Three former Cowboys set to begin professional football seasons

LAKE CHARLES – Three former McNeese Cowboy football standouts will continue their professional careers in the coming weeks as members of teams in the XFL and USFL.

Tight end Jamal Pettigrew is on the roster of the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL while defensive end Isaiah Chambers and running back David Hamm will play in the USFL, Chambers with the Houston Gamblers and Hamm the Memphis Showboats.

The Brahmas will begin their season on February 19 against the St. Louis Battlehawks in a game that will broadcast on ABC. The Brahmas are coached by former NFL wide receiver great Hines Ward and will play their home games in the Alamodome.

The XFL will play a 10-game regular season that will run through April.

The USFL will kick-off its season on Saturday, April 15 with games airing on FOX.

Chambers will be in his second season with the Gamblers after joining the team late in the season last year. They’ll play their first game on Sunday, April 16 against the Michigan Panthers. The Gamblers are coached by Kevin Sumlin.

Hamm will make his professional debut with the Showboats on Apr. 15 against the Philadelphia Stars. Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley is the head coach for the Showboats.

Both Houston and Memphis will play their home games at Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

In his two-year McNeese career (2020, 2021), Chambers was an two-time Consensus All-American, two-time Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, two-time All-SLC first team selection, and placed seventh and fourth, respectively, in the voting for the FCS Buck Buchanan Award which is presented to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Pettigrew played the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Cowboys after transferring from LSU as a graduate student. In his two seasons, he caught 25 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams and participated in preseason camp before being released.

Hamm played three years for the Cowboys from 2016-18 and rushed for 1,544 yards and 11 touchdowns. A first-team All-SLC selection in 2017, Hamm was invited to the Raiders mini-camp after his college career.