College Sports Established
1939
Location
Lake Charles, Louisiana
College Name
McNeese State University
Collegiate History
1972 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1972 - Present / Southland Conference
Nickname
Cowboys - The McNeese Cowboys have been a staple of the NCAA for decades, and their name has become synonymous with excellence in college sports. But where did the name come from? The answer is rooted in history and tradition.
1934 McNeese State College was founded as a two-year school in Lake Charles, Louisiana. At that time, it was known simply as "McNeese," but its athletic teams needed an identity to represent them on the field of play. That's when they adopted the nickname "Cowboys."
The choice made sense given that many students at McNeese were from rural areas around southwestern Louisiana who had grown up working on ranches or farms—and thus were familiar with cowboy culture and lifestyle. The moniker also fits well with other local schools, such as Northwestern State University (the Demons) and LSU (the Tigers).
In addition to being appropriate for its student body’s background, “Cowboys” provided an opportunity for clever wordplay: fans could cheer “Go Pokes!” which sounded similar enough to “Go, Cowboys!” Plus, it gave rise to plenty of creative team logos depicting cowboys riding horses or bulls while wearing ten-gallon hats—all designed to give fans something fun yet distinctive by which they could identify their favorite team.
More than eight decades later, after first adopting their mascot name back in 1934, McNeese still proudly uses it today. Whether you're cheering them on during football season or watching one of their other varsity sports teams compete throughout the year, you can always count on hearing those exact words shouted out loud — Go Pokes!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1940
- 1956
- 1982
- 2019
-
McNeese’s first football team was fielded
McNeese’s first football team was fielded in 1940. The team plays its home games at the 17,410 seat Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana. -
NAIA Tournament Champions
The Cowboys Basketball team has appeared in one NAIA Tournament. Their record is 5–0. They were national champions in 1956, their only appearance in the tournament. -
Hubert Boales – head football coach at the McNeese
Hubert Boales (born c. 1931) is a former American football, baseball, and golf coach. He served as the head football coach at the McNeese State University in 1982, compiling a record of 4–6–1. Boales was also the head baseball coach at McNeese State from 1968 to 1977 and the school’s head golf coach from 1978 to 1981 and again from ... -
McNeese State wins Southland baseball tournament
McNeese State came into the 2019 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament as the No. 5 seed. Don’t sell the Cowboys short. McNeese outplayed the other seven teams over a four-day period at Constellation Field, culminating in a 4-2 victory over Central Arkansas in Saturday’s championship game and receiving the conference’s automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament.
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Cowboys
One thing that makes this team unique is its rich history and tradition that dates back to when it first began competing as an independent school before joining what is now known as The Southland Conference (SLC) in 1977. During those early days, they were led by legendary coach Jack Doland who guided them to three conference titles between 1985-87 and was inducted into both The College Football Hall Of Fame and Texas Sports Hall Of Fame for his accomplishments with McNeese State University (MSU).
Since then, MSU has continued its success on the field under head coaches such as Matt Viator, who led them from 2007-17, where he compiled a record of 87 wins against only 39 losses while also guiding his team to two SLC Championships along with four playoff appearances during his tenure a,t MSU which included advancing all way up until semi-finals twice! This past season saw another excellent year for McNeese Cowboys behind new head coach Sterlin Gilbert whose squad finished 8–4 overall, including 5–3 within conference play, which earned him Coach Of Year honors from SLC media members – something many believe will be just beginning for this program’s future successes under Gilbert’s leadership moving forward!
Overall there is much excitement surrounding what lies ahead, not only within the current season but also beyond looking towards future seasons; With rich tradition already established combined strong coaching staff & talented players returning every year - there's no doubt we'll continue to see these excellent Cowboy performances each passing week!
Sports Fan Products
