1930
 Recorded history of football begins at Southeastern  with R. Norval Garrett as the first head coach. The  Lions play five games and compile a 2-3 record with  wins over Amite and Independence High Schools.  Southeastern, then known as Southeastern Louisiana  College, shuts out Amite, 7-0, for its first victory. 

1933 
Southeastern puts together its first winning season  with a 7-3 record under head coach A.L. “Red”  Swanson. Swanson takes over the program following  the opening season and leads the Lions for seven seasons  (1931-37). 

1936 
Under Swanson, the Lions put together its first  unbeaten season with an 8-0-1 record. The only  blemish on the record is a scoreless tie against Pearl  River Junior College. In that season, Southeastern  outscores its opponents, 182-19, including six  shutouts in eight games. 

1938 
Lloyd Stovall takes over the reins of the Southeastern  program and serves in that capacity for three seasons  compiling a 14-13-3 record. 

1946
  After going through two coaches in two years during the 1941-42 campaigns and a three-year hiatus from football due to the advent of World War II, E.L. “Ned” McGehee takes over the program and promptly  leads Southeastern to a perfect 9-0 season. Behind  the play on the line of  Southeastern’s first All-  American T.J. Campion  along with All-  L o u i s i a n a  I n t e r c o l l e g i a t e  Conference selections  Pat Kenelly, John  Mitchell, Angie  Antonelli, Jerome  Davis and Al Ramboli,  the Lions grab their  first Louisiana  I n t e r c o l l e g i a t e  C o n f e r e n c e  Championship. The  title begins a string of  successes for  Southeastern that  includes seven conference  championships  over the next 15  years. Following the  unbelievable regular-  season, the  Lions take part in  the annual Burley  Bowl, on Nov. 28,  1946, winning 21-  13 over Milligan  College in Johnson  City, Tenn. It  remains the only  Bowl Game ever  played by a  Southeastern football  team. 

1951
  Following the perfect  season in 1946,  Southeastern goes  through a bit of a lull over the next four campaigns  mustering a winning record -- 6-4 in 1950 including  a win at Auburn -- on only one occasion. In 1951, the  most well-known coach in Lions’ football history  takes over, and Stanley Galloway guides the team to  more success than it had ever known. Galloway, who  was a member of Southeastern’s 8-0-1 squad of  1936, roams the sidelines from 1951-64. In his  extended stay as head football coach at Southeastern,  the Lions finish as Gulf States Conference champions  or co-champions (1952, 53, 54, 56, 60, 61) on six  different occasions. Galloway compiles an 84-42-4  record and is 50-20-3 in the tough GSC. His success  doesn't go unnoticed  by his peers, as he was  named the GSC's  Coach of the Year four  times and is the only  Southeastern coach to  be enshrined in the  Louisiana Sports Hall  of Fame. As a player  in the late 1930's,  Galloway was a leader  on the gridiron for  Southeastern and was  named to the  University's Athletics  Hall of Fame for 1939.  He starred for the  Lions from 1935-39.  Galloway puts together  a winning record in his    first season going 7-  3 and builds the  foundation for the  success to come.  1952  Galloway leads  Lions to the first of  six GSC  Championships in  10 years at the helm  as the team goes 6-  1-2 with the only  loss coming to  M i s s i s s i p p i  Southern, 20-12. 

1953
  The Lions win the GSC championship for the second  consecutive season with a 6-3 mark and set the table  for what would rival the 1946 team as the most successful  in Southeastern history. 

