The Nicholls Colonels football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Nicholls State University located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Southland Conference. Nicholls' first football team was fielded in 1972. The team plays its home games at the 10,500 seat Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Colonels are coached by Tommy Rybacki.

History Source:

Conference affiliations 1972 Gulf South Conference NCAA College Division 1973–1978 Gulf South Conference Division II 1979 Independent Division II 1980–1983 Independent Division I-AA 1984–1986 Gulf Star Conference Division I-AA 1987–1990 Independent Division I-AA 1991–2005 Southland Conference Division I-AA 2006–present Southland Conference Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)

Championships

Conference championships 1975 Gulf South Conference Champions (Division II)Head Coach: Bill ClementsOverall Record (8–2)Conference Record (7–2) 1984 Gulf Star Conference Champions (Division I-AA)Head Coach: Sonny JacksonOverall Record (6–5)Gulf Star Conference Record (4–1) 2005 Southland Conference Champions (Division I-AA)Head Coach: Jay ThomasOverall Record (6–5)Southland Conference Record (5–1) 2018 Southland Conference Champions (Football Championship Subdivision)Head Coach: Tim ReboweOverall Record (8–3)Southland Conference Record (7–2) 2019 Southland Conference Champions (Football Championship Subdivision)Head Coach: Tim ReboweOverall Record (8–4)Southland Conference Record (7–2) 2023 Southland Conference Champions (Football Championship Subdivision)Head Coach: Tim ReboweOverall Record (6–4)Southland Conference Record (7–0)

Head coaches

1972–1973 Gary Kinchen 5 17 0 .227 1974–1980 Bill Clements 36 39 1 .480 1981–1986 Sonny Jackson 39 28 1 .581 1987–1992 Phil Greco 27 37 2 .424 1993–1994 Rick Rhoades 8 14 0 .364 1995–1998* Darren Barbier 17 28 0 .378 1999–2003 Daryl Daye 13 42 0 .236 2004–2009 Jay Thomas 27 35 0 .435 2010–2014 Charlie Stubbs 10 38 0 .208 2014** Steve Axman 0 9 0 .000 2015–2024 Tim Rebowe 53 48 0 2025-present Tommy Rybacki 1 0 0 1.000 *1996 I-AA National Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Award Recipient**Interim head coach for final nine games of 2014 season

Division I-AA/Division I FCS Playoffs The Colonels have qualified for the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs seven times, with a combined record of 3–7.

1986 First RoundQuarterfinals NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Appalachian StateGeorgia Southern W 28–26L 31–55 (Grantland Rice Bowl) 1996 First Round NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Montana L 3–48 2005 First Round NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs Furman L 12–14 2017 First Round NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs South Dakota L 31–38 2018 First RoundSecond Round NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs San DiegoEastern Washington W 49–30L 21–42 2019 First RoundSecond Round NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs North DakotaNorth Dakota State W 24–6L 13–37 2023 First Round NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs Southern Illinois L 0–35

Notable players

All-Americans

1976 Gerald Butler WR Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1977 Rusty Rebowe LB AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA); NCAA All-American 1981 Dwight Walker WR AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1982 Clint Conque LB AP First Team 1982 Jay Pennison OL AP Second Team 1983 Jay Pennison OL AP Second Team 1984 Dewayne Harrison TE AP First Team 1985 Lynn Bychurch OL AP Second Team 1986 Mark Carrier WR AP First Team; Kodak First Team (AFCA) 1987 Alfred Dorsey WR AP Second Team 1987 Karl Hill DB AP Third Team 1987 Reed Pere’ OL AP Third Team 1991 Darryl Pounds DB AP Second Team 1994 Brian Desselles P AP Second Team 1994 Darryl Pounds DB AP First Team 2007 Kareem Moore DB AP Second Team 2007 Lardarius Webb DB Walter Camp Foundation First Team 2008 Lardarius Webb DB AP First Team

