Nicholls Colonels football

Nicholls State Colonels football
2016 Nicholls State Colonels football team
File:Nicholls State Colonels logo.png
First season	1972
Head coach	2nd season, 8–14 (.364)
Stadium	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium (capacity: 10,500)
Field surface	AstroTurf 3D Grass
Location	Thibodaux, Louisiana
NCAA division	Division I FCS
All-time record	190–301–4 (.388)
Playoff appearances	3
Playoff record	1–3 (Div. I FCS)
Conference titles	3 1975, 1984, 2005
Consensus All-Americans	15
Colors	Red and gray
Fight song	Nicholls State Colonels Fight Song
Mascot	Colonel Tillou
Marching band	Pride of Nicholls Marching Band
Rivals	Northwestern State (NSU Challenge) Southeastern Louisiana (River Bell Classic)
Website	GeauxColonels.com

Nicholls State Colonels

The Nicholls State Colonels football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Nicholls State University located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. Nicholls State's first football team was fielded in 1972. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Colonels are coached by Tim Rebowe.

Championships

Conference championships

• 1975 Gulf South Conference Champions (Division II)
  Head Coach: Bill Clements
  Overall Record (8–2)
  Conference Record (7–2)
• 1984 Gulf Star Conference Champions (Division I-AA)
  Head Coach: Sonny Jackson
  Overall Record (6–5)
  Gulf Star Conference Record (4–1)
• 2005 Southland Conference Champions (Division I-AA)
  Head Coach: Jay Thomas
  Overall Record (6–5)
  Southland Conference Record (5–1)

History

Head coaching history

Main article: List of Nicholls State Colonels head football coaches

Years Name Won Lost Tie Pct. 1972–1973 Gary Kinchen 5 17 0 .227 1974–1980 Bill Clements 36 39 1 .480 1981–1986 Sonny Jackson 39 28 1 .581 1987–1992 Phil Greco 27 37 2 .424 1993–1994 Rick Rhoades 8 14 0 .364 1995–1998* Darren Barbier 17 28 0 .378 1999–2003 Daryl Daye 13 42 0 .236 2004–2009 Jay Thomas 27 35 0 .435 2010–2014 Charlie Stubbs 10 38 0 .208 2014** Steve Axman 0 9 0 .000 2015–present Tim Rebowe 8 14 0 .364

*1996 I-AA National Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Award Recipient
**Interim head coach for final nine games of 2014 season

Conferences and classifications

Years Conference Classification 1972 Gulf South Conference NCAA College Division 1973–1978 Gulf South Conference Division II 1979 Independent Division II 1980–1983 Independent Division I-AA 1984–1986 Gulf Star Conference Division I-AA 1987–1990 Independent Division I-AA 1991–2005 Southland Conference Division I-AA 2006–present Southland Conference Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)

Year-by-year results

List of Nicholls State Colonels football seasons

Division I-AA/Division I FCS Playoffs

Year Round Classification Opponent Result 1986 First Round Quarterfinals NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Appalachian State Georgia Southern W 28–26 L 31–55 (Grantland Rice Bowl) 1996 First Round NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Montana L 3–48 2005 First Round NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Furman L 12–14

Notable players

All-Americans

Main article: List of Nicholls State Colonels football All-Americans

Year Name Position Team 1976 Gerald Butler WR Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1977 Rusty Rebowe LB AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA); NCAA All-American 1981 Dwight Walker WR AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1982 Clint Conque LB AP First Team 1982 Jay Pennison OL AP Second Team 1983 Jay Pennison OL AP Second Team 1984 Dewayne Harrison TE AP First Team 1985 Lynn Bychurch OL AP Second Team 1986 Mark Carrier WR AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1987 Alfred Dorsey WR AP Second Team 1987 Karl Hill DB AP Third Team 1987 Reed Pere’ OL AP Third Team 1991 Darryl Pounds DB AP Second Team 1994 Brian Desselles P AP Second Team 1994 Darryl Pounds DB AP First Team 2007 Kareem Moore DB AP Second Team 2007 Lardarius Webb DB Walter Camp Foundation First Team 2008 Lardarius Webb DB AP First Team

