The McNeese Cowboys are turning back the clock in hopes of bringing back some of the best times in program history by once again hiring the coach that helped put the program on the map.
On Monday, McNeese Vice President and Director of Athletics Heath Schroyer announced the hiring of Cowboy Football legend and Hall of Fame coach Matt Viator. Viator previously held the position from 2006-2015, recording a school record 78 wins, four Southland Conference titles, and five playoff appearances.
An introductory press conference will be held at noon on Wednesday in the Endzone Club at Jack Doland Field House and is open to the public.
“When we first set out to find our head football coach, I stated I wanted a coach who embraced the expectations and standards we have here at McNeese,” Schroyer said in a statement. “We not only did that, we actually got the man who helped set those very expectations and standards. I couldn’t be happier to welcome back Coach Matt Viator, a legend and hall of famer!”
During Viator’s time in Lake Charles, McNeese won 10 or more games on three different occasions and never posted a losing season. He had a pair of undefeated seasons and led the Cowboys to three wins over FBS opponents, including a 53-21 win over South Florida that still stands as the largest margin of victory for an FCS school over a then-BCS opponent.
He held a record of 78-33, tying Bobby Keasler for the most wins in school history. Viator was a three-time Southland Coach of the Year, two-time Louisiana Coach of the Year, and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year three times.
Viator’s teams spent 102 of 108 weeks either in the top 25 or receiving votes during his tenure, with the highest ranking being No. 2 in the final two weeks of the 2015 season. Viator coached 36 All-American selections and 135 all-Southland selections. He coached three SLC Players of the Year along with several other all-conference and all-state honorees.
He was inducted into the McNeese Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
“This program needed everything Coach Viator is: A winner. A man who embraces this community wholeheartedly,” Schroyer continued. “A man who will bring back structure, discipline, and accountability. Under Coach Viator, we will return McNeese football back to a winning football brand. We will bring back the pride, toughness, and grit this program once had! We did all of that and more with the hiring of Coach V! I’m elated! Through this process, Coach was blown away by how much we have grown as a department and how much we now fund football. This is a completely different job than the one he left nine years ago. McNeese football is special and has been a sleeping giant for years now. Today the legend has returned. The giant has awakened. Cowboy Football is back!”
McNeese President Dr. Wade Rousse stated: “I am elated with this hire! Coach Viator is exactly what we need at exactly the right time to bring ‘Cowboy Football’ back to the Hole on Saturday nights. In addition, we do not believe being fiscally responsible and winning are mutually exclusive. Culture and schemes are important variables in the winning equation. This hire supports that line of reasoning, and I am so thankful for our AD and his committee who are responsible for such a great hire.”
Viator most recently served as an analyst for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns.
