer-sity, Lovings also has high school coaching on his resume with stints at Dunbar High in Washington, D.C. and at his alma mater, P.K. Yonge High in Gainesville, Fla. He earned his master’s in sports administration from Mississippi State in 2008 and pursued a doctorate in education at MSU. Lovings was born on Nov. 13, 1983.

Jorge Munoz is in his fifth year as an assistant coach at Louisiana and the second on the staff of Mark Hudspeth. He will serve again as receivers coach in 2012. Munoz previously worked as UL’s quarterbacks coach and pass-ing game coordinator from 2008-10.

In 2011, Munoz played an integral role in the Cajuns throwing for over 3,500 yards. Javone Lawson (63 catches, 1,092 yards) posted one of the top seasons by a UL receiver while Harry Peoples and Daryl Surgent also emerged as steady targets for Blaine Gautier. Record offensive results are nothing new for Munoz, who served as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UL from 2008-10. In his first season, he helped the Cajuns to finish seventh in the nation in rushing, 13th in total offense and 24th in scoring. That same season, Munoz helped quarterback Michael Desormeaux earn Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year while running back Tyrell Fenory rushed for 1,375 yards and 19 touchdowns. Fenroy, a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist, was named the 2008 Sun Belt Player of the Year after becoming the school, Sun Belt and State of Louisiana all-time leading rusher. The Cajuns “Play Station” attack of 2008 shattered the school record for total offense with 5,390 yards, scoring a school-record 54 touchdowns. In 2010, the Cajuns ranked 34th nationally in passing offense, despite starting three different quarterbacks due to injury. Tight end Ladarius Green led the nation in receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end and earned All-America honors from CBSSports.com. Prior to UL, Munoz spent three seasons at Eastern Illinois (2005-07), starting as receivers coach in 2005, co-offensive coordinator in 2006 and offensive coordinator in 2007. Under his direction, EIU ran a more diverse offense in 2006, led by OVC co-Offensive Player of the Year Vincent Webb and third team All-American Micah Rucker. Munoz spent two seasons as the receivers coach at Charleston Southern (2003-04). In 2004, his wide receivers ranked first, second and fourth in the Big South Conference. The Buccaneers passing offense led the Big South and ranked 17th in the NCAA. At Anderson, his 2002 offense ranked fifth in passing, while the 2001 squad was sixth in passing, setting 22 school marks. His quar-terback, Joel Steele, was the MVP of the HCAC both years. A 1998 graduate of Bethany College, Munoz was a two-time All-American quarterback. He played one year in the Arena Football League with the Albany (NY) Firebirds. Munoz was a multi-sport standout at San Diego Hilltop High.

mARQUAsE LOVINGsAssistant coach/Running Backs

JORGE mUNOZAssistant coach/Wide Receivers

marquase Lovings at a glanceCollege: Howard (2006)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 5 seasons Mississippi State (2007-08), defensive quality control; Mississippi

State (2009-10), graduate assistant; Louisiana (2011-present), running backs

Jorge munoz at a glanceCollege: Bethany (1998)Years at UL: 5thCoaching Experience: 14 seasons Bethany (1998), quarterbacks & wide receivers; Southeastern

Missouri (1999-2000), wide receivers; Anderson (2001-02), offensive coord. & quarterbacks; Charleston Southern (2003-04), wide receivers; Eastern Illinois (2005), wide receivers; Eastern Illinois (2006-07), offensive coordinator & quarterbacks; Louisiana (2008-10), passing game coord. & qarterbacks; Louisiana (2011-present), wide receivers

