Meetings total 34 | Trophy Sabine Shoe | |
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First meeting October 27, 1923Southwestern Louisiana 19, Lamar 16 Latest meeting September 1, 2012Louisiana–Lafayette 40, Lamar 0 All-time series Louisiana–Lafayette leads, 23–11 | ||
The Sabine Shoe is the name of the bronze shoe trophy that was awarded to the winner of the annual football game between the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (formerly the Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs) and the Lamar Cardinals. The first Sabine Shoe trophy was awarded in 1937 to the winner of the SLI–Lamar football game. The name of the bronze rivalry trophy was derived from the Sabine River that forms part of the Texas–Louisiana border. USL defeated Lamar in the 1978 edition of the rivalry game, but the Ragin' Cajuns were not awarded the trophy as it had vanished. The Sabine Shoe trophy now sits in at trophy case in the Ragin' Cajun Athletic Complex in Lafayette, Louisiana. The two teams have met 34 times on the football field, with the Ragin' Cajuns currently holding a 23–11 edge in the all time series. The game has been infrequently played following the Ragin' Cajuns departure from the Southland Conference in football. Following the 1981 season, the conference was one of several forced to reclassify from NCAA's Division I-A to Division I-AA. The Ragin' Cajuns, a member of Division I-A since 1978, met the NCAA requirements to remain a Division I-A member and chose to continue participation in that sub-division.