1972 East Texas State Lions football | |
---|---|
NAIA Division I champion LSC champion | |
NAIA Division I Football Championship, W 21–18 vs. Carson–Newman | |
Conference | Lone Star Conference |
Record | 10–2 (7–1 LSC) |
Head coach |
|
Offensive scheme | Option |
Defensive coordinator | Bobby Fox (2nd season) |
Base defense | 5–2 |
Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 East Texas State $^ | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 12 Angelo State | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southwest Texas State | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Howard Payne | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas A&I | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sam Houston State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sul Ross | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen F. Austin | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tarleton State | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McMurry * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abilene Christian * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 1972 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1972 NAIA Division I football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his ninth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions won the Lone Star Conference, the NAIA District IV, and the NAIA Division I National Championship.
Heading into the 1972 season, the Lions were picked to finish fourth in the conference,[ citation needed ] and started out the season with 14–12 loss to rival Abilene Christian, but then racked up six straight wins to climb into the national polls. Then The Lions were upset by Sul Ross, dropping them out of the top five in the rankings. The Lions finished the season with wins over Angelo State and Tarleton State. When the final national rankings came out, the Lions were ranked fourth in the nation and invited to the NAIA Division I playoffs. In the semifinal round the Lions faced the top-ranked team in the nation, the Central State Bronchos of Oklahoma. The Lions routed Central State, 54–0 in the earning them a spot in Champion Bowl against the second-ranked Carson–Newman. The title game was determined to be played in Commerce. On a bitterly cold December day in front of a packed Memorial Stadium, Hawkins's Lions defeated Carson–Newman, 21–18, to claim the national title. Among the players on the team were future National Football League (NFL) players Will Cureton, Harvey Martin, Autry Beamon, Aundra Thompson, and Tim Collier. The Lions were named the National Team of the Year and Hawkins was named both Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year.
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 9 | 2:00 p.m. | at Abilene Christian * | L 12–14 | [1] | ||
September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at East Central * |
| W 37–14 | [2] | |
September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at Sam Houston State | W 23–0 | [3] | ||
September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | Howard Payne | W 35–15 | [4] | ||
October 7 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Texas A&I |
| W 29–17 | [5] | |
October 21 | 2:00 pm | at Stephen F. Austin |
| W 21–9 | [6] | |
October 28 | 2:00 pm | No. 1 Southwest Texas State | No. 7 |
| W 32–29 | [7] |
November 4 | 2:00 p.m. | at Sul Ross | No. 4 |
| L 14–15 | [8] |
November 11 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 14 Angelo State | No. 6 |
| W 24–14 | [9] |
November 18 | 2:00 p.m. | at Tarleton State | No. 5 | W 27–6 | [10] | |
November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 1 Central State (OK) * | No. 6 |
| W 54–0 | [11] |
December 9 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 2 Carson–Newman * | No. 6 |
| W 21–18 | [12] |
|
Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium is an athletic stadium located in Commerce, Texas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the East Texas A&M University Lions football team, Texas A&M-Commerce Men's and Women's Track and Field, and the Commerce High School Tigers Football team of the Commerce Independent School District. Prior to 1996, the stadium was named "East Texas State Memorial Stadium, and until the end of the 2017 season, it was known as Texas A&M-Commerce Memorial Stadium." The stadium was built in honor of the 78 Texas A&M-Commerce alums and students who fought and died during World War II. The stadium was renamed Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium was formally changed in November 2017 in honor of longtime Lion football coach Ernest Hawkins.
Ernest Ray Hawkins was an American football coach, basketball coach, and athletic director. He served as head football coach at East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—from 1964 to 1985, compiling a 132–92–6 record. He is the winningest head coach in Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football history and led the program to the NAIA Football National Championship in 1972.
The East Texas A&M Lions are the athletic teams that represent East Texas A&M University, located in Commerce, Texas, in NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. The Lions compete as members of the Southland Conference for all 12 varsity sports. East Texas A&M previously played in the Lone Star Conference from 1931 to 2022.
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team represents the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in college football. The team is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), which is in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Bronchos football program began in 1902 and has since compiled over 600 wins, two national championships, and 28 conference championships. As of 2022, the Bronchos are ranked fifth in NCAA Division II for wins. In 1962, the Bronchos went 11–0 on the season and defeated Lenoir–Rhyne University (NC) 28–13 in the Camellia Bowl to claim its first NAIA national championship. Twenty years later, Central Oklahoma defended its home turf and defeated Colorado Mesa University 14–11 in the NAIA national championship game to take its second title and finish the season with a 10–2 record. Despite its rich history in football, Central Oklahoma has struggled beginning in the late 2000s. In 2024, the program broke on a 21 year playoff drought. The Bronchos play their home games at Chad Richison Stadium, a 12,000-seat football stadium built in 1965, and remodeled in 2022. The Bronchos have enjoyed nine undefeated home seasons and are 6–1 in playoff games at Chad Richison Stadium.
