1976 McNeese State Cowboys football team

1976 McNeese State Cowboys football
Southland champion
Independence Bowl, W 20–16 vs. Tulsa
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	10–2 (4–1 Southland)
Head coach	Jack Doland (7th season)
Home stadium	Cowboy Stadium

1976 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
McNeese State $	4	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
UT Arlington	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Louisiana Tech	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Arkansas State	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Lamar	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Southwestern Louisiana forfeited 2 non-conference season wins.

The 1976 McNeese State Cowboys football team was an American football team that represented McNeese State University as a member of the Southland Conference (Southland) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their seventh year under head coach Jack Doland, the team compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, and were Southland champions. After the regular season, the Cowboys defeated Tulsa in the Independence Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	Southern Illinois*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 38–0	15,000	[1]
September 18	at Louisiana Tech	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	W 15–13	17,734	[2]
September 25	Eastern Michigan*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 23–10		[3]
October 2	Marshall*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 34–9		[4]
October 9	at Northeast Louisiana*	Brown Stadium Monroe, LA	W 36–35		[5]
October 16	UT Arlington	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	L 10–27	15,000	[6]
October 23	at Arkansas State	Indian Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 24–21		[7]
October 30	at West Texas State*	Kimbrough Memorial Stadium Canyon, TX	L 25–30	5,000	[8]
November 6	Northwestern State*	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	W 24–15	12,000	[9]
November 13	at Lamar	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX (rivalry)	W 27–0		[10]
November 20	Southwestern Louisiana	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA (rivalry)	W 20–19		[11]
December 13	vs. Tulsa*	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)	W 20–16	15,542–19,164	[12]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "McNeese St. coasts past Salukis, 38–0". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 12, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Hathorn got his revenge". The Alexandria Daily Town Talk. September 19, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Crowley's Morvant paces McNeese win". The Crowley Post-Signal. September 26, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "McNeese overpowers Marshall by 34–9". Sunday Gazette-Mail. October 3, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "McFarland lifts Pokes by Indians". The Daily Advertiser. October 10, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Mavericks mash Cowboys". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 17, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Morvant TD lifts Cowboys past Arkansas State". The Daily Advertiser. October 24, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "WTSU upsets McNeese St". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 31, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Error-prone Demons fall to 'Pokes". The Shreveport Times. November 7, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "McNeese State blanks Lamar". The Tyler Courier-Times. November 14, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Pokes lasso Cajuns". Daily World. November 21, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "McNeese jars Tulsa, 20–16". The Daily Oklahoman. December 14, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.