Re: OFFICIAL GAME 8: SMU vs. Nicholls St. THREAD
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:57 am
If there isn't an official thread at least 2 days before the game, the natives tend to get restless.
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicholls, a former governor of Louisiana, and member of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
The 287-acre (1.16 km2) campus, once part of historic Acadia Plantation, fronts on Bayou Lafourche, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of New Orleans and 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Baton Rouge.
Nicholls is located in the Acadiana region, also known as "Cajun Country." It is also within the geographical bounds of the Mississippi River Delta, and close to the Mississippi River, its distributaries, Louisiana's wetlands, and the Gulf of Mexico. The school is sometimes referred to as "Our Harvard on the Bayou;" with the university bookstore selling shirts sporting this light-hearted nickname. The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Nicholls, is an initiative focusing on critical thinking.
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Nicholls sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision or FCS for football) in the Southland Conference.
Nicholls' colors are red and gray and the athletics teams are nicknamed the Colonels.
The Nicholls State University Department of Athletics currently sponsors men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf and tennis along with women's intercollegiate basketball, cross-country, softball, soccer, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.
Nicholls official athletics mascot is Colonel Tillou. President Stephen Hulbert stated that "The Colonel is and will remain the mascot designation for Nicholls State University and its intercollegiate athletics program" on March 31, 2004 while calling the current Colonel depiction antiquated and reminiscent of the Civil War in the South. The decision to retire the mascot was made to avoid portraying racist sentiments associated with the Civil War confederacy. Although met with criticism from the school and surrounding community who were in favor of preserving the colonel mascot, the retirement of the mascot was considered vital to the public relations outlook of the university and its policy of solidarity with The University of Louisiana System's policy on discrimination. Hulbert banned the old Colonel from the university and tasked student leaders to work on a suitable replacement. That process lasted six years. The new Col. Tillou was introduced to the campus community in August 2009, sporting a bright red uniform topped off with a contemporary-style military officer's cap.
Nicholls' primary athletic rivals are Southeastern Louisiana University and Northwestern State University. Nicholls' now defunct rivalry with Texas State, dubbed "The Battle For the Paddle" ended with Texas State's decision to join the FBS.