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Spring 2005
Jim Doyle
 It was 1967. Jim Doyle was sitting in his parents’ home in Milwaukee, Wis., when the phone rang.
The man on the other end said he was a coach from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and he wanted to travel from Lafayette to Wisconsin to recruit Doyle, an All-Conference lineman who was set to graduate that year.
Doyle had never heard of Lafayette. He had no idea what a Ragin’ Cajun was. The phone call seemed a bit unreal to him.
A few days later, USL assistant football coach Raymond Blanco was at the Doyles’ door.
More than three decades later, Jim Doyle remembers thinking that this Blanco guy wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“Coach was a very persuasive recruiter,” Doyle laughed. “I think the clincher was when he took hold of my mother’s hand and told her, “Mama, if you send your son to USL, I’ll see that he goes to church!”
After that, Dorothy Doyle “was hooked,” her son remembered. Soon, Jim found himself visiting Lafayette, and later, moving his belongings into the football players’ dorm. He was the Ragin’ Cajuns’ offensive tackle from 1967 to 1970.
“Lafayette had great weather, great food and wonderfully friendly people,” Doyle said. “There wasn’t a day I didn’t feel at home.”
Doyle joined the Alumni Association shortly after receiving his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1971. He said his 30-year affiliation with the organization gives him the same sense of family he had during his early years in Lafayette.
“Being active with the Alumni Association is a good feeling. Returning to campus and working with the staff and other alumni has brought back so many memories. I have enjoyed all the volunteer work I have done on behalf of the university.”
There is a long list of events where he has helped out: countless homecomings, tons of outreach programs, loads of committee meetings. He served a term as the association’s president in 2001-02.
“I absolutely loved my involvement with the Golden Reunion the year I served as president,” Doyle said. “I talked to so many 50-year graduates during the socials and at the dinner dance the evening before graduation. It was a joy to see people who still showed their love for the university and each other.”
Doyle is a senior vice president for Brenntag North America and chairman of the board for Brenntag Canada. His jobs keep him on the road a lot; trips to Europe and spots all over North America are not uncommon.
But he said he always finds time for the Alumni Association and UL Lafayette.
“I think about getting that phone call from Coach Blanco and all the great things that have happened to me because of that. I can’t help but want to contribute something to the university. The Alumni Association has helped me show my gratitude for the past 30 years.”
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