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An 11-year coaching veteran who boasts a half-dozen years play-ing experience at the professional level, Tim Edwards is in his second season as the defensive line coach for the Cajuns. Edwards came to Lafayette in January 2011, reuniting with Mark Hudspeth, who he played with at Delta State from 1987-91. After guiding a senior-dominated defensive line last season, Edwards will be called on in 2012 to help develop a young and inex-perienced squad of defenders. Edwards came to Louisiana after spending the previous three seasons as co-defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach at Florida A&M. He was part of a program that went 25-9 during his three seasons in Tallahassee. Prior to his stint with the Rattlers, Edwards served a five-year tenure at Hampton (2003-07). He coached the defensive line and linebackers, in addition to serving as the recruiting coordinator. Edwards helped bring in a wealth of talent that resulted in one of the best four-year runs in school history. Hampton won three consecutive conference championships (2004-06), made three NCAA playoff appearances (2004-06) and captured back-to-back Black Col-lege National Championships in (2004 and 2005). Edwards began his career as a defensive line and linebackers coach for Kentucky State in 1998 and eventually had stops with the Arena Football League 2’s Carolina Rhinos and Pearl River Community Col-lege, before landing at Hampton in 2003. He was a New Orleans Saints minority fellowship Intern during the team’s 2007 training camp. His days on the sideline have helped to develop the professional careers of several former players including: Justin Durant (Detroit), Kendall Langford (St. Louis), Marcus Dixon (New York Jets) Cletidus Hunt (Green Bay Packers), Kitwana Jones (Saskatchewan Rough Riders, CFL), Dewayne Woods (Georgia Force, AFL) and Chris Avery (Grand Rapids Rampage AFL). Edwards is a 1991 graduate of Delta State, earning a bachelor’s degree in aviation management. He was a two-time first team All-Gulf South selection as a defensive lineman and played alongside Hud-speth, who was a four-year letterman at DSU from 1986-90. Edwards was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in the fall of 2008. A 12th round pick by the New England Patriots in 1991, Edwards spent the 1991-92 seasons on the Patriots roster. He later played from 1995-97 with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the CFL. A native of Philadelphia, Miss., Edwards is a member of the NFL Retired Players’ Association, the CFL Retired Players’ Association and the American Football Coaches Associations. He is married to the former LuAnn Shockency and they have three children, Halena, Timothy II and Kenci.

Tim Rebowe begins his ninth season as an assistant coach at Louisiana, and the second on the staff of coach Mark Hudspeth. He will once again work with the Cajun safeties. He previously tutored the safeties from 2004-07 and coached the linebackers from 2008-10.

The safeties responded to Rebowe in 2011. Jemarlous Moten finished second on the team with 80 tackles and combined with Lionel Stokes to intercept five passes, returning three for scores. The Cajuns’ linebackers had stellar seasons for three years under Rebowe, with a member of the linebacking corps leading the team in tackles each season. Rebowe guided linebackers Antwyne Zanders and Grant Fleming, who ranked first and second on the team in total tackles in 2009, respectively. Both players were named All-Sun Belt Conference. For Zanders, it was his third All-SBC recognition, while Fleming earned All-SBC for the second time. The Cajuns’ pass defense had a strong first year under Rebowe in 2004, finishing with a No. 11 national ranking in passing yards allowed. Both of his starting safeties advanced to the NFL. Strong safety C.C. Brown (101 tackles) was drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2005 NFL Draft and free safety Antwain Spann, who signed as a free agent with the New York Giants, played in NFL Europe and several seasons with the New England Patriots. In 2005, the Cajuns’ pass defense was ranked 23rd nationally, al-lowing only 190 yards per game despite opponents facing an uphill climb in eight games. The Cajuns trailed after three quarters just twice in 2005. Rebowe came to UL after three seasons as cornerbacks coach at Sun Belt rival La.-Monroe. Prior to his stint with the Warhawks, Rebowe spent six years at Nicholls State where he served as defensive backs coach (1995-2000), special teams’ coordinator (1995-98), recruiting coordinator (1998-2000) and wide receivers coach (2000). In 1996, the Colonels pass efficiency defense ranked seventh nationally in I-AA. A native of Norco, La., Rebowe began his coaching career in 1987 at his alma mater, Destrehan High School. His ties to the Cajuns began in 1994 when former Destrehan High star Damon Mason transferred to Louisiana from Jones County JC. Mason would go on to have one of the best careers by a defensive back in Cajuns history. Rebowe earned his bachelor of science in physical education from Louisiana State University in 1987. He is married to the former Kim Robichaux and they have a daugh-ter, Samantha, and a son, Tyler.

