RSS Feed

In conjunction with that, McNeese Athletics will be releasing its All-75th Anniversary Team that will be broken down by positions beginning with quarterbacks.
The criteria for being named to the team includes the following: being a member of the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame, named an All-American, and earned first team all-conference honors two or more years.
A total of seven athletes make up the 75th Anniversary All-Quarterback team, ranging from the early 1950s to the new millennium.
In chronological order, the list begins with Lester Landry (1951-52).
Landry, a 2001 McNeese Sports Hall of Fame inductee, played two seasons under head coach A.I. Ratcliff and was team captain in 1952.
The Baton Rouge native helped McNeese to a 12-7-1 record during his time, including a 7-3 mark in his final season.
Landry continues to hold the school record for the longest touchdown pass in school history – 99 yards to Desmond Jones in 1951. He also had a 74 yard TD pass to Dickie Breaux in 1952 which ranks 16th-longest forward pass score in school history.

Derrick Fourroux (2006-09)
Derrick Fourroux, a native of Erath, led McNeese to three Southland Conference championships (2006, 2007, 2009) and to three NCAA Division I playoffs.
In the four years he led the Cowboys from the quarterback position, Fourroux set numerous school records along the way and continues to possess career records in most passing yards (8,226) and total offense (10,236). He currently ranks second in career TDs thrown (64) and passes completed (618) while ranking third all-time in passes attempted (1,034). He’s also the career record holder in rushing yards by a quarterback (2,010).
Nine times in his career, Fourroux passed for over 200 yards in a game and twice he rushed for more than 100 yards. He was named the McNeese Athlete of the Year for the 2009-10 season, the team football team MVP for 2009, the Southland Conference and the Louisiana Player of the Year in 2009 and a two-time All-Southland Conference selection as well as All-Louisiana for a season. He was also named to the SLC’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s and the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2006.
He’s a 2014 inductee into the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame.

Don Breaux (1958-61)
A McNeese most valuable player in 1961, Breaux was the first big time passer for the Cowboys. The Lake Charles native led the team to a conference title that year by completing 55 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns. That was the last of four straight years he led the squad in passing and he still ranks in the top 20 on the all-time McNeese career passing list with 159 pass completions (304 attempts), 2,279 yards and 17 touch¬downs.
Three times he was an all-Gulf States Conference selection and he led the league in total offense in 1960. McNeese compiled a 25-13 record during his four seasons including a GSC championship in 1961.
He would go on to a professional career as a player and then serve as a coach on the college and NFL level.

Johnnie Thibodeaux (1972-75)
A two-time team most valuable player, earning the honor as a sophomore in 1973 and as a senior in 1975.
During his four years with the Cowboys he became the school’s sixth ranked all-time passing leader, completing 205 of 455 for 3,416 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also accumulated 4,163 total offensive yards. He produced win¬ning teams each and every year as the Cowboys posted a 28-14-2 during his tenure.
The New Iberia native earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors in 1974 and 1975 and led the league in total offense in 1974.
He was inducted into the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Stephen Starring (1979-82)
A running quarterback who could also pass was the best way to describe Stephen Starring.
A Vinton native, Starring led the Cowboys to an Independence Bowl game appearance in 1980, passing and rushing for 1,980 yards. He continues to hold the school season rushing record for quarterbacks of 974 yards in 1980 and single-game rushing record by a QB with 223 yards against Arkansas State, also in 1980.
Three times he led the Cowboys in total offense and passing and currently ranks 10th on the all-time passing list with 3,083 yards on 181 completions and rushed for 1,906 career yards.
He was the team MVP and the SLC offensive player of the year in 1980 and earned first team all-SLC honors in 1980 and 81. McNeese won two SLC championships (1979-80) and compiled a four-year record of 32-12-2 during his tenure.
A 2000 inductee into the McNeese Hall of Fame, Starring was inducted into the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor in 2000 and is a member of the Southland Conference’s All-Decade Team of the 1980s.
He went on to a pro football career, playing with the New England Patriots and in participated in Super Bowl XX, falling to the Chicago Bears 46-10 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Kerry Joseph (1992-95)
Arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever slip on the blue and gold, Kerry Joseph continues to hold the school record for most pass attempts (1,114) and touchdown passes (67) in a career while ranking second in passing yards (7,874) and total offense (9,676), and third in passes completed (565).
During his career, he the Cowboys to an astonishing 43-10 record and two league titles (1993, 1995) while McNeese posted 23-2 conference record from 1992-95.
He also guided the Cowboys to their first-ever FCS playoff win in 1992, to the team’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the FCS in 1995 behind a perfect 11-0 regular season, and the team’s first semifinals appearance.
Among his awards earned throughout his career were those for Southland Conference and Louisiana Collegiate Player of the Year, SLC Rookie of the Year, McNeese MVP and Louisiana Amateur Athlete of the Year, and a two-time all-SLC selection.
Following his McNeese playing days, originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996 where he spent most of the season as the third string quarterback.
He then played QB for the NFL Europe’s London Monarchs in 1997 and later signed with the Washington Redskins as a tailback. In the spring of 1998, he played for the Rhien Fire of the NFL Europe as a safety and helped lead his team to the World Bowl Championship.
After a four-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks at safety, he began a monumental 12-year career in the CFL where in 2005, he became one of just three players in league history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season.
He was named player of the year in the CFL in 2007 when he led Saskatchewan to the Grey Cup title.
The New Iberia native was inducted into the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Southland Hall of Honor in 2012 and was also named to the Southland Conference’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s.