Northwestern State Demons football
| Northwestern State Demons | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1907 | ||
| Athletic director | Greg Burke | ||
| Head coach |
Jay Thomas 4th year, 17–24 (.415) | ||
| Stadium | Harry Turpin Stadium | ||
| Seating capacity | 15,971 | ||
| Field surface | Fieldturf | ||
| Location | Natchitoches, Louisiana | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southland Conference | ||
| All-time record | 631–398–40 (.609) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–0 (–) | ||
| Conference titles | 12 | ||
| Colors |
Purple, White, and Orange[1] | ||
| Fight song | Northwestern Fight[2] | ||
| Mascot | Vic the Demon | ||
| Marching band | Spirit of Northwestern[3] | ||
| Rivals |
McNeese State Nicholls State Southeastern Louisiana Stephen F. Austin | ||
| Website | NSUDemons.com | ||
- For information on all Northwestern State University sports, see Northwestern State Demons
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 are members 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]
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
- Mark Duper - Miami Dolphins
- Adrian Hardy - San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals
- Jamall Johnson - Hamilton Tiger Cats
- Joe Delaney - Kansas City Chiefs
- Jeremy Lane - Seattle Seahawks
- Monte Ledbetter - Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons
- T-Dre Player - BC Lions
- Bobby Hebert - New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons
- Gary Reasons - New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals
- John Stephens - New England Patriots
Year-by-year results
Championships
Conference championships
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Harry Turpin | 11-0-0 | ? |
| 1953 | Gulf States Conference (Co-Championship) | Harry Turpin | 6-2-0 | ? |
| 1957 | Gulf States Conference (Co-Championship) | Jack Clayton | 7-2-0 | ? |
| 1958 | Gulf States Conference (Co-Championship) | Jack Clayton | 8-2-0 | ? |
| 1962 | Gulf States Conference | Jack Clayton | 7-2-1 | ? |
| 1966 | Gulf States Conference | Jack Clayton | 9-0-0 | ? |
| 1972 | Gulf South Conference | George Doherty | 8-2-0 | ? |
| 1984 | Gulf Star Conference (Co-Championship) | Sam Goodwin | 7-4-0 | ? |
| 1988 | Southland Conference | Sam Goodwin | 10-3-0 | 6-0-0 |
| 1997 | Southland Conference (Co-Championship) | Sam Goodwin | 8-4-0 | 6-1-0 |
| 1998 | Southland Conference | Sam Goodwin | 11-3-0 | 6-1-0 |
| 2004 | Southland Conference (Co-Championship) | Scott Stoker | 8-4-0 | 4-1-0 |
| Total conference championships | 12 | |||
Conference affiliations
- 1907–13, Independent
- 1914–25, Louisiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1926–27, Independent
- 1928–41, SIAA
- 1942–47, Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference
- 1948–70, Gulf States Conference
- 1971, Independent
- 1972–74, Gulf South Conference
- 1975, Division II Independent
- 1976–77, Independent
- 1978–83, Division I-AA Independent
- 1984–86, Gulf Star Conference
- 1987–present, Southland Conference
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.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | First Round Quarterfinals | Boise State Idaho | W 22–13 L 30–38 |
| 1997 | First Round | Eastern Washington | L 10–40 |
| 1998 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Illinois State Appalacian State Massachusetts | W 48–28 W 31–20 L 31–41 |
| 2001 | First Round | Montana | L 19–28 |
| 2002 | First Round | Montana | L 14–45 |
| 2004 | First Round | Montana | L 7–56 |
Rivalries
Active rivalries
McNeese State Cowboys
Nicholls State Colonels
Southeastern Louisiana Lions
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Inactive rivalry
Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
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.[5]
| Games played | First meeting | Last meeting | NSU wins | NSU losses | Ties | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | November 8, 1952 (lost 14–20) | September 1, 2005 (won 27–23) | 28 | 19 | 1 | 59.4% |
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Future non-conference opponents
| 2016 |
| at Baylor |
| vs Kentucky Wesleyan |
See also
References
- ↑ NSULA Visual Branding Guidelines (PDF). 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- ↑ Fight song
- ↑ Spirit of Northwestern
- ↑ "Northwestern State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
- ↑ "A history of bizarre mascot incidents". CNN.