tIm EDWARDsAssistant coach/Defensive Line

tIm REBOWEAssistant coach/safeties

tim Edwards at a glanceCollege: Delta State (1991)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 11 seasons Kentucky State (2001), defensive line & linebackers; Carolina Rhinos

(AF2) (2002); Pearl River CC (2002), defensive line; Hampton (2003-07), defensive line, linebackers & recruiting coord.; Florida A&M (2008-10), co-defensive coord. & recruiting coord.; Louisiana (2011-present), defensive line

tim Rebowe at a glanceCollege: LSU (1987)Years at UL: 9thCoaching Experience: 24 seasons Destrehan (La.) High (1988-91), defensive backs & special teams;

Destrehan (La.) High (1992-94), head coach; Nicholls State (1995-99), defensive backs, special teams & recruiting coord.; Nicholls State (2000), receivers & recruiting coord.; ULM (2001-03), cornerbacks; Louisiana (2004-07), safeties; Louisiana (2008-10), linebackers; Louisiana (2011-present), safeties

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David Saunders is in his second season as the cornerbacks coach and assistant recruiting coordinator for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Saunders came to Louisiana from Mississippi, where he had three stints on the Ole Miss staff, the last beginning in April 2010 as administrative operations coordinator. His first season at UL was a strong one as he mentored cornerbacks Dwight Bentley and Melvin White, who helped the Cajuns secondary to return seven interceptions for touchdowns. Bentley, who earned first team All-Sun Belt honors and was tabbed UL’s defensive co-MVP, was a third round selection by the Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft. Saunders sandwiched a pair of coaching terms at Ole Miss around three years as head football coach at Millsaps College (2003-05). During his first employment at Ole Miss, which began in December 1998, Saunders established an acclaimed recruiting program and was lauded as one of the top nine recruiters in the nation by Tom Lem-ming of ESPN.com. He joined the Ole Miss athletic staff after working with Tennessee during their national championship season of 1998, where he assisted with on-campus recruiting. Saunders worked two years as defensive backs coach and recruit-ing coordinator at Arkansas State (1996-97). He spent the 1995 season coaching safeties and special teams at Baylor. From 1993-94, Saunders was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Nicholls State. It was there that he worked with Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth, who was the Colonels wide receivers and tight ends coach in 1994. From 1990 to 1992, Saunders coached the defensive line at Geor-gia Southern and helped lead the Eagles to the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA national championship. From 1984 to 1989, Saunders coached defensive backs and receiv-ers while serving as recruiting coordinator at Jacksonville State. While at JSU, Saunders coached defensive back Eric Davis, who went on to earn NFL All-Pro honors in 1995 while playing for Super Bowl Champion San Francisco. Saunders also coached receiver Keith McKeller, who played in three Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills. A native of Douglasville, Ga., Saunders received his bachelor’s de-gree from Auburn in 1982. He was a walk-on lineman for the Tigers. He is married to the former Jan Perry and the couple have two children, Riley and Kaylee

Former UL standout Troy Wing-erter entered into a new role with the Ragin’ Cajuns football program in 2011, becoming the director of football operations for head coach Mark Hudspeth. Wingerter started his career with the University of Louisiana

