| Year: | 2006 |
| Team: | McNeese State Cowboys |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southland Conference |
| Short Conf: | Southland |
| Record: | 7–5 |
| Conf Record: | 5–1 |
| Tsnrank: | 21 |
| Head Coach: | Tommy Tate |
| Hc Year: | 7th |
| Hc Games: | first 4 games |
| Head Coach2: | Matt Viator |
| Hc Games2: | interim, games 5–12 |
| Off Coach: | Matt Viator |
| Oc Year: | 7th |
| Cooff Coach1: | Ben Norton |
| Cooc1 Year: | 1st |
| Codef Coach1: | Jason Rollins |
| Codc1 Year: | 2nd |
| Stadium: | Cowboy Stadium |
| Champion: | Southland champion |
| Bowl Result: | L 6–31 vs. Montana |
The 2006 McNeese State Cowboys football team was an American football team that represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference (Southland) during the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. In their seventh year under head coach Tommy Tate, the team compiled an overall record of 7–5, with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, and finished as Southland champion. The Cowboys advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs and lost to Montana in the first round.
After a 1–4 start to the season, Tate was fired as head coach and replaced with Matt Viator as interim head coach.[1] After a 5–1 start as interim head coach, on November 13 Viator was named as permanent head coach of the Cowboys.[2]