1954
  Fielding an improbable bunch of players, Galloway  and All-American quarterback Ray “Coon” Porta  lead the Lions to their second perfect season -- 9-0 -  - and arguably the finest in Southeastern history.  During that miraculous season, the Lions shutout  their opponents in five of nine games and allowed  only one opponent, Louisiana Tech, into double figures.  Overall, Southeastern tallied 379 points while  allowing opponents just 43. The team surrendered  just one touchdown through its first six games and  the 379 points scored would be a school record for  the next half century until the 2004 squad scored 425. 
1955
  Despite an off season for the Lions with a 5-5 record,  in their 10 games the Lions set school records for  both a winning streak and losing streak in the same  year. Dating back to the 1954 season and including  the four wins to open the ‘55 campaign, the Lions  win 13 straight contests. But from that point in the  season, the Lions suffer significant injuries including  losing starting quarterback Win Crawford and center  Mack Barlow for the season. Southeastern finishes  third in the GSC standings that year but also produces  its third All-American in sure-handed wideout  Huey Husser. Husser is named to the NAIA All-  America squad and years later becomes a member of  Southeastern’s Athletics Hall of Fame. 

1956
  Southeastern goes 6-3 en route to winning its third  GSC title in four years. The Lions open the season  with three straight shutouts but struggle during the  meat of the season before winning their final two  games -- over McNeese and Northwestern State -- to  claim the crown. 

1957-58
  Southeastern has two losing seasons -- the only under  Galloway -- going 2-6-1 in 1957 and 4-5 in 1958. C.J.  Alexander is named All-American in 1958. 

1959
  The Lions begin the return to prominence going 5-4  including wins over Southwestern Louisiana,  Northeast Louisiana and Northwestern State.  Alexander is again named All-America and becomes  the second two-time selection in Southeastern football  history and was also named the GSC’s Most  Valuable Player. Oscar Lofton, who would later serve  as Lions’ head coach from 1980-85, along with  Alexander, both sign professional contracts following  the season. Lofton, who is voted the 1959 team  captain, becomes a member  of the Boston Patriots  while Alexander, nicknamed  “The Black  Knight”, becomes a halfback  with the Edmonton  Eskimos in Canada. 

1960
  Mediocrity would never  do for Galloway and the  Lions are back on top of  the GSC following the  1960 season.  Southeastern rolls to its  fifth title under the legendary  coach going 9-1  with the only loss coming  against Louisiana Tech as the Bulldogs win 17-14 to  take away the third perfect season in Lions’ history.  In the run, Southeastern records five shutouts and  pulls off four major upsets. The team reaches as high  as second in one poll and finishes fourth in the NAIA  rankings. The Lions are awarded a bid to play in the  Tangerine Bowl but the players decline the offer.  Quarterback Elbert Harris is named a NAIA First  Team All-American. 

1961
  Southeastern again nearly pulls off the perfect season  but a loss to McNeese State in the second to last game  of the year ends the Lions’ chances at perfection.  Ranked in the top 10 of both the AP and UPI polls, the  Lions reach as high as third in each and claim their  sixth and final championship under Galloway. All-  American halfback Billy Ladner is voted the top back  in the GSC and breaks the single-season scoring  record with 66 points. “Mr. Everywhere” Elbert  Harris is drafted by both leagues and signs a professional  contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Bill Johnson  also is drafted and signs with the Buffalo Bills of the  American Football League. 

1962-64
  The final three years of Galloway’s tenure as head  coach are predictably solid as the team compiles a 16-  10-1 record, but none of the remaining campaigns  match the previous successes the Lions experience. In  the span Southeastern garners 10 All-Conference  selections. In 1964, Galloway’s final season, the Lions  are 6-3 and close out the year with two straight wins.  In 1964, Ellis Johnson is drafted in the third round by  the Boston Patriots and is Southeastern’s highest  selection at that time. 

