Special to the American Press

West Stadium Drive was renamed Dr. Daryl Burckel Drive to honor the outgoing McNeese State University President.

The street runs on the west side of McNeese’s Cowboy Stadium.

Burckel started his McNeese career as a student on a football scholarship, serving as the starting middle linebacker for the Cowboys on two Southland Conference championship teams that competed in the Independence Bowl. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1980 and an MBA in 1982 from McNeese, followed by a doctorate in accounting from Mississippi State University.

Burckel was honored with one of four national NCAA-Postgraduate Scholarships and holds a place in the McNeese Hall of Fame. He served in the United States Army Reserve as a Captain and served in Desert Storm.

Burckel joined the McNeese faculty in 1992 and rose through the ranks to serve as the head of the McNeese Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics. He began his term as president on July 1, 2017, while continuing to teach classes as a professor of accounting in the College of Business. Burckel will step down on June 30.