| Newly engaged couple Daniel Skinner and Elizabeth Douglas pose for a photo on the McNeese Campus, Sept. 17, 2026. Photo by Johnny Clements. |
| By Johnny Clements The Poke Press While the McNeese State football team was taking care of business on the field Saturday, Sept. 5, Daniel Skinner was preparing to take care of some business of his own. Skinner was about to let the entire stadium in on one of the biggest moments of his life as he prepared to propose to his long-term girlfriend, Elizabeth Douglas, on the 50-yard line. Skinner, a financial analysis/general accounting major and saxophone player in the McNeese Marching Band, popped the question to Douglas, a senior accounting major and member of the Cowgirl Kickers, at halftime of the football game. After the Cowgirl Kickers finished their dance routine, Skinner, decked out in his full band uniform, microphone in hand, got down on one knee and asked Douglas to be his wife. Much to the delight of the McNeese crowd, her answer was a resounding yes. “I didn’t start shaking until I got the hat on,” said Skinner. “Then, it all fell apart and I was super nervous.” The couple has attended the same school since elementary. Skinner and Douglas have been dating since their senior year at Sulphur High School, when they were both enrolled in the dual enrollment program at McNeese. “She will swear that she never knew who I was, but I knew who she was,” said Skinner. “We never crossed paths in school ever,” said Douglas. That all changed when Skinner was transferred into Douglas’ English class. “The only empty spot was next to me, so he had to sit next to me,” said Douglas. “Then we talked. He was very charismatic,” said Douglas, “and he was cute.” Douglas made the first move when she asked for Skinner’s number so she could invite him to a game on Monopoly Go. She then sourced all of the necessary information about Skinner from a mutual friend, Lily Boyd. Boyd took her role as wingman seriously and ran interference to set her friends on a path toward romance. The table was now set for a first date, the destination: Que Pasa Taqueria. In typical romantic comedy fashion, Douglas was nervous, while Skinner hid his nerves behind his signature charisma. The date went well, but the nerves were still there for Douglas. When she had to excuse herself from the table for a moment, she was worried that Skinner might think she was making a break for it. Skinner’s response reassured her that the date was going as well as she thought it was. “I drove you here,” said Skinner. “You can’t leave without me. Unless you have someone picking you up, and if that’s the case, I did a really bad job.” The two immediately knew there would be a second date. Before they knew it, their relationship was official and they were meeting each other’s families. As the couple graduated high school, not much changed. Both decided to stay at McNeese. Daniel joined the marching band; Douglas joined the Cowgirl Kickers, and outside of their busier schedules, everything stayed the same for the most part. Upon graduation, Douglas wants to work as a CPA and eventually open up her own firm. Douglas is still exploring his options in the financial sector, with a specific interest in Louisiana’s petrochemical industry. Now, Skinner and Douglas will each navigate their last few semesters at McNeese with a new title: fiancé. Thus, proving that McNeese State University can change your life in more ways than one. |