 1965-75
  It is a time of struggle for Southeastern football which  manages only two winning seasons among 11 tries.  Legendary baseball coach and former football All-  American Pat Kenelly guides the team from 1965-71  and manages just one winning campaign - 5-4 in 1965  - but puts together some memorable moments. In  1966 Southeastern great Billy Andrews wraps up his  career and is drafted in the 11th round by the  Cleveland Browns. In 1967 the Lions struggle to a 4-  5 record, but take down two future NFL Hall of  Famers and Super Bowl quarterbacks as they knock  off Roger Staubach’s Pensacola Navy squad and down  Terry Bradshaw’s Louisiana Tech team in back-toback  weeks. Following an 0-11 season in 1971,  Roland Dale is brought in as the new gridiron guru  and holds the position for two seasons compiling a 7-  14 record in the span. It was under Dale in 1970 that  the Lions produce their first All-American since 1961  as linebacker Ronnie Hornsby blossomed as a senior.  Hornsby is a first team Kodak and Associated Press  All-American and following his final campaign is  named permanent team captain and became the first  person in Southeastern history to have his jersey - No.  35 -retired. He caps his stellar career by playing in the  Senior Bowl where he serves as defensive co-captain  and scores the South’s only touchdown on an inter-  ception return. It is also in  1970 that halfback Ted Glaser  becomes the first Lion to surpass  1,000 rushing yards with  1,038 on 162 carries. In 1973  and 74, guard Alan Klein  becomes the second of only  three, two-time All-America  selections for Southeastern.  Billy Brewer takes over the  program from Dale for the  1974 season and continues  Southeastern on the road to  championship caliber football  with a 6-4 record his first season. 

1976
 Following a sub-.500 season in 1975 (4-7), Brewer  guides the Lions to their finest campaign since the 1961 season with a 9-1-1 mark lead by all Gulf South Conference(GSC) Senior quarterback and team captain, Don Griffin.  Don was awarded Offensive Player of the Year by the GSC completing 65 of 150 passes for 1,159 yards and rushing for 339 yards.  Don finished his 2 year career at Southeastern ranked second in school history in total offense – 2,761 yards and second in passing yardage, 2,193 yards.  In addition, senior running back Horace Belton, who played little in the last six games of his senior campaign due to injury, finishes his brilliant career as the state of Louisiana’s all-time leading rusher with 3,222 yards.  Belton breaks a record which had stood for nearly 30 years and that was set by Tulane’s Eddie Price (3,095) as he led the Green Wave from 1946-49. Belton breaks the record with 163 yards and two scores in an upset win over eventual conference champion Troy State.  Belton, who is ranked second in school history and 13th in the state in career rushing, scores 202 points in his career which remains a Southeastern standard.  He also set and still holds Southeastern records for  single-season yardage (1,168, 1975), rushing TDs  (14, 1974) and points scored in a single-season with  90 (1974). Following his final campaign, Belton’s jersey - No. 37 - becomes the second Lion football jersey, along with Ronnie Hornsby’s, to be retired. 

1977-79
  Brewer coaches the  Lions for three more  seasons compiling  winning records in  each. Following a 6-4  mark in 1977, the  Lions produce a 7-3-1  record the following  year and field one of  the top defensive  units in the nation.  The Southeastern  defense ranks first  nationally in scoring  defense (7.8 ppg.)  and sets four new  Gulf South  Conference records.  The Lions finish the  season as the  Division II leader in  scoring defense  allowing just 78  points. The team is  second in total  defense, fifth in  rushing defense and 10th in pass defense, the only  school in the nation to be listed in all four categories.  En route to a second place finish in the conference,  the Lions set four new GSC records: points allowed,  scoring defense average, fewest rushing yards  allowed and defensive rushing average. Following the  season, Donald Dykes is drafted in the second round  by the Jets while Calvin Favron goes in the third  round to St. Louis. In 1979, near-misses erase the  promise of what could be another unbelievable season  in the Lion annals. In Brewer’s final season (he  would take over the head coaching job at Louisiana  Tech and would later coach at Ole Miss),  Southeastern starts slowly out of the gate with a 1-4  record. Following that point, the Lions re-dedicate  themselves and as a symbol of this dedication, members  of the team shave their heads. Suddenly bald  heads begin showing up all over campus and the team  goes on to win five of its last six games to finish at  6-5.   Offensive lineman, Lyle Walker inks a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

1980
  Oscar Lofton, a former Lion All-Conference selection,  three-sport letterwinner and professional player,  takes over the program from Brewer and posts an 8-  2 record in his first campaign. It is a successful jump  for Southeastern which made the move to Division IAA  for the 1980 season. The Lions open the year  with a win at Boise State. Homecoming week is special  as Southeastern roars to a 47-6 win over Texas-  Southern and ties a national record as three Lions --  Mack Boatner, Kendall Denmark, and Charlie  Thomas -- each rush for over 100 yards. Five different  players score touchdowns in the game for the  Lions. In a 59-13 victory over Delta State, Boatner  sets a new single-game school-record as he gallops  for 275 yards in the Lions’ home finale. 