Nicholls State Colonels selected in the NFL Draft

Main article: List of Nicholls State Colonels in the NFL Draft

Year Name Position Team Round Overall pick 1976 Gary Barbaro DB Kansas City Chiefs 3rd Round 74th 1977 Gerald Butler WR Chicago Bears 7th Round 182nd 1982 Dwight Walker WR Cleveland Browns 4th Round 87th 1984 Johnny Meads LB Houston Oilers 3rd Round 58th 1985 Anthony Tuggle DB Cincinnati Bengals 4th Round 97th 1985 Lionel Vital RB Washington Redskins 7th Round 187th 1986 Oscar Smith RB Detroit Lions 5th Round 119th 1987 Mark Carrier WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3rd Round 57th 1987 Doug Hudson QB Kansas City Chiefs 6th Round 186th 1989 Jamie Lawson FB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5th Round 117th 1990 Dee Thomas DB Houston Oilers 10th Round 264th 1995 Darryl Pounds DB Washington Redskins 3rd Round 68th 2004 Chris Thompson DB Jacksonville Jaguars 5th Round 110th 2007 Jacob Bender OL New York Jets 6th Round 177th 2008 Kareem Moore DB Washington Redskins 6th Round 180th 2009 Lardarius Webb DB Baltimore Ravens 3rd Round 88th

Stadium

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium

Main article: Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is home to the Nicholls State University Colonels football team of the Southland Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision. The stadium is named in honor of former state representative John L. Guidry. The playing surface is named Manning Field after the Manning family because Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Archie Manning hold the Manning Passing Academy football camp at the facility. The current playing surface is Astroturf 3D Grass. The stadium was officially dedicated on September 16, 1972.

The stadium features a three-level press box on the west side. The second level houses an area for game management staff, radio and coaches’ booths and a working press area. The president’s suite and a 30-seat club level is located on the third level. A photo deck is located on the roof. On the ground level is the Colonels Club Room. In 2012, the west entrance of the stadium was renovated which included a new entrance into the Colonel Club area and a new ever-present illuminated Nicholls “N”.

Practice and Training facilities

Frank L. Barker Athletic Building

Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility

Frank L. Barker Athletic Building

The Frank L. Barker Athletic Building is located adjacent to Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. It houses the Nicholls State Colonels football coaches’ offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms, athletic training rooms and athletic staff.

The Nicholls State Athletics Hall of Fame is also located in the building.

Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility

The Nicholls State Colonels Strength and Conditioning facility is located in the Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility or Leonard C. Chabert Hall. The facility has multi-purpose power stations, weight machines, dumbbell stations, elliptical machines and stationary bikes. It is the strength and conditioning facility for Nicholls State athletics. A 50-yard artificial turf field is adjacent to the building.

Football Practice Fields

The football practice fields include three natural grass football practice fields located across Acadia Drive from Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, the Frank L. Barker Athletic Building and the Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility. Two of the fields face in a north-south configuration similar to Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium with a third facing in an east-west configuration.

Rivalries

Current rivalries

• Southeastern Louisiana – River Bell Classic

Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana are located 94 miles apart and no two football-playing schools in the Southland Conference are as close as the two schools. The winner of the annual football game is awarded the River Bell Trophy. The trophy features a river bell, the teams athletic logos and details the yearly victors. The game played between the rivals began in 1972 and was played annually until 1985 when Southeastern Louisiana dropped its football program. It resumed 20 years later in 2005 when football was reinstated by the university.

• Northwestern State – NSU Challenge

The Nicholls State – Northwestern State football rivalry is played annually with the winner being awarded the NSU Trophy. Both universities are located in Louisiana and are members of the Southland Conference. The first game in the series was played in 1973.

Defunct rivalries

• Texas State – Battle for the Paddle

In fall 1998, the Colonels were scheduled to take on the Texas State Bobcats. Prior to the game, heavy rains flooded San Marcos, Texas and the field at Texas State. Athletic directors and coaches from both schools decided to postpone the game and coined the annual contest the "Battle for the Paddle," joking that fans and athletes needed to use a boat and paddle to get to the game. The game was eventually played on November 28, 1998 with Texas State prevailing 28–27 to win the first "Battle for the Paddle". A wooden oar or paddle named the "Paddle Trophy" was awarded to the winner of the contest. The rivalry ended in 2011.

Future opponents

Future Football Bowl Subdivision opponents

2017	2018	2019	2020
at Texas A&M	at Tulane		at LSU

See also

• List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs

External links

• Official website