John L. Guidry Stadium – Nicholls State Colonels
- Aaron S. Terry
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
John L Guidry Stadium 1 Stadium Dr Thibodaux, LA 70301
Year Opened: 1972
Capacity: 10,500
Down on the Bayou
Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium is home to the Nicholls State football team, which was founded in 1972 and has always played its home games on this site. In 2005 the 10,500-seat facility became home to the Manning Passing Academy; the Academy was originally founded by Archie Manning at Tulane in 1996, and was also held at Southeastern Louisiana before moving to Thibodaux. The field itself was renamed after the Mannings in 2006, in appreciation of their support of the school.
The stadium features grandstands with bleacher seating along both sidelines, including a three-story press box on the home side. Instead of regular grandstand seating, the area behind the south end zone holds the recently renovated Barker Athletic Building, while the area behind the north end zone features tented field-level suites.
Food & Beverage 4
Concessions at John L. Guidry Stadium feature a wide selection of items at reasonable prices, including some local favorites like jambalaya. Burgers, boudin, or jambalaya can be had for $5 (add $1 for cheese on your burger), while nachos and hot dogs can be found for $4. Other snacks such as pickles, popcorn, cotton candy, and bread pudding run $2 to $4, or you can splurge on kettle corn or a Jersey Mike’s sub for $8 each.
20 oz. bottled drinks are $4, including Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Powerade, and bottled water, with Smoothie King slushies or beer such as Coors Light costing a little more – all in all a good selection at decent prices compared to other sports venues.
Atmosphere 3
John L. Guidry Stadium has a solid atmosphere for football – there is a good crowd on hand, and they offer several amenities to create a pleasant time for fans.
The first item worth mentioning is the cooling fans set up all along the concourse, which really help during those early afternoon kickoffs, especially for games early in the season. The Colonels also have a great mascot, always willing to pose for photo ops with fans; he can be seen on both sides of the field during the contest.
The staff also has contests during breaks in the action, such as a pizza eating contest, and of course shoots t-shirts into the stands several times during the afternoon or evening. The PA announcer is also very lively, helping to get the fans revved up for their team.
Neighborhood 3
Nicholls State University is located about an hour from New Orleans in Thibodaux, LA along mostly back roads and smaller highways. That said, there is not a ton to do in town, but more than enough to keep you entertained for the day or over a weekend. Food options in the area start out with Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, or you can find seafood options from eateries like Off the Hook (calabash platters & po’boys) or Geaux Fish (sushi & hibachi). There are also some non-chain fast food places like Jude’s Hot Chicken and Shakes.
There are a couple of hotels in the vicinity as well, including well-known chains such as Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn, as well as local lodging options such as Carmel Inn & Suites. There is also a children’s museum in town, as well as several parks, or you can take a boat tour down Bayou Lafourche.
Fans 3
Last season Nicholls State saw an average of about 6K fans per game, or about 60% of its capacity. The student section takes up the middle of the visiting side, but as there is less shade on that side due to the location, and height, of the press box, more fans tend to sit on the home side, making the home side a little livelier. However, there is still a good crowd in the student section, and you will see plenty of Nicholls red being worn on both sides of the stadium.
Access 4
The only potential downside of access at John L. Guidry Stadium, if there is one, is simply getting here, since you have to drive down some one-lane roads for a few minutes. However, the drive from New Orleans isn’t bad at all, presenting no issues even for fans who want to fly in and drive over, like I did.
Parking is free, although on a first come, first-served basis in a lot next to the stadium, but I did see many fans simply park along the road in front of the facility, or along the streets a little further away. There are no lines to worry about at the concessions, nor at the restrooms, and there is plenty of room to move around the concourse.
The biggest plus is that the stadium likely won’t be full, so you can move from your assigned sheet to sit in the shade of the press box, in the higher rows on the home side toward the south end zone – the only bad part about that is you may not be able to see the scoreboard from there.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets are $21 for general admission, which is perfectly reasonable for football at this level. As long as you are okay with the heat, you should have a great time at a Nicholls football game, and they do have the cooling fans, and some seating in the shade, that can help with the heat as well.
Extras 3
John L. Guidry Stadium does offer a small team gear stand, and unlike some colleges in the south, you can purchase alcohol in the stadium, as mentioned above. You can also get really close to the action here, something you can’t do at certain much larger stadiums in the wider area – you can walk down to the front row and watch the game literally within arms’ length of the players on the sidelines. The only downside I would mention is that the videoboard doesn’t feature any instant replay that I saw, meaning you have to be careful not to miss any of the action.
Final Thoughts
I would definitely recommend a visit to John L. Guidry Stadium Greene Stadium to watch some Colonels football; Thibodaux is a great little town, and if you absolutely must have the hustle and bustle of New Orleans, it is less than an hour up the road. Personally, however, I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of a smaller stadium down on the bayou.
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