The first football coach at Prairie View was Henry B. Hucles, who began in 1924. Before Hucles's arrival at Prairie View, the school played two games without a coach on record: a 1907 7–0 win against a team from Wylie, Texas[3] and a 1920 7–6 loss to Tuskegee University.[4]
Prairie View's most recognized and celebrated coach was Billy Nicks. Known as the "Bear Bryant" of black college football, Nicks was head coach from 1945 to 1947, assistant coach from 1948 to 1951, and head coach again from 1952 to 1965. His record for 17 years was 127–39–8. He led the Panthers to eight Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and five black college national championships. At the Panthers' peak under Nicks, Eddie Robinson was said to dread playing Prairie View.[5]
Nicks was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Nicks was named the American Football Coaches Association’s recipient of the Trailblazer Award. The award was presented posthumously at the AFCA Kickoff Luncheon on Monday, January 7 at the 2008 AFCA Convention in Anaheim, California.
Prairie View is recognized as the first historically Black university to create and play in a post-season bowl game. The Prairie View Bowl was played in Texas from 1929 through 1961.
The Panthers won Black college football national championship titles in 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, and 1964 and Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships SWAC in 1933, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1964, and recently in 2009. Notable football players that have achieved success in the National Football League (NFL) are National Football Hall of Fame Inductee Ken Houston, who played for the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins and Otis Taylor, who won a World Championship with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1969. On a small note of significance, Charlie "Choo Choo" Brackins, who played from 1952 to 1955, was the first HBCU alumnus to play quarterback in the NFL.
The end of Jim Crow caused a significant talent drain for all HBCUs.[5] Nicks had been able to stem the tide somewhat by persuading many of the state's black high school coaches to continue sending their players to Prairie View rather than to a predominantly white school. At one point, nearly all of them had played for Nicks — a legacy of the days when Nicks had the pick of every good black player in Texas — and owed their jobs to him. Usually, a single phone call from Nicks was enough to persuade one of Nicks' former players to send a prospect to "The Hill." He wasn't above threatening to have them fired if they didn't do so.[6]
However, Prairie View's fortunes sank rapidly after Nicks retired in 1965. The Panthers would only "officially" finish above .500 twice from 1968 to 1989. This included winless seasons in 1974, 1979, 1983, and 1984 and a 28-game losing streak from 1982 to 1985. They managed a .500 record in 1988 under coach Haney Catchings—their first non-losing season since 1976. However, that win was forfeited after the season due to an ineligible player.
Prairie View A&M football versus Texas State in 1989
It initially appeared that the nadir had been reached in 1989. Several players accused Catchings of withholding their financial aid until they proved themselves on the field. At one point, only 12 players had GPAs above 2.0.[7] When the administration was slow to act, the players boycotted the program.[8] The boycott finally ended, but the Panthers finished 1–9.
In May 1990, Prairie View shuttered all sports except track and field due to severe financial problems. A month later, the Houston Chronicle discovered that the athletic department account was short $100,000.[5] Eventually, Catchings was charged with filing fraudulent expense reports.[9] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years' probation and over $1,500 in fines and restitution.[10]
Prairie View bottomed out when it returned to the field for the 1991 season. The team did not have any scholarships because only 150 alumni responded to a request to help raise a scholarship fund. Due to this and other handicaps, new coach Ronald Beard found himself leading what he later described as an "intramural or club football" team at the I-AA level.[6] The Panthers did not win a single game until 1998. The 80 consecutive losses spanning parts of nine seasons (including two losses to close the 1989 season) almost doubled Columbia University's 44 straight losses between 1983 and 1988.[11]
The streak finally ended with a 14–12 victory over Langston on September 26, 1998. However, that team only had 15 scholarship players.[9] The road back was difficult; the Panthers only won a total of 23 games between 1998 and 2006.[5]
On November 10, 2007, Prairie View clinched its first "official" winning season since 1976, and only their second since 1967, with a 30–27 victory over traditional power Jackson State University under then head coach Henry Frazier, III.
In 1999 the SWAC moved to a new divisional format with Western Division and Eastern Division champions to play for the SWAC Championship. On November 14, 2009, it clinched its first SWAC Western Division Championship by defeating Alcorn State. The next weekend would see the Panthers go undefeated in the SWAC by defeating Arkansas Pine Bluff and securing an 8–1 record; their only loss during the season was to New Mexico State. They finished the season by winning the SWAC Championship on December 12, defeating Eastern Division Champion Alabama A&M, 30–24, in the SWAC Championship Game. They exited the 2009 SWAC football campaign with an unblemished 9–0 SWAC conference record. They were led by their quarterback, 6ft 4 in, 225-pound KJ Black, who led all quarterbacks in the SWAC with a passer efficiency rating of 168.1 their SWAC second-leading rusher in Donald Babers that averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
Panthers football players in 2021
Playoff appearances
NAIA
The Panthers appeared in the NAIA playoffs one time. Their combined record was 1–1.
