The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has proposed a change in name for their baseball facility.
According to a press release, UL has proposed the renaming of its baseball facility to “Tony Robichaux Park.”
The naming would honor the legacy of Tony Robichaux, the winningest baseball coach in program history and a well-respected leader in the community for decades.
Coach Robichaux passed away in 2019.
The proposal would also name the new stadium renovation the “Russo Stadium Club.”
Chris J. Russo has pledged $1.225 million for the naming of the Stadium Club. He is also contributing an additional $500,000 towards the Friends of Tony Robichaux Fund, which kicks off a $5 million fundraising initiative.
“My father and I shared many special moments watching the Cajuns play, and supporting this program has always meant a great deal to our family,” Russo said. “Naming the stadium club for the Russo family honors those memories. Helping create Tony Robichaux Park and launching the Friends of Tony Robichaux Fund honors a coach whose impact reached far beyond baseball. We are proud to help preserve his legacy and strengthen the program he loved.”
“Coach Robichaux taught generations of young men that baseball was never only about winning games. It was about discipline, accountability, faith and service,” said University President Dr. Ramesh Kolluru. “Tony Robichaux Park will ensure that the place he helped build carries forward the values he lived and the standard he set. We are deeply grateful to Chris Russo and the entire Russo family for helping make this tribute possible and for investing in the next generation of Louisiana Baseball.”
“Nobody embodied Cajuns Baseball for more than 25 years than Coach Tony Robichaux,” current Louisiana head baseball coach Matt Deggs said. “When I see his name up there, it will feel like home. I’ll think about all the history and memories, and all the blood, sweat and tears he poured into this program. It’s coming full circle, and while it’s a huge moment for our program, it’s an even bigger honor for the Robichaux family.”
The UL baseball team is coming off of an impressive season in which they made the Regional Finals in Starkville. They begin Fall practice in the coming weeks.