The Louisiana RaginӰר Cajuns Athletics Department earned a solid second place for the 2013-2014 Excellence in Management Cup.
The championship cup was established by the Laboratory for the Study of Intercollegiate Athletics at Texas A&M Ӱר to answer this question: Who is the most economically efficient athletic department in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision?
The EM Cup awards athletic departments that win the most conference and national championships with the lowest expenses. The scores are calculated in a formula that accounts for total athletic department spending, number of sports played, and the number of conference and national championships won by each Division I (FBS) university.
The ӰרӰרs Athletics Department earned second place by Ӱרproving to be an efficient and balanced athletic department both financially and athletically,Ӱר said Shane L. Hudson, clinical associate professor, at Texas A&M.
The Ӱר of Idaho was named this yearӰרs national champion. Utah Valley Ӱר finished third. The EM Cup scores were:
No. 1 Idaho 3.8506
No. 2 Louisiana 3.3111
No. 3 Utah Valley 2.5790
In July, CBSSports.com named Louisiana No. 34 in its Best in College Sports. That ranking was based on athletic success, rather than financial standing. Louisiana was the top non-automatic qualifying BCS school in the rankings. Yet, LouisianaӰרs budget is significantly lower, compared to its CBSSports.com peers, according to USA Today.
No. 33 Nebraska ($86.9 million)
No. 34 Louisiana ($18.1 million)
No. 35 Penn State ($104.7 million)
No. 36 Tennessee ($111.5 million)
No. 37 Iowa ($107.1 million)
The ӰרӰרs total athletics budget just seven years ago was $9 million, second to last among FBS schools, according to Scott Farmer, the director of Louisiana Athletics.
ӰרOur athletics budget has come a long way in recent years, thanks to donors, sponsors and fan support,Ӱר said Dr. Joseph Savoie, president of UL Lafayette.
ӰרThis recognition by the Excellence in Management Cup is a testament to the spirit of the RaginӰר Cajuns.Ӱר
In 2013-14, five Louisiana RaginӰר Cajuns teams Ӱר football, baseball, softball, menӰרs basketball and tennis Ӱר won conference titles.