In November 2014, Prairie View A&M broke ground on Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field, a $60 million football stadium and athletic field house. Completed in summer 2016, the facility is 55,000 square feet and currently holds up to 15,000 people, but is expandable to 30,000 attendees. It features 12 private suites and a press box for media operations. Prairie View A&M hosted its first game on September 4, 2016, in front of a sold-out crowd, claiming victory in the Labor Day Classic over arch-rival Texas Southern, 29 to 25. Prairie View finished its inaugural season in its new home stadium with three wins and one loss. [12]
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
David A. Webster Jr. in Atlanta, Texas, was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for two seasons with the American Football League's (AFL) Dallas Texans (1960–1961). He was an All-AFL selection in 1961.
The Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Grambling State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Ronald Beard is an American former college football coach. He was the 17th head football coach for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers located in Prairie View, Texas. He held the position for four seasons, from 1991 until 1994. His career coaching record at Prairie View was 0–44, giving him the worst record for a full-time head coach in college football history.
Clifton Gilliard was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He has served the head football coach, head men's track and field and cross country coach, and interim athletic director at Prairie View A&M University. Clifton Gilliard was inducted into the Prairie View A&M University Hall of Fame in 1994 and Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.[1]
William James Nicks was an American college football player and coach. He coached at historically black colleges in the Southern United States from 1930 to 1965. Nicks served as the head football coach at Morris Brown College in Georgia and at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. He was the NAIA Football Coach of the Year in 1963 and his teams were declared the black college football national champions six times. Nicks was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1999.
The Jackson State Tigers football team represents Jackson State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The Texas Southern Tigers is the college football team representing Texas Southern University, a historically black university (HBCU) in Houston. The Tigers play in the NCAA's Division I FCS as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a conference whose members are all HBCUs. In 2012, the Tigers moved into the new Shell Energy Stadium in East Downtown, built for the city's Major League Soccer team, the Houston Dynamo. It replaced Delmar Stadium as the primary home of Tiger football.
Charlie "Choo Choo" Brackins was an American former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers during the 1955 NFL season. Brackins is considered to be one of the first black quarterbacks to play in the NFL.
The Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). PVAMU won the 1962 NAIA Tournament.
The 2012 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team represented Prairie View A&M University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Panthers were led by second year head coach Heishma Northern and played their home games at Edward L. Blackshear Field. They were a member of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and finished the season with an overall record of three wins and eight losses.
The Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers represent Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas in intercollegiate athletics. They field eighteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and indoor and outdoor track and field; women's-only bowling, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball and football. The Panthers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2014–15 Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team represented Prairie View A&M University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by ninth year head coach Byron Rimm II, played their home games at the William Nicks Building and were members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–18, 12–6 in SWAC play to finish in fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the SWAC tournament where they lost to Texas Southern.
Willie Román Simmons is an American college football coach and former quarterback. He is the running backs coach at Duke University. He was the head football coach at Florida A&M from 2018 to 2023 and Prairie View A&M from 2014 to 2017. He has also served as offensive coordinator of the Alcorn State Braves as well as the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders football teams. Simmons played college football at Clemson and The Citadel as a quarterback.
The Labor Day Classic is an annual American football "classic" which features Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, two of Texas' largest historically black universities on Labor Day weekend. It is played at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston or Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field in Prairie View, Texas. The classic is always the first matchup between two Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams of the football season.
The 1964 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Prairie View A&M University in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. In their 16th season under head coach Billy Nicks, the Panthers compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 303 to 110.
The 2019–20 Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team represented Prairie View A&M University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by fourth-year head coach Byron Smith, played their home games at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 19–13, 14–4 in SWAC play to be regular season SWAC champions. They defeated Alabama A&M in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament and were set to take on Jackson State in the semifinal before the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the SWAC Tournament cancelled, they were awarded the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the NCAA Tournament was also cancelled.
The 1963 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Prairie View A&M University in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In their 15th season under head coach Billy Nicks, the Panthers compiled a 10–1 record, won the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 364 to 144.
The 2020–21 Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team represented Prairie View A&M University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by fifth-year head coach Byron Smith, played their home games at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2021–22 Prairie View A&M Panthers basketball team represented Prairie View A&M University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by sixth-year head coach Byron Smith, played their home games at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
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