1972 East Texas State Lions football team

Last updated

1972 East Texas State Lions football
NAIA Division I champion
LSC champion
Conference Lone Star Conference
Record10–2 (7–1 LSC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorErnest Hawkins
Defensive coordinatorBobby Fox
Home stadium Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1971
1973 →
1972 Lone Star Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 East Texas State $^ 7 –1 –010 –2 –0
No. 12 Angelo State 6 –2 –08 –3 –0
Southwest Texas State 6 –2 –07 –3 –0
Howard Payne 4 –4 –05 –4 –0
Texas A&I 4 –4 –06 –5 –0
Sam Houston State 4 –4 –05 –6 –0
Sul Ross 3 –5 –05 –6 –0
Stephen F. Austin 2 –6 –02 –7 –0
Tarleton State 0 –8 –01 –9 –0
McMurry * 0 –0 –03 –6 –0
Abilene Christian * 0 –0 –03 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    * – did not complete for conference title
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

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.

Contents

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.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultSource
September 92:00 p.m.at Abilene Christian *
L 12–14 [1]
September 166:00 p.m.at East Central *
W 37–14 [2]
September 236:00 p.m.at Sam Houston State
W 23–0 [3]
September 306:00 p.m. Howard Payne
W 35–15 [4]
October 72:00 p.m.at No. 12 Texas A&I
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 29–17 [5]
October 212:00 pmat Stephen F. Austin
W 21–9 [6]
October 282:00 pmNo. 1 Southwest Texas State No. 7
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 32–29 [7]
November 42:00 p.m.at Sul Ross No. 4
L 14–15 [8]
November 116:00 p.m.No. 14 Angelo State No. 6
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 24–14 [9]
November 182:00 p.m.at Tarleton State No. 5
W 27–6 [10]
November 252:00 p.m.No. 1 Central State (OK) *No. 6
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX (NAIA Division I Semifinal)
W 54–0 [11]
December 94:00 p.m.No. 2 Carson–Newman *No. 6
W 21–18 [12]

[13]

Awards

All-Americans

All-Lone Star Conference

LSC Superlatives

LSC First Team

LSC Second Team

LSC Honorable Mention

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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 1988 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 1988 NCAA Division II football season. Led by third-year head coach Eddie Vowell, the Lions compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–2 in conference play, trying for second place in the LSC. East Texas State began the season at 8–1 and reached as high as No. 2 in the NCAA Division II rankings before losing their final two games. It was Vowell's first winning season as head coach and the program's the first winning season since 1983. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.

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 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 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.

References

  1. ↑ "ACC holds off East Texas". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. September 10, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "East Central tumbles, 37–14". Tulsa World. September 17, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "ET's 'Blue Gang' overwhelms SH". The Herald Banner. September 24, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "East Texas' second half surge sinks HPC, 35–15". Brownwood Bulletin. October 1, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "East Texas dumps A&I". Victoria Advocate. October 8, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "ETSU tops SFA by 21–9". The Shreveport Times. October 22, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "E. Texas clips Cats". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 29, 1972. Retrieved March 22, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Loboes upset ETSU, 15–14". The Odessa American. November 5, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "East Texas beats Angelo". Del Rio News Herald. November 12, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "East Texas rolls past Tarleton". San Angelo Standard-Times. November 19, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Texans torpedo Bronchos, 54–0". The Daily Oklahoman. November 26, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "NAIA title escapes C–N". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 10, 1972. Retrieved August 12, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Lion Football History" (Press release). Texas A&M University Commerce Department of Athletics. December 12, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  14. ↑ "A&M-Commerce Football Award History" (Press release). Texas A&M University Commerce Department of Athletics. December 12, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
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