The
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...
athletic teams go by the Demons, with women's athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons, and its mascot is
Vic the Demon
Vic the Demon is the mascot at Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in ...
. Once a member of the
SIAA conference, the school now competes in the
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it ...
.
Sports sponsored
Baseball
The Northwestern State Demons baseball team represents Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The team is a member of the Southland Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games at
H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field.
Men's basketball
The Northwestern State Demons basketball team represents Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The school's team currently competes in the Southland Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games at
Prather Coliseum.
On March 17, 2006, NSU's 14th-seeded
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team shocked the
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
world by defeating 3rd-seeded, 11th-ranked,
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
tournament champion
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
in the first round of the
2006 NCAA men's basketball tournament on a late
three-pointer
A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
by Jermaine Wallace. NSU was the lowest-seeded team to advance to the second round in 2006. NSU's men's basketball team also won the inaugural
, beating the
Winthrop University
Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...
Eagles 71–67 in
2001 NCAA men's basketball tournament to advance to the 16th-seeded spot. In doing so, the Demons became the first #16 seed to earn a victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Women's basketball
The Northwestern State Lady Demons basketball team represents Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The school's team currently competes in the Southland Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games at
Prather Coliseum.
Football
![LSUvsNWLA 1012A (49105605196)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/LSUvsNWLA_1012A_%2849105605196%29.jpg)
The Northwestern State Demons football team represents Northwestern State University located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The team competes in the Southland Conference, which is part of Division I FCS. The team plays its home games at
Harry Turpin Stadium
Harry Turpin Stadium is a 15,971-seat multi-purpose stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It opened in 1975 and is home to the Northwestern State University Demons football team.
History
Donald Gray Horton (1945–2013), a Coushatta lawyer and phi ...
.
Softball
The Northwestern State Lady Demons softball team represents Northwestern State University located in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The team competes in the Southland Conference, which is part of the NCAA Division I. The team plays its home games at
Lady Demon Diamond
Lady Demon Diamond is the home stadium for the Northwestern State Lady Demons softball team. Located across the street from Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, the stadium features seating fo ...
.
Traditions
Fork 'em
"Fork 'em" is a hand gesture and slogan used by students at Northwestern State University in their celebration of sports teams. The gesture is performed by curling the ring and middle fingers under the thumb against the palm, and extending the pinky and index fingers – identical in fashion to the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
"Hook 'em Horns" gesture except the index finger and pinky are held straight up and down and not out to the side.
Notable players and coaches
*
Kenta Bell
Kenta Bell (born March 16, 1977, in Kilgore, Texas) is an American track and field athlete who competes mainly in the triple jump. He won this event at the 2001 Universiade and the 2003 national championship. Bell has also finished third in two ...
, U.S. Olympian
*
LaMark Carter
LaMark Carter (born August 23, 1970 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American former triple jumper. His personal best was , achieved in June 1998 in New Orleans. He was the silver medallist at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships and also the 1 ...
, U.S. Olympian
*
Joe Delaney
Joe Alton Delaney (; October 30, 1958 – June 29, 1983) was an American football running back who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). In his two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Delaney set four franchise records ...
, former
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
running back
*
George Doherty, former head football coach of the Demons. NSU athletic offices are housed in the George Doherty Wing.
*
Mark Duper
Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State ...
,
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
wide receiver
*
D'or Fischer
D'or Anthony Naheem Fischer (born October 12, 1981) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Elitzur Eito Ashkelon of the Israeli National League. He has also represented the senior Israeli national team. Standing at , he plays ...
(born 1981), American-Israeli basketball player
*
Bobby Hebert
Bobby Joseph Hebert Jr. (surname pronounced ; born August 19, 1960) is an American sportscaster and former professional football quarterback. He played in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1983 to ...
, former
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
quarterback
*
Charlie Hennigan
Charles Taylor Hennigan, Sr. (March 19, 1935 – December 20, 2017) was an American football player with the former Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL).
Football career
Hennigan attended LSU on a track scholarship but wanted to ...
, former
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
wide receiver
*
Jeremy Lane, former
Seattle Seahawks cornerback
*
Brian Lawrence
Brian Michael Lawrence (born May 14, 1976) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. He is currently the pitching coach of the South Bend Cu ...
, MLB pitcher
*
Terrence McGee
Terrence Dewayne McGee (born October 14, 1980) is a former American football cornerback and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by Buffalo Bills in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft. He play ...
, former
Buffalo Bills cornerback and
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
kickoff returner
*
Ed Orgeron
Edward James Orgeron Jr. (; born July 27, 1961) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU), a position he held from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Orge ...
,
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...
head football coach
*
Don Shows, Demons offensive line coach in 1988 season, won conference championship; later at
West Monroe High School
West Monroe High School is a high school in West Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Ouachita Parish School Board. WMHS is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school's mascot is The R ...
from 1989 to 2012, fourth winningest coach in Louisiana state high school football history
*
Jackie Smith
Jackie Larue Smith (born February 23, 1940) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Northwestern Louisiana State College (Northwestern ...
,
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
and
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
tight end
*
Lee Smith Lee Smith is the name of:
Arts, entertainment and media
*Lee Smith (fiction author) (born 1944), American author of fiction
* Lee Smith (film editor) (born 1960), Australian film editor
* Lee Smith (musician) (born 1983), American drummer
* Lee Sm ...
, former Major League relief pitcher
*
John Stephens,
New England Patriots running back
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I institutions
This is a list of colleges and universities that are members of Division I, the highest level of competition sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Currently, there are 363 institutions classified as Division I, includi ...
References
External links
*
{{Arklatexoma Sports
Sports in Natchitoches, Louisiana
Sports teams in Louisiana