About the Pokes
Facts you might or might not want to know about the McNeese State Cowboys, who are making their first visit to Boone and will play Appalachian State on Saturday:
McNeese State University, located in Lake Charles, La., was established in 1938, has an enrollment of 8,246 and is named for John McNeese, the first superintendent of Calcasieu Parish.
John McNeese was a cattle rancher who is credited for making the first cattle drive across the Sabine River, which separates Louisiana and Texas.
The school adopted the nickname Cowboys – aka Cowpokes or ‘Pokes.
According to the McNeese State University encyclopedia: “In the early days, cowboys figured prominently in the culture of McNeese. Rodeo was a major activity in the area. Some students rode their horses to campus. McNeese soon became known as the ‘Cow College’ because cows roamed freely on the campus.”
Home-game traditions at McNeese State include the playing of an unofficial fight song “Jolie Blon,” and a “mystery” rider who shows up on a Paint horse named “Moon Dancer.”
Some well-known athletes attended McNeese State, including Joe Dumars (former NBA player now president of the Detroit Pistons), Bryan Smith (Philadelphia Eagles), Keith Smith (Detroit Lions), Ray Fontenot (New York Yankees) and Ben Broussard (Cleveland Indians).
Several facilities on McNeese State’s campus were severely damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Rita.
From the American Press in Lake Charles, La.:
Scott Maxfield, the coach of Division II Henderson State, talked about what motivated his team last Saturday in a near-upset of McNeese State, a top-25 FCS program. McNeese escaped with a 27-24 victory at Lake Charles.
“(Our players) were excited to play here. This was their Super Bowl,” Maxfield said. “To have a chance to think they were Division I talent. For whatever reason – grades, trouble, not tall enough – they got overlooked. I challenged them, if they thought they were a Division I guy, to come out and show it.”
And this excerpt from a follow story by beat writer Alex Hickey, who picked McNeese to win 73-7 and apparently provided additional motivation to Henderson State:
For instance, if you were to pick a team to lose by, say, 67 points in the newspaper, chances are they’re going to make you look like a jerk. Particularly if they happen to read that newspaper.
Proving that print is not dead – advertisers, please take note – Henderson State coach Scott Maxfield asked me after the game, “Were you the guy that picked us to lose 73-3?”
Actually, it was 73-7, but this probably wasn’t a good time to correct him, so I just nodded.
He responded with a sneer, “Get you some of that.”