(McNeese Athletic photo) Season ticket sales for the upcoming football season at McNeese are on the rise.

While still seven weeks from kickoff and a few from camp opening, the Cowboys are seeing interest on the rise.

With the return of Matt Viator to the sidelines, a new press box with 26 luxury suites, 23 of those for sale, and the hope of brighter days ahead, fans seem to be willing to take a fresh look at McNeese State’s football program.

Viator returns as head coach nine years after he left to take the top job at Louisiana-Monroe. He had guided the Cowboys for 10 seasons before leaving for the FBS program. 

During his tenure, McNeese won four Southland Conference titles and made the playoffs five times. In his nine years away, the Cowboys have not made the postseason and haven’t had a winning campaign since 2019. 

The fans are ready for the return of not only the winningest head coach in program history, but also for McNeese to reclaim its tradition of competing for SLC titles.

One year after the Cowboys went 0-11, they finished 6-6, the second-largest turnaround in Division I college football, behind Indiana. Now, with the return of Viator, who is likely to break a tie with Bobby Keasler, who has 78 wins, on opening night, season tickets are selling.

Through July 10, season ticket sales are up almost 70 percent – 69.7% to be exact, from the previous season.

“From this time last year to now, it has been really positive,” said Jacob DeBlieux, McNeese Director of Sales and Operations. “I think you can see the benefit of bringing Coach Viator back. Fans seem to be excited about that.”

Last season, McNeese led the league in attendance with an average of 10,269, despite being given a challenging schedule by the Southland Conference and playing only five home games. The Cowboys also didn’t host a game in all of October, the prime time of the college season.

This year, McNeese will have six home games, including the opening game against Louisiana Christian in Cowboy Stadium on August 30.

“We are very excited about this year,” said DeBlieux. “One of our best renewals of season tickets in years. We have also seen a lot of new people joining for season tickets.

“We are excited to see the interest. The fans have been talking about it, but seeing the sales is always nice.

“We saw a lot of people move, but we have seen a lot of new people come in and take their spots as well.”

McNeese has also seen the interest mount in the new suites above the press level in the new press box. All the ones available for sale have been sold, according to Athletic Director Heath Schroyer.

“We have gotten a great response for this upcoming season,” said Schroyer. “This is an all-time high in interest for football since I have been here.

“I am very confident in saying that all 23 of our available suites would not have been sold if we didn’t make a change at head coach. This program is in great shape right now. The players and coaches are on the same page.” 

McNeese didn’t have a press box for the past five seasons after Hurricane Laura destroyed the last one. The school moved on from Gary Goff as head coach after three seasons in December.