1972 East Texas State Lions football | |
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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 |
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Offensive coordinator | Ernest Hawkins |
Defensive coordinator | Bobby Fox |
Home stadium | Memorial Stadium (capacity: 10,000) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 State, 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 |
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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] |
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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 Texas A&M University–Commerce 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 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions are the athletic teams that represent Texas A&M University–Commerce, located in Commerce, Texas, in NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. The Lions compete as members of the Southland Conference for all 12 varsity sports. Texas A&M University–Commerce previously played in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference from 1931 to 2022.
John Sterling is a former American football running back who played for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL). He played in two games with the Packers during the 1987 NFL season as a replacement player after the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) went on strike for 24 days. Sterling played college football for the University of Central Oklahoma where he was named as an honorable mention All-American by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 1987.
William Joe Cureton is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. 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 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team is the college football program representing Texas A&M University–Commerce. The school competes in the Southland Conference (SLC) in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Prior to joining the Southland, they competed in the Lone Star Conference of Division II. The A&M–Commerce football team plays its home games at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Commerce, Texas. On Dec. 16, 2017, A&M-Commerce 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 A&M-Commerce was the last founding member remaining. The football team will compete at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level beginning in the 2022 season.
The history of Texas A&M University–Commerce began in 1889 when William L. Mayo founded a private teachers' college named East Texas Normal College in Cooper, Texas. After the original campus was destroyed in a fire in July 1894, the college relocated to Commerce. In 1917, the State of Texas purchased and transformed it into a state college, and renamed it East Texas State Normal College. Mayo died of a sudden heart attack the same day the Texas Legislature voted to buy the college, and he never heard the news. In 1923, it was renamed East Texas State Teachers College to define its purpose "more clearly", and in 1935 it began its graduate education program. From the 1920s through the 1960s, the college grew consistently, in terms of student enrollment, number of faculty, and size of the physical plant.
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 1983 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 1983 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 19th-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, sharing the LSC title with Southwest Texas State. It was the team team's final LSC title under Hawkins, who retired at the end of the 1985 season. East Texas State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas
The 1992 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 1992 NCAA Division II football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Eddie Vowell, the Lions compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, placing second in the LSC. East Texas State finished the season at No. 14 in the NCAA Division II rankings. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas. Senior defensive back Eric Turner was a nominee for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
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 1984 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 1984 NCAA Division II football season. Led by 21st-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 5–5 with a mark of 1–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the LSC. East Texas State played home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
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 their home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.
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.