Northwestern State Demons The Northwestern State University athletic teams go by the Demons , with women ' s athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons , and its mascot is Vic the Demon . The school competes in the Southland Conference . " Fork ' em " is a hand gesture and slogan used by students at Northwestern State University in their celebration of sports teams . The gesture is performed by curling the ring and middle fingers under the thumb against the palm , and extending the pinky and index fingers – identical in fashion to the University of Texas " Hook ' em Horns " gesture . On March 17 , 2006 , NSU ' s 14th - seeded basketball team shocked the college basketball world by defeating 3rd - seeded , 11th - ranked , Big Ten Conference tournament champion Iowa in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Men ' s Basketball Tournament on a late three - pointer by Jermaine Wallace . NSU was the lowest - seeded team to advance to the second round in 2006 . NSU ' s men ' s basketball team also won the inaugural play - in game , beating the Winthrop University Eagles 71 - 67 in 2001 NCAA Men ' s Basketball Tournament to advance to the 16th - seeded spot . In doing so , the Demons became the first # 16 seed to earn a victory in the NCAA Tournament . Prominent athletic alumni include former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert , St . Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jackie Smith , Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper , former Kansas City Chiefs running back Joe Delaney , University of Southern California defensive line coach Ed Orgeron , John Stephens , former Houston Oilers wide receiver Charlie Hennigan , current Buffalo Bills cornerback and Pro Bowl kickoff returner Terrence McGee , U . S . Olympians LaMark Carter and Kenta Bell , Junior Olympian Latrell Frederick , former Chilean High Jump record holder Felipe Apablaza and Major League Baseball pitcher Brian Lawrence . Former Major League relief pitcher Lee Smith is a former Demon , having played basketball at Northwestern . Smith held the major league record for career saves from 1993 - 2006 . The NSU athletic offices are housed in the George Doherty Wing , named for George Doherty ( 1920 - 1987 ) , a former head football coach of the Demons . NSU also has the distinction of being the only NCAA division IAA / FCS member to have 2 NFL rookies of the year . In 1981 , Delaney , running back for the Kansas City Chiefs , was awarded the AFC Rookie of the year by UPI . In 1988 , Stephens , another former Demon running back , of the New England Patriots , was named Offensive \ AFC Rookie of the year . No other 4 year institution in the state of Louisiana has more than 1 . The pair of awards is more than won by Ohio State , Texas & AM and UCLA . Chief Caddo . Each season , Stephen F . Austin State University of Nacogdoches , Texas and Northwestern State play for the country ' s largest football trophy . In 1961 , longtime rivals SFA and Northwestern State decided to award the winner of the game a trophy , the game was won by Northwestern State University . According to the stipulations of that particular match , the loser would have to present the winner with a tree chopped down from a nearby forest . In March 1962 , the Lumberjacks of SFA in Nacogdoches , Texas , presented NSU with a black gum tree trunk from the SFA campus from which a statue was to be carved . The black gum tree weighed over a ton and was thirty inches in diameter . An Indian statue , Chief Caddo , was chosen because of the historic founding of Natchitoches , Louisiana and Nacogdoches , Texas by Indian tribes . Natchitoches means chinquapin eaters and Nacogdoches means persimmon eaters . It was carved by Harold Greene in Logansport and required over 200 hours of labor . The name “ Chief Indian Caddo ” was selected in honor of the ancient federation of Caddo Indian tribes , which once inhabited the northern Louisiana area . The final painting of the statue was done at Northwestern . The finished product stands around 7 . 6 feet tall and weighs about 320 pounds . The first game for Chief Caddo was September 15 , 1962 . Northwestern won 23 - 6 . Tradition has it that the winner of the annual NSU and SFA football game keeps Chief Caddo on their respective campus . Currently , Chief Caddo is the largest college football trophy in the nation . After the November 22 , 2009 meeting of the two teams , Chief Caddo resides at Stephen F . Austin State University . The final score was 19 - 10 , SFA . Fight song . Go ye Demons take the field . Northwestern Demons never yield . Fight Demons win tonight , Victory is on our side ! Go ! Fight ! Win ! ( line inserted after 1970 ) Purple and White shall ever reign , Filling the air with battle strain . So , Demons forever stand , And fight for dear old Demonland ! Lyrics by Larry D . Powell , MD