LAFAYETTE, La. (George Faust/KLFY)-Officials and Coach Tony Robichaux’s family has confirmed that he has passed away. He was 57.
Tony Robichaux, who most knew as “Coach Robe”, spent 25 seasons as the head coach of the Ragin’ Cajun Baseball Program and 33 years at the Division 1 level.
But before his coaching career took off at Mcneese State, and then UL, Robe played at Wharton Junior College, McNeese state and Louisiana.
He earned his degree from McNeese in 1986.
He coached there for 8 seasons, he led the Cowboys to a combined 263-177 record, including a school record 41 wins in his last season there. He also led the program to its first-ever national ranking during the 1994 season.
In 1995, Robichaux became the head coach for the Cajuns. It took just two short seasons to lead UL to the NCAA Regionals. He guided Louisiana to the 2000 College World Series, as well as 12 NCAA Regionals and four NCAA Super Regionals.
The 2000 team and the 2014 team were perhaps his best teams on the field.
In 2000, the Cajuns beat #1 seed South Carolina in Columbia to advance to the CWS.
In 2014, the Cajuns peaked as the #1 team in the country before the NCAA Tournament. That season, they hosted a super regional vs. Ole Miss and after winning the first game the Cajuns dropped the last two.
He’s done enough to be the 8th winningest active coach in NCAA history… and 46th overall.
Robichaux will be remembered as more than a coach… his legacy rests in the lessons he taught student-athletes about their lives beyond the diamond. — Dr. Joseph Savoie https://t.co/KYah2KNcnh pic.twitter.com/y6JIGSUaNC— UL Lafayette (@ULLafayette) July 3, 2019
His teams have also clinched seven sun belt conference regular season crowns (1997, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018) and four Sun Belt Conference Tournament titles (1998, 2014, 2015 and 2016).
Robichaux became the 51st coach in NCAA Division 1 history to post 1,000 career wins on Feb. 28, 2015 with a 6-5 victory in Birmingham, Ala. against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
But, all of the wins pale in comparison to the effect he had on his players… and that’s what his legacy will be.
Robichaux: “And I think the coaches that have been in the game for a long time, I think that’s what has sustained them is that you’ve got to be on something that’s fleeting. A baseball game is fleeting, going tto be here today and gone tomorrow. But developing him into a man, that’s rock solid. I think it’s important because in the Bible it doesn’t say that you’ve got to be a baseball player, but it’s clear what kind of man you need to become. You talked to pastors who have pastored men over to the other side, and the three questions that always come up are was I a good enough husband? Was I a good enough father? was a good enough man? So let’s just drag those to the front. Let’s teach him that. I think that will probably prepare him more than baseball will.”
He is survived by his wife Colleen and their three children, Ashley, Justin and Austin, along with their 8 grandchildren.
The following is a statement from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics:
Louisiana Baseball head coach Tony Robichaux passed away Wednesday morning with his family and loved ones at his side at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.
Coach Robichaux, the winningest head coach in Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball history, leaves behind a legacy of servant leadership, compassion and faith that extends beyond the baseball diamond and into the lives of the thousands of student-athletes and staff he impacted in his 25 seasons leading the program.
At this time, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Department of Athletics asks that fans and the general public keep the Robichaux family and baseball program in their thoughts and prayers.