Athletic Department in 1997. He was the tight ends coach as a gradu-ate assistant from 1997-99. Wingerter coached the defensive ends in 2001 under head coach Jerry Baldwin and served in the role of Cajuns’ tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator from 2002-10 for Rickey Bustle. Wingerter was named Bustle’s assistant head coach for the 2009 and 2010 season. Wingerter helped developed the tight ends from a frequent red zone target for Cajuns quarterbacks to a legitimate weapon in the UL offense. Cajuns tight ends made 160 receptions for 2,283 yards with 22 touchdowns from 2008-10. In 2009, tight end Luke Aubrey led the team in receptions while tight end Ladarius Green topped the team in yards. Green was one of just three underclassmen named to the 2009 Mackey Award Watch List. In 2010, Green was one of just eight semifinalists for the presti-gious Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight tend. He was a first team All-Sun Belt selection, a first team All-Louisiana pick and garnered second team All-America honors by CBSSports.com and fourth team All-America accolades by Phil Steele. Entering his senior season, Green was named to the 2011 Mackey Award Watch List and Bilitnekoff Award Watch List. Green was also tabbed as a Top 5 draft eligible tight end by ESPN.com insider Mel Kiper, Jr. and was named a preseason All-American by BleacherReport.com (1st Team), Athlon (2nd Team), GoDaddy.com (3rd Team), Phil Steele (4th Team) and CDSdraft.com (Honorable Mention). Wingerter tutored a pair of red zone targets in Kevin Belton and Luke Aubrey in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Both players had six re-ceptions, but each caught three for touchdowns. Wingerter coached Josh Joerg during his All-Sun Belt season in 2002. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 1993, Wingerter embarked on a four-year career in corporate business working in Lafayette, New Orleans, Colorado and Montana. Upon his return to UL, Wingerter earned a master’s degree in education. A native of New Orleans, Wingerter was a first-team All-Louisiana selection and an All-South Independent pick as a senior in 1991. He helped guide the Cajuns to three straight winning seasons during his first three years from 1987-89 and was a permanent team captain as a senior. He was selected as a member of the all-time University of Louisiana football team as compiled by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Wingerter and his wife, Cydra, have two sons, Holden and Aid-en.

DAVID sAUNDERsAsst. coach/cB & Recruiting Assistant

tROy WINGERtERDirector of FootballOperations/pro Liason

David saunders at a glanceCollege: Auburn (1982)Years at UL: 2ndCoaching Experience: 27 seasons Andalusia (Ala.) High (1982-83), assistant coach; Jacksonville State

(1984-89), defensive backs, receivers & recruiting coord.; Georgia Southern (1990-92), defensive line; Nicholls State (1993-94), defensive coord. & defensive backs; Baylor (1995), safeties; Arkansas State (1996-97), defensive backs & recruiting coord.; Tennessee (1998), on-campus recruiting assistant; Mississippi (1998-2002), recruiting coord.; Millsaps (2003-05), head coach; Mississippi (2006), linebackers; Mississippi (2010), adminsitrative assistant; Louisiana (2011-present), assistant recruiting coord. & cornerbacks

troy Wingerter at a glanceCollege: Louisiana (1993)Years at UL: 14thCoaching Experience: 13 seasons Louisiana (1997-99), graduate assistant; Louisiana (2001), defensive

ends; Louisiana (2002-10), tight ends & recruiting coord.; Louisiana (2011-present), director of football operations

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sUppORt stAFF

tOm RyBAcKIDefensive Graduate Assistant Tom Rybacki returns for his second sea-son as a defensive graduate assistant coach for the Ragin’ Cajuns, working primarily with the UL linebackers. Rybacki came to Lafayette after spend-ing six years at Jacksonville State (2005-10).

He served as a student assistant coach from 2005-08 before taking over as a graduate assistant for his final two seasons (2009-10). As a graduate assistant, he coached the cornerbacks, helping to develop All-American cornerback T.J. Heath and helped lead the Gamecocks to a victory over Ole Miss in 2010. Rybacki holds a bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in public administration, both from Jacksonville State.