Nicholls Colonels selected in the NFL draft

1976 Gary Barbaro DB Kansas City Chiefs 3rd Round 74th 1977 Gerald Butler WR Chicago Bears 7th Round 182nd 1982 Dwight Walker WR Cleveland Browns 4th Round 87th 1984 Johnny Meads LB Houston Oilers 3rd Round 58th 1985 Anthony Tuggle DB Cincinnati Bengals 4th Round 97th 1985 Lionel Vital RB Washington Redskins 7th Round 187th 1986 Oscar Smith RB Detroit Lions 5th Round 119th 1987 Mark Carrier WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3rd Round 57th 1987 Doug Hudson QB Kansas City Chiefs 6th Round 186th 1989 Jamie Lawson FB Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5th Round 117th 1990 Dee Thomas DB Houston Oilers 10th Round 264th 1995 Darryl Pounds DB Washington Redskins 3rd Round 68th 2004 Chris Thompson DB Jacksonville Jaguars 5th Round 110th 2007 Jacob Bender OL New York Jets 6th Round 177th 2008 Kareem Moore DB Washington Redskins 6th Round 180th 2009 Lardarius Webb DB Baltimore Ravens 3rd Round 88th

Stadium

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium

Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose stadium in Thibodaux, Louisiana. It is home to the Nicholls Colonels football team of the Southland Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The stadium is named in honor of former state representative John L. Guidry. The playing surface is named Manning Field after the Manning family (Peyton, Eli, Cooper and Archie) because the family holds the annual Manning Passing Academy football camp at the facility. The current playing surface is GeoGreen Replicated Grass.

On June 12, 2019, Nicholls announced a new $6.5 million, 20,000-square-foot football operations center will be built in the south end zone along with an expansion and renovation of the Frank L. Barker Athletic Building. The football team moved from the Barker Athletic Building to the Boucvault Athletic Complex for the start of the 2020 Nicholls Football season.

Practice and training facilities Boucvault Athletic Complex

The Boucvault Athletic Complex is located at the south end zone of Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. The facility includes football offices, team locker rooms, training rooms, and a team meeting hall with a seating area for fans overlooking the field.

Gaubert Oil Practice Facility at Shaw Sports Turf/Manning Field

The Gaubert Oil Practice Facility at Shaw Sports Turf/Manning Field is a covered 100-yard turf field and also includes office and storage space for the team. It is located directly behind the Boucvault Athletic Complex and Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. In a partnership between Nicholls Colonels football, the Manning Passing Academy and Shaw Sports Turf, an artificial turf field was installed at the facility.

Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility

The Nicholls Colonels Strength and Conditioning facility is located in the Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility or Leonard C. Chabert Hall. The facility has multi-purpose power stations, weight machines, dumbbell stations, elliptical machines and stationary bikes. It is the strength and conditioning facility and nutrition center for Nicholls athletics.

Historic football facilities

Frank L. Barker Athletic Building

The Frank L. Barker Athletic Building or Barker Hall is located adjacent to Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium. From 1972 to 2019, it housed the Nicholls Colonels football coaches’ offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms, athletic training rooms and athletic staff. The Nicholls Athletics Hall of Fame is also located in the building.

Original football practice fields

The original Nicholls Colonels football practice fields were the teams practice fields from 1972 to 2023. It included three natural grass football practice fields and was located across Acadia Drive from Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium, the Frank L. Barker Athletic Building and the Leonard C. Chabert Strength and Conditioning Facility. Two of the fields faced in a north–south configuration similar to Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium with a third that faced in an east–west configuration.

Rivalries

Southeastern Louisiana

Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana are located 94 miles apart and no two football-playing schools in the Southland Conference are as close as the two schools. The winner of the annual football game is awarded the River Bell Trophy. The trophy features a river bell, the teams athletic logos and details the yearly victors. The game played between the rivals began in 1972 and was played annually until 1985 when Southeastern Louisiana dropped its football program. It resumed 20 years later in 2005 when football was reinstated by the university.

Northwestern State

The football rivalry game with Northwestern State is played annually with the winner being awarded the NSU Trophy. Both universities are located in Louisiana and are members of the Southland Conference. The first game in the series was played in 1973.

Texas State

In fall 1998, the Colonels were scheduled to take on the Texas State Bobcats. Prior to the game, heavy rains flooded San Marcos, Texas and the playing field at Texas State. Athletic directors and coaches from both schools decided to postpone the game and coined the annual contest the "Battle for the Paddle," joking that fans and athletes needed to use a boat and paddle to get to the game. The game was eventually played on November 28, 1998, with Texas State prevailing 28–27 to win the first "Battle for the Paddle". A wooden oar or paddle named the "Paddle Trophy" was awarded to the winner of the contest.

Future non-conference opponents Announced non-conference opponents as of February 6, 2026.

Mississippi Valley State at Louisiana Tech at Kansas State Southern at Sam Houston at Tulane

Media The Colonels are broadcast on ESPN+.

See also List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs Nicholls Colonels

References

External links