Last weekend, my alma mater celebrated the 25th anniversary of the school’s winning the Division 1-AA National Championship in football.

     I would not arrive at Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe until a year later in 1988, but the championship afterglow was still evident across the campus.

     More than 20 years, a university name change and a mascot change later, my school is again basking in the warmth of success.

     Heading into yesterday’s game against Western Kentucky, my University of Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks were 4-2 and there has been talk of a bowl bid, which would be a first in school history. ESPN even visited the northeast Louisiana campus for an “All-Access” episode a couple of weeks ago.

     Before anyone writes this off as another sports column, let me say my point today is not totally about football, but about winning in general.

     Winning makes people pay more attention.

     In many areas of life, winning brings attention.

     In the academic world, “winning” on tests and in the classroom breeds accolades. In any field of competition, winning can bring any contestant from relative obscurity to a new level of recognition and celebrity.

     Consider “American Idol.”

     Until her “Idol” involvement, Jackson’s Skylar Lane was probably well known around the singing competition circuit in Mississippi and maybe a few other places in the South.

     After her run on the singing show last season, though, Lane is now known around the world after millions of people voted for her week after week. She didn’t win, but she “didn’t lose” enough and now her life is changed forever.

      I honestly didn’t see my alma mater’s newfound winning coming.

     Since our move up from 1-AA to 1-A – or whatever it’s called now – I’ve become accustomed to being on the zero end of 63-0 scores and didn’t pay too much mind to our football team. If I caught a game score somewhere, great; if not, oh well.

     That was the mindset I was in during the summer when my college roommate and I went to a Jackson-area ULM alumni chapter function.

     While everyone was gathering, football coach Todd Berry stopped by our table and he shared his optimistic outlook on the season. Honestly, I dismissed it as typical fire-up-the-alumni fodder and the like.

     Opening the season with games against Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor and Tulane, I figured the Warhawks would be 0-4 afterwards, or maybe 1-3 if we got really lucky.

     Then came the “Shock in Little Rock” and a 34-31 overtime victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. I imagine the ULM campus bookstore didn’t see that kind of T-shirt buying rush even after the national championship.

     Winning makes people pay attention. Playing close games does, too.

     We lost to Auburn in overtime in a game that was seen on local TV, and played Baylor really close before going down to defeat. We trounced Tulane, 63-10. (So that’s what scoring 63 points in a game feels like.)

     Two more victories later and here we are: visits to campus by a national sports TV network and the casual college football fan actually recognizing ULM. My Facebook feed was abuzz during the Arkansas and Auburn games, and people now flash a small sign of recognition when I say I went to ULM (but still Northeast Louisiana University in my mind).

     Winning makes people pay attention.

     My school will never become a national powerhouse like an Alabama or Louisiana State University. And a consistent presence on the national stage may never come about.

     But for now, we are winning. And people are paying attention.

     I’m happy for that.

     That’s all for now.

     Write to Managing Editor Matthew Coleman at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602, or send e-mail to mcoleman@dailyleader.com.