Chief Caddo
Northwestern State Demons
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
SportFootball
First meetingNovember 7, 1924
Louisiana Normal 7, Stephen F. Austin 3
Latest meetingSeptember 16, 2023
Stephen F. Austin 41, Northwestern State 7
Next meetingSeptember 27, 2025
TrophyChief Caddo (1961–2019)
Statistics
Meetings total76
All-time seriesNorthwestern State leads, 45–28–3
Trophy seriesNorthwestern State leads, 32–21–1
Largest victoryNorthwestern State, 52–0 (1991)
Longest win streakNorthwestern State, 7 (1927–1933), (1976–1982)
Current win streakStephen F. Austin, 2 (2019–present)
Map
[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]
Locations of Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin

Chief Caddo is the name of the statue formerly given to the winner of the annual football game between Southland Conference members Northwestern State University (NSU) of Natchitoches, Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) of Nacogdoches, Texas. Northwestern State University stopped participating in the exchange in 2021 after a Student Government Association and Faculty Senate joint resolution recognizing that Caddo Nation officials stated the statue was offensive, acknowledging the statue was inauthentic, and calling for the end to the practice.[1]

Made of solid wood, Chief Caddo was one of the largest trophies in college football, standing 7.5-foot (2.3 m) and weighing in excess of 330-pound (150 kg).

History

The idea of the statue was created in 1960 when longtime rivals NSU and SFA decided to award the winner of the game a trophy. The two schools settled on a wooden statue (both schools are located in heavily forested areas) supposedly representing an American Indian "chief" who, in European-American folklore originating in the 1930s, was responsible for settling the locations that became the cities in which university was located (both of which are named for branches of the tribe).[2] Under the agreement, based on the results of the 1961 football game, the losing school would chop down a tree from one of its nearby forests, while the winning school would receive the log and carve the statue from it.[3]

NSU won the 1961 game 35–19; thus, SFA delivered a 2,000-pound black gum log to NSU. Woodcarver Harold Green spent some 230 hours fashioning the statue. It was named "Chief Caddo," supposedly after the Native nation that first settled the two communities.

In June 2010, after years of transportation to and from games had left "Chief Caddo" in poor condition, the trophy was given a much-needed refurbishing. The project, headed by Bill Flynn (Flynn Paint & Decorating of Nacogdoches), undertook the restoration of the trophy. Among the many restorations to the trophy were: the repairing of the base, the construction and replacement of feathers in the headdress, the restaining and repainting of the entire trophy, and intricate detailing.

NSU and SFA played for this trophy from 1961 to 2019.[3][4]

Currently, the statue resides at Stephen F. Austin State University. [5]

Importance of the Caddo Nation

The Caddo Nation are the Native people whose lands included Natchitoches and Nacogdoches at the time of contact.

Nacogdoches and Natchitoches both received their names from Caddo band names. Two apocryphal non-Caddo folk stories exist about how the cities got their names. Both versions of folk story agree that a Caddo chief with two sons sent one east and the other west, and they traveled the same distance and established villages. As for the folklore in question:

One version, as reported by historian Samuel Stewart Mims in "Rio Sabinas", credits the chief of an Adae Indian village on the Sabine River. The village was overpopulated and the chief ordered his two grown sons to report to him precisely at sunrise. He told one son to walk east and the other to walk west until the very moment of sunset. The sons were to establish a village at the place they reached. The son who went west wound up in a grove of persimmon trees, and named his village Nacogdoches, meaning persimmon. The eastbound son reached a grove of papaw trees and named his village Natchitoches, meaning papaw.

Another version says that the chief had twin sons, Nacogdoches and Natchitoches, and could not decide who would lead the tribe following his death. The chief split the tribe between them and sent each in different directions. They traveled for three days, one eastbound and one westbound, and wound up where the cities are located today.