1981
  Lofton is named the Louisiana Coach of the Year  after leading his squad to an 8-3 record. The Lions  open the season with wins over Texas Southern and  Southwestern Louisiana (now called Louisiana-  Lafayette), before losing two of their next three  games. After escaping with close wins over Troy  State and Tennessee-Martin, the Lions stage one of  the most dramatic comebacks in school history with  a 50-47 win over in-state rival Northeast Louisiana.  In that game, played at Strawberry Stadium, the  Lions trail 40-21 with 11:34 remaining in the game  before rallying behind the arm of quarterback Robbie  Mahfouz. Mahfouz, who set single-season passing  records with 1,707 yards and 12 touchdown passes,  throws touchdown passes of 28 and 17 yards to  David Patterson and hits Todd Jones from 29 yards in  a 29-point fourth quarter. Mack Boatner, who rushes  for 114 yards with Jerry Butler adding 106 on the  ground, scores the game-winning touchdown on a 1-  yard plunge with 1:32 left. Mahfouz finishes the  game completing 16 of 28 passes for 298 yards and  five touchdowns. Mack Boatner is drafted in the  ninth round of the NFL Draft by the Miami  Dolphins.  Tight end Leslie Jackson signs with the Miami Dolphins. Defensive back Ormando Whitlock signs with the Denver Broncos.  Defensive end Glenn Ferrill signs with the Dallas Cowboys.

1982
  After a solid 2-0 start which sees Southeastern  ranked in the opening Division I-AA polls, consecutive  losses to Stephen F. Austin and Southwest Texas  starts a roller-coaster ride for the remainder of the  season. Southeastern manages to string together two  more wins but a team made up mostly of underclassmen,  drops their  last five games to  finish with a 4-7  record. 

1983
  The year marks  Southeastern’s last  winning season as  the team starts 0-2  out of the gate but  rights the ship to  win five straight  during the middle  of the season to finish  with a 6-4  record. Punter Bret  Wright is named a  first team Kodak  All-American and a  second team  Associated Press  All-American and  still holds the state  record for punting  average in a single  game going for a  53.6 average in a  54-28 win over  Central Florida. He  is also listed third  in the state records  with a career average  of 42.2 per  punt. The Lions  upset nationally ranked  Jackson  State, 9-7, after narrowly missing an upset against  Northeast Louisiana the week before, losing 16-13.  Wright is selected in the eighth round of the NFL  Draft by the New York Jets. 

1984
  In its first season of membership in the Gulf Star  Conference, Southeastern manages only a 2-8-1  record as turnovers plague the team. The record  can’t, however, overshadow the individual performance  of running back Jerry Butler who become just  the third Lion to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single  season with 1,092. He also eclipses Horace  Belton’s career yardage mark compiling 3,232, a  mere 10 yards more than Belton. Also that year,  noseguard Willie Shepherd earns Associated Press  Second Team All-America notice. 

1985
  Southeastern’s final year of football prior to the program  being discontinued. The Lions struggle to a 2-  9 mark. As a highlight, the Lions manage to win  their first-ever Gulf Star Conference game with a  20-14 victory over Northwestern State in the second  to last game of the year. In what was to become the  Lion’s final game for the next 18 years, Kervin  Fontenette returns an interception 100 yards for a  touchdown to give Southeastern the lead but  Nicholls State roars back in the final minutes to steal  a 21-17 win. Willie Shepherd earns All-America status  for the second year, and is named to the Kodak  All-America First Team and also garners honorable  mention AP honors along with defensive back Tim  Whaley. 

