Lance Guidry named McNeese St. Head Coach

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In 2015, Guidry's defense played a big part in the Cowboys posting a perfect 10-0 regular season mark and running away with the Southland Conference championship, the 14th in school history, a league record.

The Cowboys ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference this past season in total defense (300.2 ypg), rushing defense (87.4 ypg), and scoring defense (13.2 ppg). McNeese ranked No. 12, 4, and 3 respecitvely in those categories in the FCS. The Cowboys also ranked No. 1 in the league and 6th nationally in first downs defense, No. 1 in SLC and 3 in FCS in red zone defense; No. 1 in SLC and 2 FCS in 4th down conversion defense; and No. 1 in SLC and 7 FCS in 3rd down conversion defense.

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This is the fourth stint for Guidry, a 1995 McNeese graduate, on the Cowboys staff. He served as a graduate assistant in 1994 then returned as the school’s defensive coordinator from 2000-04, and in 2008, coached the defensive backs.

In his 10 combined years previously on the McNeese coaching staff, the Cowboys have compiled an 86-35 record, including a 50-16 mark in Southland Conference games.

McNeese has won four conference championships during that span (2001, 2002, 2003, 2015), made six FCS playoff appearances (1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2015), and played in the 2002 FCS National Championship game.

His 2014 defense led the conference in rushing defense (112.5 ypg), ranked second in in total defense (330.2 ypg) and scoring defense (22.7 ppg), and was first in opponent first downs (16.3 p/g).


In 2013, Guidry led a defensive unit that saw six players earn all-conference honors and two more named to the all-Louisiana team. The DWA ranked third in the league with 13 pass interceptions and was second with three of those picks returned for touchdowns. The unitl also posted 21 take-aways on the year.

Guidry served as defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky in 2011 and 2012 and was named interim head coach on December 8 of 2012 to lead WKU against Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit, Mich., on December 26, a game the Hilltoppers dropped 24-21.

He coached three players while at WKU - DE Quanterous Smith, LB Andrew Jackson and S Jonathan Dowling - that went on to be selected in the NFL Draft.

Guidry has experience in the role as a head coach, as the former assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) led the Redhawks to a 35-21 victory over Middle Tennessee as the interim head coach in the 2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl, helping Miami finish off a 10-4 season after going 1-11 the previous year. Miami became the first FBS school to go from double-digit losses to double-digit wins in consecutive seasons.

Guidry helped orchestrate a similar turnaround since arriving on the Hill in 2011, helping WKU to back-to-back winning seasons in 2011 and 2012, including the program’s first-ever bowl bid since joining the FBS.

His 2012 Hilltopper defense was a force nationally, ranking in the top 40 in seven different national defensive categories. The Guidry-led defense ranked 23rd nationally in total defense (344.42) and 12th in the nation in tackles for loss per game (7.42). His squad also ranked at the top of four defensive categories in the Sun Belt Conference, including total defense, pass defense efficiency (128.4), sacks (31) and first down defense (19.3), while ranking second in rushing defense (136.6), scoring defense (25.6), passing defense (206.2) and interceptions (13). Under Gudiry’s guidance, WKU senior defensive end Quanterus Smith put together a record-breaking 2012 season, accumulating 12.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss on his way to being named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Smith’s sack total in 2012 was just one away from setting a single-season Sun Belt Conference record, and his 24.0 career sacks tied the conference record.

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