Northwestern State Demons football

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Northwestern State Demons football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Northwestern State Demons football team
Northwestern State Demons wordmark.svg
First season1907;117 years ago (1907)
Athletic director Kevin Bostian
Head coach Blaine McCorkle
1st season, 0–12 (.000)
Stadium Harry Turpin Stadium
(capacity: 15,971)
Field surface Fieldturf
Location Natchitoches, Louisiana
NCAA division Division I FCS
Conference Southland Conference
All-time record631–398–40 (.609)
Conference titles12
Rivalries McNeese State (rivalry)
Nicholls (rivalry)
Southeastern Louisiana (rivalry)
Louisiana–Monroe (rivalry)
ColorsPurple, white, and orange trim [1]
     
Fight songNorthwestern Fight [2]
Mascot Vic the Demon
Marching bandSpirit of Northwestern [3]
Website NSUDemons.com

The Northwestern State Demons football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Northwestern State University located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Southland Conference. Northwestern State's first football team was fielded in 1907. The team plays its home games at the 15,971 seat Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana. [4]

Contents

History

Demons football players during a 2024 game at Husky Stadium in Houston Northwestern State vs. HCU Football 11-23-24 (7) (cropped).jpg
Demons football players during a 2024 game at Husky Stadium in Houston

Northwestern State football has the distinction of being the only NCAA division IAA/FCS member to have 2 NFL rookies of the year. In 1981, Joe Delaney, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, was awarded the AFC Rookie of the year by UPI. In 1988, John Stephens, running back for the New England Patriots, was named Offensive/AFC Rookie of the year. No other 4-year institution in the state of Louisiana has more than one.

Conference affiliations

Championships

Conference championships

Northwestern State has 12 conference championships.[ citation needed ]

YearConferenceCoachOverall recordConference record
1939 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Harry Turpin 11–07–0
1953† Gulf States Conference 6–25–1
1957 Jack Clayton 7–24–1
1958 8–24–1
1962 7–2–14–1
1966 9–05–0
1972 George Doherty 8–26–0
1984† Gulf Star Conference Sam Goodwin 7–44–1
1988 Southland Conference 10–36–0
1997†8–46–1
1998 11–36–1
2004† Scott Stoker 8–44–1

† Co-champions

Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs results

The Demons have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs six times with an overall record of 3–6.

YearRoundOpponentResult
1988 First Round
Quarterfinals		Boise State
Idaho		W 22–13
L 30–38
1997 First RoundEastern WashingtonL 10–40
1998 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Illinois State
Appalachian State
Massachusetts		W 48–28
W 31–20
L 31–41
2001 First RoundMontanaL 19–28
2002 L 14–45
2004 L 7–56

Rivalries

McNeese State

McNeese State leads the series 45–22–1 through the 2018 season.

Nicholls

Northwestern State leads the series with Nicholls 28–18 through the 2018 season.

Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana leads the series 28–22 through the 2018 season.

Stephen F. Austin

Battle for Chief Caddo

Each season, Stephen F. Austin State University of Nacogdoches, Texas and Northwestern State play for the country's largest football trophy. [5] In 1961, longtime rivals SFA and Northwestern State decided to award the winner of the game a trophy, the game was won by Northwestern State University. According to the stipulations of that particular match, the loser would have to present the winner with a tree chopped down from a nearby forest. [5]

In March 1962, the Lumberjacks of SFA in Nacogdoches, Texas, presented NSU with a black gum tree trunk from the SFA campus from which a statue was to be carved. The black gum tree weighed over a ton and was thirty inches in diameter. An Indian statue, Chief Caddo, was chosen because of the historic founding of Natchitoches, Louisiana and Nacogdoches, Texas by Indian tribes. Natchitoches means chinquapin eaters and Nacogdoches means persimmon eaters. It was carved by Harold Greene in Logansport and required over 200 hours of labor. The name “Chief Indian Caddo” was selected in honor of the ancient federation of Caddo Indian tribes, which once inhabited the northern Louisiana area. The final painting of the statue was done at Northwestern. The finished product stands around 7.6 feet tall and weighs about 320 pounds. The first game for Chief Caddo was September 15, 1962. Northwestern won 23–6. Tradition has it that the winner of the annual NSU and SFA football game keeps Chief Caddo on their respective campus. Currently, Chief Caddo is the largest college football trophy in the nation. [5]