Game results

Northwestern State victoriesStephen F. Austin victoriesTie games
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 7, 1924 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 7–3
2 November 6, 1925 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 7–6
3 November 6, 1926 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 28–0
4 November 5, 1927 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 26–0
5 November 3, 1928 Shreveport, LA Louisiana Normal 26–0
6 October 26, 1929 Natchitoches, LA Louisiana Normal 41–6
7 November 8, 1930 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 21–20
8 November 6, 1931 Natchitoches, LA Louisiana Normal 19–0
9 November 5, 1932 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 39–0
10 November 3, 1933 Natchitoches, LA Louisiana Normal 39–0
11 November 2, 1934 Nacogdoches, TXTie0–0
12 November 8, 1935 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 13–6
13 November 6, 1936 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 20–7
14 November 5, 1937 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 2–0
15 November 4, 1938 Nacogdoches, TX Louisiana Normal 6–0
16 November 3, 1939 Natchitoches, LA Louisiana Normal 20–6
17 November 2, 1940 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 14–7
18 November 29, 1946 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 27–6
19 September 15, 1956 Shreveport, LA Stephen F. Austin 14–12
20 September 14, 1957 Shreveport, LA Northwestern State 20–7
21 September 12, 1959 Shreveport, LATie14–14
22 September 17, 1960 Shreveport, LA Northwestern State 14–0
23 September 16, 1961 Shreveport, LA Northwestern State 35–19
24 September 15, 1962 Shreveport, LA Northwestern State 23–6
25 September 14, 1963 Shreveport, LA Stephen F. Austin 10–0
26 September 19, 1964 Shreveport, LA Northwestern State 34–14
27 September 19, 1970 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 9–7
28 September 18, 1971 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 18–7
29 September 16, 1972 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 20–7
30 September 21, 1974 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 14–13
31 September 20, 1975 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 17–13
32 September 18, 1976 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 47–0
33 September 24, 1977 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 20–6
34 September 16, 1978 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 21–14
35 September 15, 1979 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 27–21
36 September 20, 1980 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 22–3
37 September 19, 1981 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 42–13
38 September 18, 1982 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 28–14
39 October 1, 1983 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 27–25
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
40 November 17, 1984 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 22–18
41 November 23, 1985 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 19–10
42 November 22, 1986 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 28–14
43 November 21, 1987 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 33–21
44 November 19, 1988 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 20–17
45 September 18, 1989 Natchitoches, LATie17–17
46 November 17, 1990 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 20–3
47 November 23, 1991 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 52–0
48 November 21, 1992 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 24–10
49 November 20, 1993 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 51–20
50 November 19, 1994 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 34–13
51 November 16, 1995 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 25–20
52 November 23, 1996 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 17–10
53 November 20, 1997 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 38–24
54 November 21, 1998 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 35–21
55 November 20, 1999 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 29–14
56 November 18, 2000 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 17–3
57 November 17, 2001 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 31–17
58 November 23, 2002 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 42–35
59 November 22, 2003 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 44–14
60 November 20, 2004 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 37–16
61 November 17, 2005 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 41–21
62 November 16, 2006 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 20–11
63 November 17, 2007 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 31–12
64 November 22, 2008 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 34–24
65 November 21, 2009 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 19–10
66 November 20, 2010 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 36–13
67 November 19, 2011 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 33–0
68 November 17, 2012 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 34–17
69 November 23, 2013 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 40–27
70 November 22, 2014 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 27–24
71 November 21, 2015 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 33–17
72 November 19, 2016 Nacogdoches, TX Stephen F. Austin 45–31
73 November 18, 2017 Natchitoches, LA Northwestern State 38–21
74 November 15, 2018 Nacogdoches, TX Northwestern State 35–23
75 November 21, 2019 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 32–20
76 September 16, 2023 Natchitoches, LA Stephen F. Austin 41–7
Series: Northwestern State leads 45–28–3

See also

References

  1. ^ ""To Officially End The Chief Caddo Exchange ..."". Joint Resolution No. SB. S. 2021-2 of 2021. NSULA Student Government Association.
  2. ^ "SFA Traditions". Archived from the original on 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
  3. ^ a b Boydstun, Jared. "Chief Caddo". Traditions of Northwestern State University. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  4. ^ "Northwestern State rallies in second half to defeat Stephen F. Austin". shreveporttimes.com. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  5. ^ "Chief Caddo". digital.sfasu.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
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