LAFAYETTE PARISH — The home of UL baseball now carries the name of one of the program’s most influential figures.
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved renaming Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park as Tony Robichaux Park, permanently tying the former coach’s name to the place where he built a lasting legacy.
For UL baseball head coach Matt Deggs, the new name already feels familiar.
“The best way I can put it...was it’s like you pull in and you see 36, or the Robichaux, or Coach Robichaux Stadium. It’s like pulling into your driveway at home,” Deggs said.
Robichaux spent more than 25 years building Cajuns baseball into a nationally recognized program. He won 914 games in Lafayette and led the Ragin’ Cajuns to 12 NCAA regional appearances, including a College World Series appearance in 2000 and a No. 1 national ranking in 2014.
Deggs said Robichaux’s dedication to the program went far beyond what fans saw on game days.
“A lot of people don’t know this; a lot of nights Coach Robichaux would spend the night here, and you know he only lived 20 minutes down the road, but he’d spend the night. That’s how long he’d be up here working,” Deggs said.
Robichaux died July 3, 2019, at age 57. He finished his career as the winningest coach in the history of both the UL and McNeese State baseball programs.
Deggs, who played for Robichaux and later became his friend and colleague, said the new name brings a sense of closure.
“I miss him dearly every day. I wish he was here right now, and, uh, you know, it’s something that’s kind of come full circle,” Deggs said.
The facility has been known as Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park since 2017. The Russo name will continue through the Russo Stadium Club, while Robichaux’s name will now represent the entire park.
Chris Russo has pledged $1.225 million for the naming of the Russo Stadium Club and another $500,000 to the Friends of Tony Robichaux Fund. The fund will support the baseball program and help launch a $5 million fundraising campaign.
Deggs said the Russo family has played an important role in supporting the university and Cajuns baseball.
“They’ve given so much to this university, this athletic department, and especially baseball over the years,” Deggs said.
Robichaux’s legacy has continued to grow since his death. He was inducted into the UL Hall of Fame and American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021, followed by induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
For Deggs, putting Robichaux’s name on the home of Cajuns baseball is a fitting tribute to the coach who devoted so much of his life to the program.
Deggs said the honor reflects the work Robichaux put into the program and the impact his family watched him make for more than two decades.
“It’s just the right thing, for how hard he worked and his family witnessed that for over 25 years, what he put into this stadium and the team and the players and the program and the university,” Deggs said.
