Matt Viator (born September 3, 1963) is an American football coach . He served as the head football coach at McNeese State University from 2006 to 2015 and the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 2016 to 2020.[1][2] Viator began his coaching career in 1986 as a high school assistant coach, before leading several high schools in southwestern Louisiana as a head coach. He moved to the college ranks at McNeese State in 1999 and was elevated to head coach four games into the 2006 season after the firing of Tommy Tate.[3]
 Viator at 2018 Sun Belt Media Day | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | McNeese State |
| Conference | Southland |
| Record | 78–33 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 3, 1963 |
| Alma mater | McNeese State University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1986–1988 | Sam Houston HS (LA) (assistant) |
| 1989–1990 | Vinton HS (LA) |
| 1991–1994 | Jennings HS (LA) |
| 1995–1998 | Sulphur HS (LA) |
| 1999 | McNeese State (LB) |
| 2000–2006 | McNeese State (OC) |
| 2006–2015 | McNeese State |
| 2016–2020 | Louisiana–Monroe |
| 2021–2024 | Louisiana (QC) |
| 2025–present | McNeese State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 97–72 (college) |
| Tournaments | 0–5 (NCAA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4 SLC (2006–2007, 2009, 2015) | |
| Awards | |
| 3× Southland Coach of the Year (2006–2007, 2015) | |
Coaching career
editHigh school
editViator led Jennings High School to a Louisiana Class 3A State Championship in 1992, the school's first, and only, state title since 1939.
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McNeese State Cowboys (Southland Conference) (2006–2015) | |||||||||
| 2006 | McNeese State | 6–2 | 5–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 2007 | McNeese State | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 2008 | McNeese State | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2009 | McNeese State | 9–3 | 6–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 2010 | McNeese State | 6–5 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2011 | McNeese State | 6–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2012 | McNeese State | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 2013 | McNeese State | 10–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 2014 | McNeese State | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 2015 | McNeese State | 10–1 | 9–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks (Sun Belt Conference) (2016–2020) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Louisiana–Monroe | 4–8 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2017 | Louisiana–Monroe | 4–8 | 4–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2018 | Louisiana–Monroe | 6–6 | 4–4 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2019 | Louisiana–Monroe | 5–7 | 4–4 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2020 | Louisiana–Monroe | 0–10 | 0–7 | 5th (West) | |||||
| Louisiana–Monroe: | 19–39 | 15–24 | |||||||
| McNeese State Cowboys (Southland Conference) (2025–present) | |||||||||
| 2025 | McNeese State | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| McNeese State: | 78–33 | 54–18 | |||||||
| Total: | 97–72 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Hunsucker, Adam (December 15, 2015). "Viator "excited" to be ULM's new football coach". The News-Star. Monroe. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ Hunsucker, Adam (December 15, 2015). "Viator ready for challenge of rebuilding ULM". The News-Star. Monroe. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ Stark, Cody (October 5, 2006). "McNeese fires Tate after only 4 games". The Huntsville Item. Huntsville, Texas. Retrieved January 11, 2012.