Defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor (center) was honored this week as the Southland Conference Player of the Year. He is the third Southeastern Louisiana player to win the award. The other two were quarterbacks. (Photo by LionSports.net)
By Barry Bottino
Seeing his team’s name pop up on the TV screen Sunday as part of the FCS playoff pairings was hardly a surprise for Frank Scelfo.
The eighth-year Southeastern Louisiana head coach saw this coming, after all.
“This team had a vision from the beginning,” he said at his weekly press conference in advance of Saturday’s noon playoff game against Illinois State (8-4) in Hammond, La. “They are realizing it. They have seen it come to fruition.”
The Lions (9-3) finished the season with seven wins in their last eight games. During that time, SLU outscored its opponents by more than 25 points a game. The lone loss was a 14-12 decision against fellow playoff participant Lamar.
With 26 seniors on this squad, Scelfo said the group has provided leadership and strengthened the program’s culture.
“These guys do everything you ask of them, and they do it the right way,” he said. “And they do things the right way if you don’t ask them to.”
Here’s a deeper look at the Redbirds’ first-round postseason opponent:
School: Southeastern Louisiana University.
Founded: 1925.
Location: Hammond, La.
Distance from Normal, Ill.: According to Google, it’s 790 miles to Hammond, La.
Population: 24,355.
Enrollment: 10,427.
Nickname; Mascot: Lions; Roomie the Lion.
Colors: Green and gold.
Stadium: Strawberry Stadium (capacity, 7,408), which was built in 1937.
Conference: Southland.
Head Coach: Frank Scelfo.
Overall Record: 53-39 (41-19 Southland)
I-AA/FCS Playoff Appearances: Five, including back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.
Key players: Southeastern Louisiana’s calling card this season has been an impressive defense. The Lions (9-3) rank 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowed 17.75 points a game. SLU has the sixth-most sacks in the country (38) and has given up only 28 touchdowns in 12 games. Senior defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor has a team-best eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss. He was named Southland Conference Player of the Year on Tuesday. Senior linebacker K.K. Reno – who was honored as the Southland Defensive Player of the Year — ranks 10th in FCS with 118 total tackles. Sophomore cornerback Zach Johnson has 11 pass breakups. On offense, Normal West graduate Carson Camp, a junior, is part of a two-quarterback system with sophomore Kyle Lowe. Camp has thrown 13 touchdowns and two interceptions in the Lions’ last 10 games. Lowe has thrown for eight touchdowns and is the team’s second-leading rusher (429 yards, five TDs).
Quick facts about the Lions: The program was discontinued in 1985, then revived in 2003 with head coach Hal Mumme, who also coached at the University of Kentucky. … Scelfo was hired in 2018 as the team’s head coach. He spent 11 years at Tulane and coached with UT-San Antonio and the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. … Quarterback Cole Kelley was the winner of the 2020 Walter Payton Award, given to the best offensive player in FCS. … Scelfo’s son, Anthony, is the team’s offensive coordinator. Anthony Scelfo played baseball and football at FBS Tulane and was drafted in 2008 by Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Best NFL player from SLU: Linebacker Billy Andrews spent 11 seasons in the NFL after being drafted in the 13th round by the Cleveland Browns in 1967.
Other notable SLU players in NFL: Cornerback Robert Alford was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. … The program’s highest draft pick was linebacker Calvin Favron, a second-round choice (No. 46 overall) in 1979 by the then-St. Louis Cardinals. He spent four seasons in the NFL.
Famous SLU alumni: Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts; MLB pitcher Wade Miley; Cajun fiddler/singer Amanda Shaw; Harlem Globetrotter Nathaniel “Big Easy” Lofton; Jazz pianist/composer Bill Evans.
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