The last man to lead McNeese State to the postseason remains a fan of the Cowboys.

He watches the games when he can, keeps up on the comings and goings as much as possible and roots for the program he used to lead.

And like all fans, he wonders who will be the next head coach to lead Poke Nation.

Matt Viator may work for Louisiana-Lafayette, but he still has interest in McNeese.

“I keep up with them as best as I can,” said Viator, who is helping get the Ragin Cajuns ready for the New Orleans Bowl Saturday night.

“It was hard at first when I was up in Monroe to keep up, but our schedule this year has been one where I could see them play a couple of times. I also got over there for a game last spring. So I watch when I can.”

For now his focus is on ULL, which itself has gone through a coaching change this month. Viator joined the Cajuns as a quality control coach after being let go at Louisiana-Monroe after the 2020 campaign. He has been elevated to the coaching booth for the bowl game as Lafayette restructures its staff after Billy Napier left for Florida.

“It’s an exciting time around here,” Viator said. “There is a lot of things going on. I just help out where I can.”

The same can be said in Lake Charles, as McNeese looks to put the finishing touches on its coaching search. Viator, who was at the helm of the Cowboys for 10 seasons, knows what it takes to win here.

During his decade in charge McNeese won four Southland Conference titles, made the playoffs five times and posted a league record of 54-18.

His 78 wins overall ties him with Bobby Keesler for most in Cowboy history. Since his departure after a 10-1 campaign in 2015, McNeese has gone through three coaches and is just 35- 28 with no playoff appearances.

Of course, the program and community have gone through much more than rebuilding a football team since then as well.

“What McNeese and those coaches have had to deal with, go through, nobody has had to do that,” Viator said. “I was there as an assistant after hurricane Rita (2005), and that was tough. But that was nothing compared to what they have gone through now.”

He has stayed in touch with his old home town enough to know what it has gone trough the last 16 months.

“It has been hard to see,” Viator said. “I have so many good friends back there that have been through so much.”

But he also knows what it is like to win in Lake Charles.

“It is great because of the tradition there,” he said. “The people care, they want the program to be good. Not every place has that, where they come out on a Saturday night to watch.”

Viator added that the key to winning at McNeese, and in the Southland, is just like every other place. The program needs time to grow and become stable.

“We had stability for 10 years,” he said. “It wasn’t just me but it was assistants as well. You really need that on the FCS level. You have to be able to stack (recruiting) classes together.”

With all that has gone on, especially the coaching changes, McNeese has not been able to do that. A total of 32 players left the program because of the pandemic, playoff ban and hurricanes. So that is the starting point.

There are also a few qualities the coach needs at McNeese that are unique to the program and community.

“McNeese means a lot to the people of Lake Charles,” Viator said. “They want to be a part of it. That is a good thing and you have to embrace that.”

Of course that means going out and meeting the fans and boosters.

“McNeese matters to them, that is good,” he added. “They want to hear from you. You really just have to understand that’s part of the job.”

He also knows the next coach may have to be ready for McNeese to move up in competition.

Before ULL, Viator spent five seasons as the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe on the Football Bowl Subdivision level. He has heard the talk of McNeese looking to move up to college football’s top level and thinks it could work.

“I don’t know all the numbers but I think it is a good idea,” Viator said. “There is a fan base there and a tradition that could make it work. But you have to see all the numbers before you can really make any decision.”

But that is down the road and something the next coach is likely to have to deal with.

When Viator was asked if he had any interest in a second tour of duty with the Cowboys he said simply no comment.

“I was there for a long time and it will always be a part of me,” he said. “I will always be interested in what goes on at McNeese.”

For now that means waiting to see who the next coach will be. There’s so much interest that even the guy who last led them to a league title is watching.

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Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at jimgazzolo@yahoo.com