Over the past decade, the former
I-AA powerhouse has been reduced to a Division I doormat, enduring embarrassing
losses, miniscule crowds and the loss of respect from its student body and fan
base.
In those 10 long years, NLU (or
ULM, or UL-Monroe, or Louisiana-Monroe…. whatever!) has underwent a name change,
four different head coaches and an innumerable amount of losses… 70 defeats in
the last 10 seasons.
In 1994, then athletic director
Richard Giannini, now the AD at Southern Miss, led the Indians into Division I
stating it was time for NLU football to be identified on the national stage. In
all actuality, it was the Batan Death March as the program would flounder in its
first season and never recover.
In these days of the big business
of college athletics, like LSU head coach Nick Saban has said, “it’s never about
money, but it’s always about money.”
Giannini never took into
consideration what the jump to Division I would do to the once-proud NLU
football program, however, focusing only on the monetary gain of playing up
among the big boys. Gaudy paychecks offset by lopsided, embarrassing defeats
never seemed to phase the powers-that-be.
NLU’s first four games as a
Division I member resulted in an 0-4 start with losses at Colorado (48-13), at
Auburn (44-12), at Georgia (70-6) and at Nevada (34-22). The Indians 0-4 start
was a far cry from the program’s preseason No. 1 ranking just two years earlier
heading into the 1992 season as a member of the I-AA Southland
Conference.
In the years to follow, NLU, soon
to become ULM in 1998, strung together eight straight losing seasons including
records of 2-9 twice (1995, 2001) and 1-10 in 2000.
Before head coach Ed Zaunbrecher
was forced out following the 1998 season, the former LSU offensive coordinator
managed to post a few respectable years, including three consecutive five-win
campaigns in 1996 (5-6), 1997 (5-7) and 1998 (5-6). In Zaunbrecher’s five-year
stint as head coach, he managed a not-so-impressive 20-35 record. However, he
did claim wins over a pair of SEC teams defeating Kentucky 21-14 in 1994 and
Mississippi State in 1995 (34-32).
After Zaunbrecher was shown the
door following the 1998 season, McNeese State head coach Bobby Keasler was
brought aboard to try and get Monroe moving in the right direction. Although the
ULM alum brought much-needed energy to the program, Keasler could not reverse
the trend of losing and the Indians sank deeper into a pit of
despair.
Eventually, Keasler stepped down
after just over three seasons at helm. An 0-3 start to the 2002 season and an
8-28 record was enough to force him by the wayside. Mike Collins stepped in as
the interim head coach and guided the Indians to a promising 3-6 finish.
However, Collins’ stint as coach ended abruptly the night before the 2003 spring
game with an unfortunate altercation with the law.
At any rate, the past 10 years has
not been a glorious period for the Indians. There has even been talk recently of
scrapping the football program all together, a sad situation for a once
outstanding football program.
There is a chance ULM could be
dropped back into Division I-AA following the 2004 season, but the question now
is would it matter? A school that once averaged almost 20,000 fans per game in
24,000-seat Malone Stadium, the Indians can hardly pack in 5,000 per game in a
facility which now seats 30,000. Plus, the interest in the community has sagged
considerably not only because of 10 losing seasons but also due to the
popularity of high school football in the area.
The damage that has been done is
irreparable.
However, there was once a time at
ULM when spirits were high and wins were plentiful.
Before the march into Division I,
NLU enjoyed 12 fruitful years as a I-AA member. In a dozen seasons, the Indians
accumulated an 80-48-2 record. Pat Collins, the father of Mike Collins, led NLU
for the first seven of those years before giving way to Dave Roberts, who
coached the Indians from 1989-1993. Roberts abdicated the head coaching job and
headed to South Bend serving as Lou Holtz’s offensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
It is justifiable why Roberts left for such a high profile job at arguably the
nation’s top program at the time, but was it also that he saw the writing on the
wall?
To put the NLU program in
perspective in the 1980s and early 90s, the Indians made four playoff
appearances compiling a 5-3 postseason record, won four Southland Conference
titles and defeated Marshall 43-42 capturing the 1987 national title.
In the halcyon days of Indian
football, NLU pumped out some outstanding players as well.
Leading the Indians to the I-AA
title in 1987 was quarterback Stan Humphries, long time signal caller for the
NFL’s Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. He was also the Chargers
starting quarterback in Super Bowl XXIX, when the San Francisco 49ers defeated
San Diego 49-26.
Humphries predecessor was former
Pittsburgh Steeler and Denver Bronco quarterback Bubby Brister. Also from the
Pat Collins era was place kicker Teddy Garcia, who played for the New England
Patriots.
Under Dave Roberts, NLU produced
another sluice of NFL players including quarterback Doug Pederson, who currently
serves as Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay. Roosevelt Potts was the
Indianapolis Colts leading rusher before Marshall Faulk broke into the league.
Also from that highly-touted 1992 team came wideout Vincent Brisby, who starred
for the New England Patriots for a number of years, playing in Super Bowl XXXI
in which the Pats fell to Green Bay in the Superdome.
Three years earlier, tight end
Jackie Harris was taken by the Packers in the fourth round starring in the NFL
for nearly a decade.
Even after the years of plenty,
NLU/ULM still managed to produce out several standout performers.
Shawn King was a 1995 second round
draft pick by the Carolina Panthers and played a part as a driving force on the
Panther defense when Carolina reached the 1997 NFC Championship Game in just its
second season of existence.
Stepfret Williams was a third round
pick by the Cowboys in 1996 and played opposite of Michael Irvin for the latter
portion of the 1990s. Two years later, defensive end Steve Foley was picked up
by Chicago Bears in the third round and started as a rookie in 1999.
Alan Ricard, cousin of LSU
quarterback Lester Ricard, signed a free agent deal with Dallas in 1999 but is
now the starting fullback with the Baltimore Ravens.
In 2000, Pat Dennis was a third
team all-American at corner and was drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas
City Chiefs, but has since been traded to the Houston Texans.
Finally, the most prominent ULM
Indian drafted in recent years was Jonesboro-Hodge native Marty Booker. A
standout wide receiver at ULM from 1995-98, Booker was taken in the third round
by Chicago and grew into the Bears’ go-to receiver, recording back-to-back
1,000-yard seasons in 2001 and 2002.
Enough with the stroll down ULM
memory lane - I climbed up on my soapbox babbling on about something I am far
too familiar with being a UL-Monroe alum myself.
However, when you are sitting in
Tiger Stadium on Saturday night and LSU is pounding away at a helpless ULM
squad, take into consideration where the Indians once were, have been and where
they are going.
And to again quote Nick Saban,
“it’s always about money.” That’s right… it is always about money and money is
what sealed the fate of a once proud football tradition.