2001
  Southeastern President Sally  Clausen announces an extension  to the already successful  Campaign for Excellence  which will focus on athletics.  Involved in the plan to raise  $5 million, is the re-instatement  of a football program at  Southeastern. 

2002
  Southeastern President,  Randy Moffett, who served  as provost under Clausen, and athletics director Frank  Pergolizzi announce on May 21 the success of the  campaign and that the Lions will resume playing football  as a I-AA Independent for the 2003 season after  a hiatus of nearly 18 years. 

2003
  Lion football restarts at Southeastern with Hal  Mumme, formally at Kentucky, as the head coach.  The team finishes with a 5-7 record: the sixth-best  record among start-up Division I programs since  1980. Forty-six school and/or national records are  broken with freshman quarterback Martin Hankins  setting 21 new standards. Before a packed house on a  rainy night, Southeastern opens its first season in 18  years rallying to defeat Arkansas-Monticello, 22-17,  as Hankins hits Choni Francis with a 22-yard pass  with 6:49 remaining in the game. 

2004
  Southeastern notches its first winning season since  returning football with a 7-4 record. The Lions lead  the nation in total offense and Hankins, wide receiver  Felton Huggins and tackle Kenard White each earn  all-America honors. The Lions stun sixth-ranked  McNeese State in Lake Charles, 51-17, before a  regionally-televised audience and briefly earn their  first top-25 national ranking since their return. In late  December, Mumme accepts the head coaching position  at Division I-A New Mexico State. 

2005
  On January 18, Southeastern announces that Dennis  Roland, a former assistant under Mumme in 2003,  will take over as the 13th head football coach in  school history. The Lions have their season shortened  to 10 games after the season-opener against  Jacksonville was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina.  The Alcorn State game, scheduled for Sept. 8, is  pushed back two days later and the Lions eventually  get underway with a 48-21 victory. Southeastern finishes  its first season as a member of the Southland  Conference with a 4-6 overall record and are 2-4 in  league play. 

2006 
Playing a rugged non-conference schedule that includes I-A bowl participants Southern Miss and Texas Tech, the Lions finish with a 2-9 record. After the season opener at New Mexico State, head coach Dennis Roland misses the next three games with an infection and eventually takes a leave of absence on Oct. 24. Mike Lucas is named interim coach for the remaining three games before being named the Lions 14th head coach on Dec. 14. Nine players earn ll-Southland Conference honors, including first-team center Donald Usry.

2007 
Southeastern, which finishes with a 3-8 mark in Mike Lucas’ first full season, starts the year 0-2 with games at FBS opponents New Mexico State and eventual Orange Bowl champion Kansas. The Lions open their home schedule scoring a school-record 79 points against Division II Kentucky Wesleyan. Jay Lucas sets the single-season rushing record with 1,239 yards and is a first-team All-Southland Conference selection. Jeff Turner is named honorable mention All-America by the Sports Network after making 28 of 29 extra point attempts and 17 of 20 field goals. Turner sets a school, and Southland Conference single-game record with six field goals against Texas State. Freshman Mark Newbill finishes third in the Southland Conference in tackles. Southeastern loses close games to Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State before closing out the campaign with a 17-13 win over arch-rival Nicholls State, defeating the Colonels for the first time since 1980 and claiming the River Bell in the process. 
 
2008 
Southeastern finishes 5-7 overall with 10 players being named to All-Southland Conference team. Head coach Mike Lucas misses five of the final six games due to a heart valve procedure with offensive coordinator Tommy Condell serving as acting head coach. The Lions defeat Northwestern State, 26-21, in Condell’s first game and later rallied for a 30-27 overtime win at Sam Houston State for their first SLC road win since 2005. Simmie Yarborough is named the league’s Freshman of the Year after catching 51 passes. Tommy Connors is named first-team All-Southland with Marquis Powell a second-team selection. Lions span a 12-game losing streak on the road with a 34-28 win at Alcorn State in the season-opener. Jay Lucas catches a team-high 58 passes on the season to become the first player in school history to record 50 or more receptions in a season twice.

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