RyAN cONWAyOffensive & special teamsGraduate Assistant Ryan Conway begins his second season as a graduate assistant coach for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Conway will once again work with the

UL receivers while taking on additional duties helping to coach the UL special teams units this year. Prior to UL, Conway worked as a student assistant coach with the offense at Mississippi State for two seasons from 2009-2010. Conway worked for the Florence Phantoms from 2008-2009 as a player personnel intern. During his time there, the Phantoms won the AIFA Arena Championship. Conway holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wofford, where he played baseball from 2007-2008 and helped the team to the 2007 Southern Conference Championship.

WILLIAm pEAGLEROffensive Graduate Assistant William Peagler is in is second season working with the UL football program and his first as a graduate assistant coach work-ing with the Ragin’ Cajuns offense. Peagler came to Lafayette in 2011 to serve as offensive quality control assistant,

working with head coach Mark Hudspeth and the offensive coaching staff. Peagler began his coaching career as a student assistant at Clem-son from 2006-09, primarily working with the offense. He was part of the 2009 team that won the Atlantic Division, assisting with the national recruitment efforts that helped to bring three top-25 signing classes into the program. In 2010, Peagler moved to Valdosta State, where he was tight ends coach for the squad that won the Gulf South Championship. Peagler holds a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Clemson.

ZAch LOchARDDefensive Graduate Assistant Zach Lochard joins the football staff in 2012 as the graduate assistant coach for the Ragin’ Cajuns defense. Lochard came to UL in 2011 to serve as an intern for the strength and conditioning program.

A 2008 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise science, Lochard went on to earn a master’s degree in human performance and physical education from Adams State University in 2012. He is currently working towards completing the requirements for a doctorate in the UL education leadership program. Lochard began his coaching career as the assistant wide receiv-ers coach at Northern Colorado in 2008. He moved to Western State College in 2009, serving as defensive backs coach in 2009 and tight ends coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2010. In 2009, he is earned his certification from USA Weightlifting.

RyAN tRIchELAsst. Recruiting coordinator/Asst. Director of FootballOperations Ryan Trichel begins his second season as a member of the Ragin’ Cajuns support staff, serving as assistant recruiting coordinator

this year. In his role with the Cajuns, Trichel coordinates the day-to-day recruiting operations, including handling correspondence and monitoring a recruiting management program that the UL coaches utilize. Trichel coordinates on-campus recruiting events and official visits. He also helps to maintain the recruiting boards and roster. He also serves as the social media administrator. A 2006 graduate of Southeastern Louisiana with a degree in general management, Trichel attended Mississippi State, earning a master’s degree in sports administration in 2008 and a second master’s in business administration in 2010.

Hunter BonvillainStudent Assistant

Sean MurphyIntern

Garrett KreamerStudent Assistant

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RUsty WhItthead strength &conditioning coach Rusty Whitt began his tenure as the University of Louisiana’s head strength and conditioning coach in October 2010. Whitt, who served in the United States

Army as a Senior Special Forces Communication Sergeant in the 10th Special Forces Group, came to Louisiana from Rice University where he served as assistant coordinator of strength and conditioning from March 2009 until his hiring at UL. At Rice, Whitt designed and implemented year-round strength, speed, mobility, cardiovascular conditioning and injury rehabilitation programs for football, baseball, track and field and swimming. Prior to joining the staff at Rice, he served in the United States Army from Aug. 2003-Jan. 2009. He was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) V and VI. Whitt developed and initiated a comprehensive pre-deployment conditioning program for his Special Forces Team prior to and during OIF V and VI. He received a combat infantry badge, two Iraqi campaign medals and an Army commendation medal with valor. Whitt began his strength and conditioning career with graduate assistantships at Midwestern State University (Aug. 1995-June 1996) and the University of Texas (June 1996-May 1997). He performed an internship in the strength and conditioning department at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (May-Sept. 1997). Whitt had stints as an assistant strength and conditioning coor-dinator for football at William and Mary (Dec. 1997-Aug. 1998) and Louisville (Aug.-Dec. 1998) before being named the head strength and conditioning coach at Sam Houston State in Dec. 1998. At SHSU, Whitt served as an instructor in the kinesiology depart-ment and assisted in the design of a new weight facility. He also worked with current Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball coach Bob Marlin until Aug. 2003. Over his career, Whitt has participated in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl, 1998 Motor City Bowl, I-AA football playoffs and NCAA men’s bas-ketball tournament. Whitt earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and admin-istration from Abilene Christian University in 1994 and his master’s degree in kinesiology from Texas in 1997. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