Louisiana–Monroe

In the 1992 edition of the rivalry game, the teams' mascots Vic the Demon and Chief Brave Spirit got involved in a fight that distracted television cameras to the point that the entire altercation is caught on video. In the scuffle, Vic the Demon's head is ripped off as the two crashed to the ground behind one of the end zones, which according to the video clip breaks a "cardinal rule" of being a mascot. The melee was broken up by college police without further incident. [6] The game was last played in 2005. Northwestern State leads the series with Louisiana–Monroe 28–19–1.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

Future non-conference opponents

Announced non-conference opponents as of May 22, 2024. [7]

202520262027
Alcorn State at Louisiana Tech at Hawaii
at Minnesota at Weber State at Central Arkansas
at Cincinnati Central Arkansas
at Stephen F. Austin

See also

Related Research Articles

Gary Phillip Reasons is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern State Demons from 1980 to 1983 and was the first player chosen as a first-team Division I-AA All-America team in three consecutive years. He also played professional football in the NFL for the New York Giants (1984–1991) and Cincinnati Bengals (1992). He played on the Giants teams that won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. Reasons later worked as a college football television analyst and sideline reporter for ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest. He has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

The Natchitoches are a Native American tribe from Louisiana and Texas. They organized themselves in one of the three Caddo-speaking confederacies along with the Hasinai, and Kadohadacho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern State Demons and Lady Demons</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Northwestern State University

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Caddo</span>

Chief Caddo is the name of the statue formerly given to the winner of the annual football game between Southland Conference members Northwestern State University (NSU) of Natchitoches, Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) of Nacogdoches, Texas. Northwestern State University stopped participating in the exchange in 2021 after a Student Government Association and Faculty Senate joint resolution recognizing that Caddo Nation officials stated the statue was offensive, acknowledging the statue was inauthentic, and calling for the end to the practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McNeese Cowboys football</span> Intercollegiate American football team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football</span> Intercollegiate American football team

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Connecticut Blue Devils</span> Athletic teams representing Central Connecticut State University

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils are composed of 16 teams representing Central Connecticut State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and football. Women's sports include volleyball, lacrosse, swimming & diving, and softball. The Blue Devils compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Northeast Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team</span> American college football season

The 2012 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team represented Stephen F. Austin State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lumberjacks were led by sixth-year head coach J. C. Harper and played their home games at Homer Bryce Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 5–6, 4–3 in Southland play to finish in a tie for fourth place.

The 2012 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Bradley Dale Peveto in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Demons compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The 2014 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Jay Thomas, the Demons compiled an overall record of 6–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for sixth in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The 2018 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–5 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The 2019 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons compiled an overall record of 3–9 with a mark of 3–6 in conference play, tying for eighth place in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bearkats were led by seventh-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium.

The 2021 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Southland. Northwestern State played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The 2022 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Brad Laird, the Demons played their home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The 2024 Northwestern State Demons football team represented Northwestern State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Blaine McCorkle, the Demons played home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team</span> American college football season

The 2024 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team represented Stephen F. Austin State University as a member of the Southland Conference (SLC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lumberjacks were coached by sixth-year head coach Colby Carthel and played at Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ 2017 Northwestern State Demons Baseball Media Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ Fight song
  3. ↑ Spirit of Northwestern
  4. ↑ "Northwestern State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 2013 Chief Caddo 2013
  6. ↑ "A history of bizarre mascot incidents". CNN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2003.
  7. ↑ "Northwestern State Demons Football Schedules and Future Schedules". fbschedules.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
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