It was a long, long year at McNeese State, no question.

From coaching changes to cleanup, the school’s athletic department went through major changes like never before. The department even flirted with leaving the only conference it has known for the last five decades.

All that made 2021 the most interesting year, maybe in school history. Here’s a look at the top seven stories of the past 12 months at McNeese.

Kennedy named women’s basketball coach

7 At the end of last season, Kacie Cryer was let go and a national search began for a new head women’s basketball coach. Lynn Kennedy was named a few weeks later.

Kennedy moved from Portland State, where he continued his reputation as a coach who turned programs around. He is in the early stages of trying to do the same at McNeese, where he brought in a host of new talent from throughout the nation.

Winning spring

6 Despite all the issue the campus and facilities had after 2020 Hurricanes Laura and Delta, both the baseball and softball teams had good seasons.

Each won SLC postseason tournaments and made it to NCAA regionals. While both seasons ended at that stage, the tourney victories gave the community something to cheer about.

Football returns

5 Six months to the day after Hurricane Laura hit, the Cowboys returned to their home turf. While the game ended poorly, the fact that they played was a good sign.

Moved to the spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, the shortened season ended at 3-4. Still, with so many questions after the fall, it was important for the Cowboys to play and keep the program alive. Before the game there were questions about when McNeese would be able to play.

Staying put

4 After months of moves and counter moves, McNeese officials decided it was better to stay in the Southland Conference than move to the Western Athletic.

The Cowboys also dipped their toes in the world of college football’s top-playing division, but in the end the only league that made financial sense was the SLC. However, this part of the story is far from finished as the school’s goal is to get to the Football Bowl Subdivision and earn part of that money which comes with the move up.

Naming rights

3 On Aug. 5 McNeese announced it received the largest naming rights gift in school history. Local business owners David and Kimberly Griffin donated $2.5 million over 10 years for the naming rights to the basketball arena on campus. The $42 million Health and Human Performance Complex was renamed the Legacy Center.

The school’s hope is that commitment opens the door to more opportunities to raise funds for the athletic department.

Schroyer named AD

2 After serving six months as the interim athletic director, Heath Schroyer got the full gig in January. He quickly changed the way business was done.

Schroyer turned the department into a business, using his high energy to make fast decisions and change the direction of athletics at the university. There is still a lot of work to do but Schroyer has had early success. He has gotten the Southland to make Lake Charles the focal point of future tournaments and other events, which in itself is a big win.

Football coaching change

1 For the fourth time since the 2016 the Cowboys made a coaching change. Frank Wilson resigned after two seasons to return to LSU as associate head coach under Brian Kelly.

That left McNeese once again searching for a new leader. A national search quickly led Schroyer to Gary Goff, who became the 18th head coach in program history.

Goff led Valdosta State to the Division II national title game in December and will hit campus Monday. His job is to rebuild a program that is coming off its first back-to-back losing seasons in 16 years.

Goff has named 10 coaches to his staff, bringing eight with him from VSU.