JAKE RAyBURNAssistant strength & conditioning coach Jake Rayburn is in his sixth year as an as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He joined the University of Louisiana

strength and conditioning staff in July 2006. In his role, he assists in the day-to-day development and imple-mentation of the off-season, summer and in-season workouts for the Cajuns football team. His other duties at UL include overseeing the strength and conditioning programs for baseball, softball, golf, soccer and tennis. In the summer of 2006, Rayburn came to UL from Tulane, where he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for two years (2004-06). During that time, he worked with women’s basketball, soccer and track and field. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he was re-located to Ruston, La., with the football team and was placed in charge of the in-season strength and conditioning program and game-day duties. Upon returning to campus, he conducted off-season workouts for men’s basketball. Prior to arriving at Tulane, Rayburn served as a graduate assistant at Middle Tennessee from 2001-04, assisting with workouts for all 15 sports. During that time, he worked directly with men’s & women’s golf and tennis. Rayburn is originally from Martin, Tenn., and graduated from Tennessee-Martin in 2001. He also completed an internship at Ten-nessee during the summer of 2001, where he assisted with football and men’s basketball. He and his wife Andrea have two daughters, Callie and Hailey.

JAsON mANIKOWsKIAssistant strength & conditioning coach Jason Manikowski arrived at the Univer-sity of Louisiana in June 2011 to serve as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. Manikowski joined the Cajuns’ strength staff after spending the previous 17 months

as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at TCU. While at TCU, Manikowski was the head strength coach for the Horned Frogs women’s basketball and equestrian programs. He de-signed all of the strength, speed and agility programs for women’s basketball, while assisting with football. In the summer of 2009, Manikowski served as an intern at TCU where he helped demonstrate proper technique in performing Olympic lifts and improving speed development. Prior to working at TCU, he was employed as a physical education teacher at St. Catherine’s High School in Racine, Wisc. In 2007, Manikowski was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for football at his alma mater, Wisconsin–Oshkosh. Manikowski holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health education from UW-Oshkosh, where he was a four-year starting free safety for the Titans. He was a second team Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference selection in 2005 and earned a preseason All-American accolade going into his senior campaign in 2006.

stRENGth & cONDItIONING

Joseph JamesVolunteer Assistant

Brad McGuireIntern

Chris MassonIntern

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Scott Farmer has over a quarter of a century working in all aspects of intercolle-giate athletics, perfectly pre-paring him for when he took over as Louisiana’s director of athletics in October 2011. Now in his sixth year working with the Ragin’ Ca-juns, the first three as senior associate athletic director, Farmer knowledge and in-

