McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. McNeese is part of the University of Louisiana System and is classified as a Master's University. The selective admissions university consists of six colleges and the Doré School of Graduate Studies. McNeese is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and all programs of study are accredited by their respective national boards.
The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include volleyball, tennis, soccer, and softball. The Cowboys and Cowgirls compete in NCAA Division I, with Cowboys football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and are members of the Southland Conference.
The Southland Conference baseball tournament is the conference championship tournament in baseball for the Southland Conference. The winner of the tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I baseball tournament.
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.
Thomas Tate is an American football coach and athletics administrator. He is the athletic director and defensive coordinator at Opelousas Catholic School in Opelousas, Louisiana, positions he has held since 2013. Tate served as the head football coach at McNeese State University from 2000 to 2006. He compiled a record of 49–26 led the McNeese State Cowboys to three consecutive Southland Conference titles, from 2001 to 2003. Tate was given the Eddie Robinson Award in 2002 as the coach of the year in NCAA Division I-AA, when he guided the Cowboys to a 13–2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, where his team finished as runners-up. Tate was fired in the middle of the 2006 season after the Cowboys started 1–3. He was replaced by Matt Viator, who coached McNeese to a 6–2 record the rest of the way and earned the school another Southland Conference title.
The McNeese Cowboys basketball team represents McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Southland Conference.
The 2011 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Matt Viator, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Joe Miller Ballpark is a baseball venue in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States. It is home to the McNeese State Cowboys baseball team of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference. Opened in 1965, the venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators. Its record attendance came one May 2, 2000, when 2,191 spectators saw McNeese State defeat LSU 4–3 in 11 innings. The facility was renovated in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Not to be confused with Joe Miller Field, which is McNeese's softball venue.
The 2012 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Matt Viator, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Frank Wilson III is an American football coach. He is the associate head coach and running backs coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). Wilson served as the head football coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) from 2016 to 2019 and McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana from 2020 to 2021.
The Battle of the Border is the name of the athletics rivalry between the Cardinals and Lady Cardinals of Lamar University and Cowboys and Cowgirls of McNeese State University. Originally in football, the rivalry now covers all sports. In 2009, the rivalry was expanded to include "...head-to-head and SLC [Southland Conference] Championship competition in 14 different sports...". The competition is a joint agreement with the two universities and sponsor, Verizon Wireless
The 2010 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Matt Viator, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, placing second in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The 2013 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Matt Viator, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, placing second in the Southland. McNeese State received an at-large bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first-round bye, the Cowboys lost in the second round to Jacksonville State. The team played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Todd Butler is an American college baseball coach and former player. He played college baseball at McNeese State University from 1985 to 1986 before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in 1987 and 1988. He spent three years as the head coach at McNeese State from 2001 to 2003 and was the head coach of the Wichita State University from 2014 to 2019. Butler spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference under legendary Alabama coach Jim Wells and Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn.
Anthony Ray Robichaux was an American college baseball coach who served as head coach of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team. He had previously served as head coach at McNeese State.
The 2015 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Matt Viator in his tenth and final season as head coach, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 10–1 with a mark of 9–0 in conference play, winning the Southland title. McNeese State received the conference's automatic bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first-round bye, the Cowboys lost in the second round to fellow Southland member, Sam Houston State. The team played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The 2016 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Lance Guidry, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 5–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The 2002 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Football League during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach Tommy Tate, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 13–2 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the Southland title. McNeese State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, beating Montana State in the first round, Montana in the quarterfinals, and Villanova in the semifinals, before losing to Western Kentucky in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game. The team played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The 2020 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Frank Wilson, the Cowboys compiled an overall record of 3–4 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the Southland. McNeese State played home games at Cowboy Stadium in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
2024 McNeese Cowboys baseball team 
