The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football (also known as ULM Warhawks, formerly competing as the Northeast Louisiana Indians) program is a college football team that represents the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). With a history dating back to 1931, ULM competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks play their home games at JPS Field at Malone Stadium, located on ULM's campus in Monroe, Louisiana. The Warhawks played in their first ever FBS bowl game on December 28, 2012, in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, losing 45–14 to the Ohio Bobcats. History Early history (1931–1980) What is now Louisiana–Monroe originally competed as a junior college from 1931 through 1950. In 1951 the Indians completed their first season in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as Northeast Louisiana State College. The team's head coach was James L. Malone, who compiled a record of 12–15 in three seasons. Malone resigned after the 1953 season, and Malone Stadium where the team plays its home games was named in his honor. Succeeding Malone was Devone Payne, who coached Northeast Louisiana for three seasons, from 1954 to 1957. His record was 15–22–1. The program's third head coach was Jack Rowan, who led the team to a 20–37 record in six seasons. LSU offensive line coach Dixie White took over as the school's fourth head coach in 1963. White also served as the school's athletics director during this time. Northeast Louisiana compiled a record of 31–45–1 during White's tenure. Memphis assistant coach Ollie Keller was selected to succeed White as Northeast Louisiana's head coach, and under his tutelage, the Indians compiled a record of 14–24–3. Keller resigned after four seasons. Former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback John David Crow led the Northeast Louisiana Indians football program for five seasons, including a winning 6–4–1 mark in 1978 and another winning mark in 1980, a 7–4 campaign. Pat Collins era (1981–1988) Longtime Louisiana Tech assistant coach Pat Collins was hired to take over the Indians football team in 1981. Led by first team All-America Stan Humphries, the 1987 Indians squad completed the regular season with an overall record of 9–2. The losses came against Lamar and Southwestern Louisiana of Division I-A. The Indians also finished 6–0 to capture their first outright Southland Conference championship. En route to the championship game in Pocatello, Idaho, NLU defeated North Texas, Eastern