The Saints will not be marching back to Nicholls this summer for training camp, and Nicholls officials say the reason is due to uncontrollable matters.
According to Mike Davis, assistant vice president for business affairs and Saints camp coordinator, rain and lightning are to blame for the Saints’ departure. The drainage of the playing field and problems that go along with the unpredictable weather conditions that sometimes plague the Thibodaux area were all factors in the decision, Davis said.
“Both of those severely disrupt their schedule,” Davis said. “Lightning, obviously, is going to run everyone off the field. You can practice in the rain up to a certain point, but once the fields become really sloppy and slippery, it can lead to injuries for the players.”
Although some may feel that the Saints were a vital part of Nicholls’ financial income, the football league only paid for services, such as food and offices, used during the camp and for rent while staying in the residence facilities.
“They (the Saints) did not invest money in the physical plant of the University at all,” Davis said. “They paid for services rendered.”
The Saints’ presence, however, did entice some people to invest in improvements on campus. The contributions helped in acquiring more than $1.3 million to renovate and improve various aspects at Nicholls. Some of the improvements that have taken place include the renovation of Calecus Hall, the refurbishment of the elevator in Ellender residence hall and the upgraded parking lots.
“Some of these improvements were some of the highest student concerns based on student satisfactory surveys in the past,” Michael Delaune, director of university relations, said. “The improvements meshed well with our plans.”
As far as the Saints ever returning to campus, the outlook is possible yet unlikely, according to Davis. The Saints held their first-ever home state training camp at Nicholls when the team moved their camp to Thibodaux in 1975. However, mosquitoes and heavy rains pushed the Saints to move back to their original training camp facility in Vero Beach, Florida.
“My personal opinion is that you will not see the Saints returning to Nicholls and I don’t think you’ll see them going to any other college campus in the state,” Davis said. “With the construction of their new indoor facility, they are building a much larger weight room, another outdoor practice field and a cafeteria. The trend in the NFL is that more and more of the teams are going to hosting their camps at their own facilities.”
With the Saints’ departure, Nicholls officials are carrying no regrets and feel that the decision to leave will not hurt the University in any way.
“We’re so proud of our employees here and how hard they worked,” Davis said. “They were the ones who were responsible for the success of this camp.”
Delaune said, “I want to stress the decision and the lasting improvements were based on what’s best for the students first.”