William Joe Cureton is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Cleveland Browns for two seasons He played college football for Texas A&M-Commerce, where he was the starting quarterback for the Lions 1972 National Championship team.
The East Texas A&M Lions football team is the college football program representing East Texas A&M University. The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC) in Division I FCS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to joining the Southland, they competed in the Lone Star Conference of Division II. The East Texas A&M football team plays its home games at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Commerce, Texas. On December 16, 2017, East Texas A&M won its first NCAA Division II national championship, by defeating West Florida, 37–27, in Kansas City. The Lions recorded a perfect record in 1934, won the NAIA National Championship in 1972, and have amassed a total of 24 LSC conference championships since joining as a charter member in 1931. On September 28, 2021, the university accepted an invitation from the Southland Conference, moving the university's athletics programs up to the NCAA Division I level. This ended a 90-year affiliation with the Lone Star Conference, as East Texas A&M was the last founding member remaining. The football team began competing at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level starting with the 2022 season.
The history of East Texas State University (ETSU) comprises the history of the university now known as East Texas A&M University from its renaming as East Texas State University in 1965 to its admission into the Texas A&M University System and renaming as Texas A&M University–Commerce in 1996. During this era, ETSU was led by five different presidents: James Gilliam Gee, D. Whitney Halladay, F. H. "Bub" McDowell, Charles J. Austin, and Jerry Morris. The ETSU period witnessed substantial swings in student enrollment, which grew from 8,890 in 1968 to 9,981 in 1975 before falling to 6,867 in 1985 and partially recovering to 8,000 in 1992. The university's physical plant expanded steadily throughout the period, from 87 buildings on 150 acres (61 ha) valued at $19 million in 1965 to a campus spanning 1,883 acres (762 ha) worth approximately $150 million by the 1990s.
The 1980 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1980 NAIA Division I football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 8–3–1 with a mark of 4–2–1 in conference play, placing fourth in the LSC. Two of the conference's members competed at the NCAA Division II level, while the rest remained in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Despite Southwest Texas State, an NCAA Division II member, winning the conference title, the NAIA division title was shared by East Texas State and Angelo State. The Lions advanced to the NAIA Division I Football National Championship playoffs, where they beat Central Arkansas in the quarterfinals before falling to Elon, the eventual national champion, in the semifinals.
The 1966 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1966 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his third season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. With a 5–3–2 record, the Lions won the Lone Star Conference championship, the first of four under Hawkins. Tailback Curtis Guyton was named All-American, the first black player in program history to be named All-American.
The 1969 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1969 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his sixth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions shared the Lone Star Conference championship with Texas A&I, the eventual national champion.
The 1981 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1981 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 7–4 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, placing fifth in the LSC. East Texas State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
The 1982 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1982 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 19th-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, placing in a four-way tie for second in the LSC. East Texas State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
The 1986 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1986 NCAA Division II football season. Led by first-year head coach Eddie Vowell, the Lions compiled an overall record of 2–9 with a mark of 1–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the LSC. 1986 was only the second losing season for the program in 20 years. East Texas State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
The 1969 Texas A&I Javelinas football team was an American football team that represented the Texas College of Arts and Industries as a member of the Lone Star Conference during the 1969 NAIA football season. In its 16th year under head coach Gil Steinke, the team compiled an 11–1 record, tied for the Lone Star Conference championship, and defeated Concordia–Moorhead in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA national championship. The team's only setback was a loss to Sul Ross.
The 1964 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State College—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1964 NAIA football season. Led by first-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 2–7 with a mark of 1–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the LSC. Hawkins had taken over the program after the sudden death of Jules V. Sikes in the spring of 1964. The team played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
The 1965 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1965 NAIA football season. They were led by Ernest Hawkins, who was in his second season. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions finished the season with a 4–5 record.
The 1967 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1967 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his fourth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions finished the season with a 4–6 record.
The 1968 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1968 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his fifth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions finished second in the conference standings the season with a 7–2–1 record overall and a 5–1–1 record in LSC play. The season highlight was a 35–27 win over the NAIA's # 1 team, Texas A&I Javelinas on October 19, 1968.
The 1970 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1970 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his seventh season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions finished 5–6 overall and 4–5 in conference play.