Lamar University Athletics
Lamar University students enjoy cheering on the Cardinals in more than a dozen NCAA Division I men’s and women’s sports. Competing in the Southland Conference, Cardinals teams have a history of winning championships in sports including men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, golf and cross country.
- The baseball program has produced multiple major leaguers.
- LU’s new football program has heightened excitement on campus with sell-out crowds and students involved in marching band, cheerleading, the dance team and all the fun of game-day tailgating.
- LU has recently added two new athletic programs for female athletes: soccer and softball.
Facilities
Lamar has some of the finest athletic facilities in the region.
- The Dauphin Athletic Complex houses the Lamar football team as well as other athletic administration. The 54,000-square-foot facility lies at the south end of newly renovated Provost Umphrey Stadium. The complex contains football locker rooms, weight training and sports medicine facilities and academic centers. Within the complex are football locker rooms, the Beaumont Bone and Joint Sports Medicine Facility and the John Payton Academic Success Center.
- The Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center is a multi-purpose facility. The arena floor can host sporting events such as basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing and martial arts tournaments. With stadium and floor seating, the Neches Arena is a perfect venue for hosting concerts and other family-friendly events. Neches Arena Web Site
- Vincent-Beck Stadium, home of the Cardinal baseball team, hosted the 1993 Sun Belt Conference tournament, and the 2001, 2002 and 2006 Southland Conference tournaments. Adjacent to the stadium is the Emma and H.D. “Tex” Strait Baseball Training Center. View Virtural Tour
- The LU Soccer Complex opened in 2009 and is one of the top facilities in the Southland Conference.
- The LU Softball Complex features a fully lighted playing field, a programmable irrigation and fertilization system. Amenities for the players include spacious dugouts and locker rooms as well bullpens for both teams and a covered hitting facility. View Virtural Tour
- The Lamar Tennis Facility, now named the Thompson Family Tennis Center, received a total renovation in 2009.
- The Ty Terrell Track, which was resurfaced in 2001, is the site of the Ty Terrell Relays, which annually attracts some of the best prep and collegiate track athletes.
- The McDonald Gymnasium opened its doors in 1958 and immediately became a campus landmark. It was the home of basketball, volleyball and high school sports. Today, following a major renovation in 2006, it is the competition venue for Lamar University Volleyball and is housed within the Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center.
- Provost Umphrey Stadium and W.S. “Bud” Leonard Field is one of the best Division I FCS venues in the nation seating 16,000 and features seven luxury suites. This state-of-the-art venue was renovated in 2009 thanks in large part to the generosity of donors like the late Walter Umphrey and his partners at Provost Umphrey law firm, Education First Federal Credit Union, the Morgan Charitable Foundation and Dan F. and Sandra A. Smith. View Virtural Tour
