McNeese State is only a couple of days away from kicking off its 66^th football season and since1972 the Cowboys have been members of the Southland Conference and have been a dominate force in that league in the 2000s, claiming five titles.

            Fifty years ago though the Cowboys belonged  to another league and was almost as dominate, winning four crowns in the Gulf States Conference in the 1960s.

            It’s been 40 years plus one since the GSC ceased to exist.

            The league   began in 1948 with Southern Mississippi, Louisiana College, Louisiana Tech, SLI (now UL-Lafayette), Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana as members.

            McNeese State joined in 1952 and Southern Mississippi dropped out.  Later Louisiana College would drop out and Nicholls State and Northeast Louisiana (now UL Monroe) would arrive.

            It was as good a small college conference in the nation until the 1970-71 campaign when UL-Lafayette (then USL) and Louisiana Tech bolted to the Southland Conference.  The other teams were independents for one season and then in order McNeese (1972), UL Monroe (1982), Northwestern State (1987), Nicholls State (1992) and Southeastern Louisiana (2005) would join the SLC.

            For 24 years, though,  the GSC was as good as it got for small colleges.

            To punctuate how good football was in the GSC, one needs only to review those named to the conference’s team of the decade for the 1960s.

            The player and the passer of the decade was Louisiana Tech’s Terry Bradshaw.  The runner of the decade was McNeese State’s Merlin Walet and the defensive player of the decade was Northwestern State’s Al Dodd.

            Other members of the offensive team were Northeast Louisiana’s Joe Profit at running back, Louisiana Tech’s Tommy Spinks and Northwestern State’s Jackie Smith at wide receiver, Tech’s Larry Brewer at tight end, Southeastern Louisiana’s Maxie Williams and McNeese’s David Poche at tackle, McNeese’s Glenn Kidder and Tech’s Joe Hinton at guard and Northeast Louisiana’s Vic Bender at center.

            In what was then the age of the two-way player, Poche and Hinton were also named as down linemen on the defensive unit.

            Also on this defensive team were McNeese’s Tom Sestak and Southeastern’s Roger Gill at end, Northeast’s Kenneth Frith at tackle along with Poche, McNeese’s Errol Eschete  and Hinton at guard, USL’s Glenn Lafleur and Northwestern’s Sammy Joe Odom at linebacker and Dodd, Southeastern’s David LeSage and USL’s Dwight Savin and Edward Platt in the secondary.

            Tech’s David Lee was the place kicker and USL’s Roy Pendergraft the place kicker.

            More than half of those listed on the team of the decade went on to professional careers, Bradshaw, Sestak and Smith becoming all-pros.

            All five of the McNeese players on the team are now in the school’s Hall of Fame.

            The Cowboys also had a bundle of other players who got votes from the state’s sports writers who selected the squad.  Getting support but not making the 25 player all-decade team were Larry Grissom, Darrell Lester, Charles Anastasio, Robert Young, Paul Guidry, Nick Hebert, Horace Harrington, Jim Langley, Norman Porche, Gerald Conner, Richard Vidrine, Robert Teston, Earl Gothreaux, Bob Fuhrer, Tony Ber, Charles Stevenson and Luther Herpin. 

            Premier coaches, all of them innovators,  during the league’s history were Joe Aillet of Louisiana Tech, Les DeVall of McNeese State, Maxie Lambright of Louisiana Tech, Russ Faulkinberry of USL and Stan Galloway of Southeastern Louisiana.