LAKE CHARLES – McNeese's Cowboy Stadium has been ranked one of the 10 best football stadiums in all of FCS according to fans who voted on a poll on both Twitter and Facebook and was conducted by the NCAA.
 
"The Hole," which is the nickname for the Cowboys' venue due to the playing field being settled over 10 feet into the ground, ranked as the fourth-best stadium by fan voting, following Montana's Washington-Grizzly Stadium, North Dakota State's Fargodome, and James Madison's Bridgeforth Stadium.
 
Stated by the NCAA release, "The Hole at McNeese State has developed into the most electric atmosphere within the Southland Conference. Situated in Louisiana, the pregame tailgating scene is a can't-miss experience that leads into a pleasant time inside the stadium come game time."
 
McNeese will be opening up its 53^rd season in Cowboy Stadium on September 9 against Florida Tech and has compiled a 201-90-5 overall record in the venue.
 
Constructed in 1965, the stadium was renovated and expanded its seating in 1975 from 12,226 to 17,410. A new three-tier press box with club booths and seating was constructed in 1998 and in 2008, 200 seats were added to make up the Endzone Club as part of a newly renovated field house that increased seating capacity to 17,610.
 
Fans are also allowed to sit along the hills that bank the playing field that can add several more thousand to the total capacity.
 
During its 52-year history, Cowboy Stadium has been home to 14 unbeaten regular seasons for the Cowboys with the most recent coming in 2015 (5-0). Since the 2000 season, the Cowboys have compiled a 75-24 (.758) record in the stadium.
 
In its history, Cowboy Stadium has hosted NFL Hall of Famers and well recognized players such as Jackie Smith (Northwestern State, 1960), Roger Staubach (Pensacola Navy, 1968), Terry Bradshaw (Louisiana Tech, 1967 and 1968), Fred Dean (Louisiana Tech, 1971 and 1973), Kurt Warner (Northern Iowa, 1993), Steve Williams, aka, Stone Cold Steve Austin (North Texas, 1986), Mike Tomlin (William & Mary, 1993), Chad Pennington (Marshall, 1995), Daunte Culpepper (Central Florida, 1995), and Malcolm Butler (West Alabama, 2013) just to name a few.
 
McNeese has led the Southland Conference in attendance five straight years and in nine of the last 10 seasons as well as being ranked in the top 25 in the FCS. Since 1998, the Cowboys have ranked No. 1 in the league in attendance 13 times (out of 19 seasons). That number is a bit skewed because in 2005, the Cowboys were limited to just two home games after the wrath of Hurricane Rita caused significant damage to the stadium.
 
Last season, McNeese averaged 10,510 fans in six home games, tops in the Southland Conference and 22^nd nationally.
 
Ranking No. 5 on the list behind McNeese is Jacksonville State's Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium. That was followed by South Dakota State's Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium; Youngstown State's Stambaugh Stadium; The UNI-Dome at Northern Iowa; Roos Field at Eastern Washington; and Franklin Field at Penn.