| Currentseason: | 2024 McNeese Cowboys football team |
| Teamname: | McNeese Cowboys football |
| Headcoach: | Gary Goff |
| Headcoachyear: | 2nd |
| Hcwins: | 4 |
| Hclosses: | 17 |
| Stadium: | Cowboy Stadium |
| Stadcapacity: | 17,610 |
| Stadsurface: | Artificial turf |
| Ncaadivision: | I FCS |
| Conference: | Southland Conference |
| Athleticdirector: | Heath Schroyer |
| Atwins: | 479 |
| Atlosses: | 288 |
| Atties: | 13 |
| Bowlwins: | 3 |
| Bowllosses: | 3 |
| Bowlties: | 1 |
| Playoffs: | 11–14 |
| Conftitles: | 14 |
| Fightsong: | "On Mcneese" |
| Mascotdisplay: | Rowdy |
| Marchingband: | "The Pride of Mcneese" |
| Rivalries: | Central Arkansas (rivalry) Lamar (rivalry) Louisiana (rivalry) Northwestern State (rivalry) |
| Websitename: | McNeeseSports.com |
| Websiteurl: | https://mcneesesports.com/sports/football |
The McNeese Cowboys football program is the intercollegiate American football team for McNeese State University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. 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.
On August 31, 2013, McNeese opened their season by defeating the South Florida Bulls, 53–21. It was the largest margin of victory (32 points) by a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly I-AA) team over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly I-A) team since the NCAA split Division I football into two divisions in 1978.[1]
McNeese State football played some of their original games at a stadium now named Lake Charles Boston High School Cougar Stadium.[2]
The Cowboys have participated in seven bowl games.[4]
| 1947 | T 0–0 | |||
| 1951 | W 13–6 | |||
| 1962 | Golden Isles Bowl | W 21–14 | ||
| 1971 | L 23–26 | |||
| 1976 | W 20–16 | |||
| 1979 | L 7–31 | |||
| 1980 | L 14–16 |
See main article: Red Beans and Rice Bowl. The two teams have met 13 times on the football field with Central Arkansas leading the series 7–6–0. Due to conference scheduling requirements, the most recent game was played in 2019.
| + McNeese State–Central Arkansas: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | McNeese wins | McNeese losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | September 17, 1994 (won 21–7) | October 12, 2019 (lost 31–40) | 7 | 6 | 0 |
See main article: Battle of the Border (Lamar–McNeese State). The two teams have met 40 times on the football field, with McNeese State holding a 28-11-1 agreement with the two universities and Verizon Wireless.[5]
| + McNeese State–Lamar: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | McNeese wins | McNeese losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | November 10, 1951 (won 13–7) | November 19, 2022 (won 24-20) | 28 | 11 | 1 |
See main article: Cajun Crown. The Cajun Crown was the name of the rivalry trophy between Louisiana and McNeese State.[6]
| + Louisiana–McNeese State: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | McNeese State wins | McNeese State losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | September 22, 1951 (lost 14–35) | September 10, 2016 (lost 22–30) | 20 | 16 | 2 |
See main article: McNeese State–Northwestern State football rivalry. McNeese State leads the series with Northwestern State 48–23–1 through the 2021 season.
| + McNeese State–Northwestern State: All-Time Record | Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | McNeese State wins | McNeese State losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | October 6, 1951 (won 38–21) | November 20, 2021 (lost 20–24) | 48 | 23 | 1 |
Notable alumni include:
Announced non-conference opponents as of May 22, 2024.[7]
| at Louisiana | at South Dakota | South Dakota | ||
| Weber State | ||||
| at Utah State |