sight has already impacted the UL athletic programs. In his first five years at UL, Farmer has: •playedanintegralroleinestablishingandgrowingtheRagin’Cajuns Athletic Foundation in 2009. The RCAF works to enhance the department’s annual operating budget and provide financial support to UL’s 16 varsity programs. In 2011-12, the RCAF was responsible for raising more than $4 million; • increasedannualrevenuethroughsponsorshipsandnamingrights to almost $700,000 in 2011-12; •workedtodevelopamasterfacilitiesplanforathleticswhichwillprovide Ragin’ Cajuns student-athletes and coaches with the facilities needed to compete nationally at the highest of levels; •coordinatedfacilityimprovementsthatincludedtheadditionofartificial turf in both Cajun Field and M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, renovat-ing Lamson Park and the Cox Communications Athletic Complex; • been responsible for thehiringof coachesMarkHudspeth(football), Bob Marlin (men’s basketball), Garry Brodhead (women’s basketball) and Lon Badeaux (track), who have stabilized their respec-tive programs and provided UL with strong performances in their inaugural years; • madeULathleticeventsmoreaccessible to fansbycreatingthe Ragin’ Cajuns Network, which annually televises events to the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette markets. He also helped to expand the Ragin’ Cajuns Radio Network to include stations in New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Rayne, Monroe and New Iberia, covering the five-largest metropolitan areas in the state; •thedrivingforcebehindthecreationofGEAUX, a football game day program that has grown to 116 pages of features, profiles, statis-tics and other information for Cajun football fans. The program sold out its advertising space for 2012. • hasworkedtoalmostdoublethenumberof footballseasontickets sold, from just under 4,800 in 2007 to over 9,000 for the 2012 campaign; •negotiatedanappareldealwithRussellAthleticsforallRagin’Cajuns sports, a first for the department; and • completeda four-year termon theNCAADivision ISoftballCommittee, serving as the chair in both 2011 and 2012. Farmer’s first year as athletic director resulted in great success for the Ragin’ Cajuns. In 2011-12, eight of the 16 UL programs advanced to postseason play in their respective sports, including football mak-ing its first bowl appearance since 1970 and men’s basketball hosting a postseason game on campus for the first time since 1985.

scOtt FARmERDirector of Athletics

In the classroom, Ragin’ Cajuns student-athletes have recorded a combined GPA of 2.80 or higher for a record four straight semesters, with over half owning a GPA of 3.0 or higher. All 16 teams have an Academic Progress Rate score well above the NCAA requirements for their respective sport with soccer receiving a public recognition award from the NCAA for posting a multi-year APR score in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport Farmer’s efforts have helped attendance at UL events to reach an all-time high with both baseball and softball leading the Sun Belt in attendance for the 13th straight year. Football set the Sun Belt records for average and total attendance and led all FBS schools with an increased average attendance of 11,788. The crowd of 42,841 for the New Orleans Bowl shattered the old bowl record for attendance by more than 12,000. Farmer came to Lafayette after eight years at Troy University (1999-2007) where he worked as senior associate athletic director and oversaw the internal workings of Troy’s 17-sport program while being directly responsible for the department’s sports programs, the support staff and the business office. He helped the Trojans make the move to the NCAA Division I-FBS level and the Sun Belt Conference. As part of the move, Farmer oversaw a massive renovation of the athletic facilities, including an $18 million renovation of football’s Veterans Memorial Stadium, new facilities for softball, tennis, track and soccer plus facility upgrades for both basketball and baseball. While serving as interim athletic director in 2004-05, he guided the football program to become the first league member to receive an at-large bowl bid, playing in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl. A native of Ormond Beach, Fla., Farmer was a four-year letterman in swimming at Georgia Southern, being named the school’s male scholar-athlete of the year in 1985. He received his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1986 and a master’s in sports management in 1987. After graduating, Farmer began his career in athletics as head women’s swimming coach at Georgia Southern in 1986. He led the Eagles to eight conference titles in nine seasons, compiling a 65-25 record (.722) to become the winningest coach in program history. Promoted to a dual-position of assistant athletic director for sports programs, student-athlete services and event management in 1988, he left coaching following the 1995-96 season to concentrate on his duties overseeing student-athlete services. He left GSU in 1997 after 12 years. During his tenure at Georgia Southern – both as a student and as an administrator – the Eagles won 4 NCAA FCS (Division I-AA) football national championships. Farmer’s introduction to athletics came at an early age. His fa-ther, Bud Farmer, served as director of athletics and head swimming coach at Daytona Beach Community College (now Daytona State College). Farmer is married to the former Jackie Davis, a record-setting swimmer who he met at Georgia Southern. The couple have two children, a daughter, Kaitlin and a son, Kyle.

DIREctOR OF AthLEtIcs

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