McNeese State names Guidry coach

(STATS) - Lance Guidry is in his fourth stint as a McNeese State coach and the Southland Conference school didn't want him to leave again.

So McNeese State didn't organize a search committee before naming Guidry its coach Wednesday, succeeding Matt Viator, who resigned Monday to become Louisiana-Monroe's coach.

Guidry, who played defensive back at McNeese from 1990-93, returned to the Cowboys in 2013 and served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. This season, he helped the Cowboys (10-1) build a unit that ranked third in the FCS in scoring defense at 13.2 points per game and 12th in total defense at 300.2 yards.

Known for his emotional style, Guidry began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for McNeese in 1994 and also coached with the Cowboys from 2000-04 and in 2008.

He was a defensive coordinator for Miami of Ohio (2009-10) and Western Kentucky (2011-12), serving as an interim head coach for both during bowl games.

Under Viator, McNeese State posted a 78-33 record over the last 10 seasons. The Cowboys won four Southland titles and made five appearances in the FCS playoffs, and this year's team joined the 2007 squad with unbeaten records in the regular season under Viator.