Northwestern State Demons and Lady Demons

Northwestern State Demons
University Northwestern State University
Conference Southland
NCAA Division I
Athletic director Greg Burke
Location Natchitoches, Louisiana
Varsity teams 12
Football stadium Harry Turpin Stadium
Basketball arena Prather Coliseum
Baseball stadium H. Alvin Brown–C. C. Stroud Field
Softball stadium Lady Demon Diamond
Soccer stadium Lady Demon Soccer Complex
Other arenas Jack Fisher Tennis Complex
Walter P. Ledet Track Complex
Mascot Vic the Demon
Nickname Demons
Colors Purple, White, and Orange[1]
              
Website www.nsudemons.com

The Northwestern State University athletic teams go by the Demons, with women's athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons, and its mascot is Vic the Demon. Once a member of the SIAA conference, the school now competes in the Southland Conference.

"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 "Hook 'em Horns" gesture.

On March 17, 2006, NSU's 14th-seeded basketball team shocked the college basketball world by defeating 3rd-seeded, 11th-ranked, Big Ten Conference tournament champion Iowa in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on a late three-pointer 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 play-in game, beating the Winthrop University 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.[2]

NSU also has the distinction of being the only NCAA division IAA/FCS member to have 2 NFL rookies of the year. In 1981, Delaney, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, was awarded the AFC Rookie of the year by UPI. In 1988, Stephens, another former Demon running back, of the New England Patriots, was named Offensive/AFC Rookie of the year. No other 4-year institution in the state of Louisiana has more than one. The pair of awards is more than won by Ohio State, Texas A&M and UCLA.

Varsity teams

Northwestern State sponsors 12 varsity athletic teams, 5 men's teams and 7 women's teams.[3]

Men's sports

Women's sports

Men's sports

Baseball

Men's basketball

Football

Women's sports

Women's basketball

Softball

Battle for Chief Caddo

Harry Turpin Stadium at NSU in Natchitoches, Louisiana

Each season, Stephen F. Austin State University of Nacogdoches, Texas and Northwestern State play for the country's largest football trophy.[4] In 1961, longtime rivals SFA and Northwestern State decided to award the winner of the game a trophy, the game was won by Northwestern State University. According to the stipulations of that particular match, the loser would have to present the winner with a tree chopped down from a nearby forest.[4]

In March 1962, the Lumberjacks of SFA in Nacogdoches, Texas, presented NSU with a black gum tree trunk from the SFA campus from which a statue was to be carved. The black gum tree weighed over a ton and was thirty inches in diameter. An Indian statue, Chief Caddo, was chosen because of the historic founding of Natchitoches, Louisiana and Nacogdoches, Texas by Indian tribes. Natchitoches means chinquapin eaters and Nacogdoches means persimmon eaters. It was carved by Harold Greene in Logansport and required over 200 hours of labor. The name “Chief Indian Caddo” was selected in honor of the ancient federation of Caddo Indian tribes, which once inhabited the northern Louisiana area. The final painting of the statue was done at Northwestern. The finished product stands around 7.6 feet tall and weighs about 320 pounds. The first game for Chief Caddo was September 15, 1962. Northwestern won 23–6. Tradition has it that the winner of the annual NSU and SFA football game keeps Chief Caddo on their respective campus. Currently, Chief Caddo is the largest college football trophy in the nation.[4]

On November 23, 2013, the NSU Demons brought home the Chief Caddo trophy after a 40 to 27 win over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.[4]

Notable alumni and faculty

See also

References

  1. ↑ NSULA Visual Branding Guidelines (PDF). 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  2. ↑ 1st #16 seed to win in the NCAA Tournament
  3. ↑ "Northwestern State University Athletics". Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 2013 Chief Caddo 2013
  5. ↑ "Coach's Corner". olerebels.com. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
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