College Sports Established
1948
Location
Thibodaux, Louisiana
College Name
Nicholls State University
Collegiate History
1979 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1991 - Present / Southland Conference
1979 - 1984, 1987 - 1991 / Independent
1984 - 1987 / Gulf Star Conference
Nickname
Colonels - The Nicholls State Colonels are an NCAA Division I team that has existed since the early 1970s. The school is in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and competes in the Southland Conference. While many may not know much about this small school, they have a unique nickname with fascinating origins.
The nickname "Colonels" was adopted by Nicholls State University in 1972 when it first became a member of the NCAA's Division I-A level of competition. It was chosen to honor two prominent figures from Louisiana: Colonel William Caffery and Colonel Alfred Mouton, who served as leaders during America's Civil War period (1861-1865). Both men were born into families with strong ties to France, so their French ancestry was also considered when selecting this name for the university’s athletic teams.
The mascot for Nicholls State University is known as “Colonel Tillou” or simply “Tillou,” which pays homage to one of these two colonels mentioned above—William Caffery—who had his plantation near Thibodaux where he grew sugarcane and other crops on land given to him by his father-in-law Jean Baptiste Baudoin dit Tillou (hence why he is referred to as ‘Tillou').
So while some may think that having such a unique name might be strange or even intimidating at times, it does pay tribute to those who fought bravely during America's Civil War over 150 years ago! As sports fans, we should all appreciate how special names like these can be when representing our favorite teams! Go, Colonels!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1982
- 1986
- 1998
- 2018
- 2021
-
Colonels football team became member of the Southland Conference
Nicholls State Colonels football team joined the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) in 1978 and became a charter member of the Southland Conference in 1982 -
Colonels men’s basketball team won the Gulf Star Conference tournament
Nicholls State Colonels men’s basketball team won the Gulf Star Conference tournament in 1986 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time -
baseball team won its second conference tournament title
Nicholls State Colonels baseball team won its second conference tournament title in 1998 as a member of the Southland Conference and returned to the NCAA tournament -
Cassidy Barrios – Southland Conference Player of the Year
Cassidy Barrios: A guard who played for Nicholls from 2015 to 2019 and was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2018. She also holds the school records for career points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks -
Colonels women’s soccer team won its second Southland Conference tournament
Nicholls State Colonels women’s soccer team won its second Southland Conference tournament title in 2021 and returned to 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 Colonels
In 1983, Nicholls State became one of the founding members of its current conference affiliation - Southland Conference (SLC). Since then, they have won numerous championships across several different divisions, including seven SLC titles for football since 2004; two regular season titles for women's basketball; three consecutive tournament championships from 2009–2011; four softball tournament titles since 2003, with their most recent being 2017; five regular season track & field crowns from 2012–2016 plus one outdoor championship title in 2016 among others.
In addition to these successes on the court/field/track are several individual accolades earned by student-athletes over time, including All-Americans honors across multiple sports categories, such as softball pitcher Rachele Fico who was named National Player Of The Year twice while playing at NSU (2010&2012); former quarterback Chase Fourcade who broke multiple records during his career there before heading off into professional football rank after graduation just last year, etc...
Overall it is clear that despite not having a long-standing tradition like some other universities regarding collegiate athletics – Nicholls State has made quite an impact within its divisional affiliations throughout decades up until now! So if you're looking for something new or exciting to cheer on this upcoming season, keep your eyes open toward what this Louisiana university can offer!
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