The East Texas A&M Lions football team (formerly the East Texas State Lions and the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions) 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 (then 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 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 school, which has fielded football teams since 1915, has produced numerous National Football League players, including Autry Beamon, Dee Mackey, Harvey Martin, Alan Veingrad, Dwight White, and Wade Wilson.
The program is currently coached by Clint Dolezel.
History
Formative years (1915–1919)
Founding East Texas Normal College president William Leonidas Mayo was initially hostile to football, objecting largely on the grounds that the sport was too violent and dangerous; he threatened that he would "kick the first football that is brought on this campus off, and the man who brings it". Nonetheless, the president's son, Marion Mayo, quietly organized a team that practiced off campus with the support of his mother.
The East Texas team played three games in its inaugural season in 1915, the highlight of which was a tie against a hapless Southern Methodist team that lost a game 147–0 to Rice that year. For the 1916 season, the school employed its first head coach, former Texas A&M player Johnny Garrity, and recruited De Loss Parsons and Frank Rubarth to play for the football team; the result was a winning season, with a record of 4–3. The football team also received President Mayo's formal approval during the 1916 season, and became officially accepted as an on-campus extracurricular activity.
The 1917 team, the first to represent the newly renamed East Texas State Normal College, played only two games; both were shutout losses to schools from Greenville, Texas, Burleson College and Wesley College, respectively. In 1918, the school did not play any games at all due to President Randolph B. Binnion's decision to suspend the football program during American participation in World War I. In 1919, the first year that the team competed as the "Lions", it returned to the gridiron with a winning record of 4–1–1.
TIAA and early LSC years (1920–1942)
After competing largely without success in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) in the 1920s, East Texas State and its football program became a charter member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) in 1931. The team competed against conference opponents that included North Texas State, Southwest Texas State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin under the direction of head coach John Wesley Rollins, who had played an instrumental role in organizing the LSC.
During the ten seasons between 1933 and 1942, the Lions football team dominated the LSC, winning the conference title outright five times, finishing as co-champions another year, ending three seasons as runners-up, and finishing third the other year during that span. East Texas State won three consecutive LSC titles from 1933 to 1935, the first of its 20 total conference titles. The 1934 team, which achieved a perfect record and only allowed six points all season, is generally regarded as one of the greatest in the school's history. In 1936, the year the team moved into a new stadium, halfback Johnny Garrison became the first East Texas State athlete in any sport to claim a national honor when he was named an honorable mention Little All-American selection. In 1937 and 1938, the Lions won back-to-back LSC championships. Also in 1938, fullback Darrell Tully was named to the Little All-American team while end Gene Hodge was given honorable mention. Before LSC football competition went on hiatus for three years during American participation in World War II, the Lions won another conference title in 1942.
Postwar years and the "Golden Fifties" (1946–1963) During the 1940s and 1950s, university president James G. Gee displayed a particular affection for the school's football team, even to the point of "occasionally suggesting plays to the coaches"; he had previously been a part-time assistant coach at Sam Houston State as well as the University of Florida. In 1946, the football team finished the season with a 5–2–2 record under the direction of head coach Bob Berry, good enough for second place in the LSC, although it was mired in mediocrity until 1949. That year, which ended with an LSC championship, East Texas State moved its homecoming celebration from the spring, where it had been traditionally celebrated as "May Fete", to the fall so that it would coincide with a football game.
In 1951, new coach Milburn "Catfish" Smith began a sudden resurgence of the program that was aided by the outbreak of the Korean War and two related factors: the fact that the school was the only LSC member with an ROTC program and a rule that allowed junior college transfers who were enrolled in ROTC programs to play intercollegiate athletics for three additional years instead of the usual two. From 1951 to 1953, the team compiled an overall record of 30–2–1, and in both 1952 and 1953 won invitations to the Tangerine Bowl. In 1954, Jules V. Sikes took over as head coach following Smith's departure, and continued the successful ways of his predecessor; the Lions won (either outright or a share of) five straight conference championships from 1951 to 1955, and again in 1958 and 1959. During the "Golden Fifties", three Lions were named to the Little All-America first team (guard Bruno Ashley, quarterback Sam McCord, and end Norman Roberts), while numerous others received national second-team or honorable mention honors, or were named to all-LSC or all-Texas teams.
Hawkins years (1964–1985) In 1964, Ernest Hawkins succeeded Sikes as head coach, and would be in charge of the program until his retirement in 1985; in their 22 years under Hawkins, the Lions won the LSC or finished as runners-up eight times. After the university integrated in 1964, African American athletes quickly became prominent players on East Texas State teams, with star running backs Curtis Guyton and "King" Arthur James leading the way in the mid to late 1960s. By the time he completed his college career in 1969, James had won National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American honors twice and compiled 4,285 yards rushing, more than any other running back in the history of Texas college football to that point; he would later become the first Lion football player to have his number retired. The 1960s concluded with two more conference championships, one won outright in 1966 and the other shared with Texas A&I in 1969.
In 1972, the team won arguably its greatest achievement in its last season competing in the NAIA, when it captured the NAIA National Championship with a win over Carson–Newman College. The 1972 team, a two-loss LSC champion considered by some to be the greatest in the program's history, was led by star defensive end Harvey Martin, who would later win a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys. Other Lions who would later play in the National Football League included Autry Beamon (Minnesota Vikings), Dee Mackey (Baltimore Colts), Alan Veingrad (Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys), Dwight White (Pittsburgh Steelers), and Wade Wilson (Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons). In 1983, the Lions won their 20th LSC championship, which they shared with Southwest Texas State. In 1984, Veingrad was named Lone Star All-Conference, Lone Star Offensive Lineman of the Year and received Division II and national strength & conditioning All-American honors.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19850814&id=8qImAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ywEGAAAAIBAJ&pg=4980,3753949
Vowell years (1986–1998) Eddie Vowell took over as the team's head coach after Hawkins' retirement in 1985. Vowell's Lions won one LSC Championship in 1990 and finished second 4 times, posted 6 winning seasons and went to the NCAA Division II playoffs. three times, finishing in the national quarterfinal in 1990 and 1991 and in the first round in 1995. Vowell retired at the end of 1998 season.
Brister years (1999–2003) In 1999, former Stephen F. Austin State University offensive coordinator Eddie Brister was hired to succeed Vowell. In Brister's final season, the Lions posted a 1–10 record, the worst in school history, and went winless in conference play for the first time in program history. Brister resigned at the end of the 2003 season.
Conley years (2004–2008) Scotty Conley, an East Texas State alumnus, returned to Commerce to coach the Lions from 2004 to 2008. After another 5–5 season in 2008, Conley was dismissed by new A&M-Commerce athletic director Carlton Cooper. Conley compiled a record of 24–27.
Morriss years (2009–2012) On January 7, 2009, Guy Morriss was offered the job to succeed Conley by athletic director Carlton Cooper and university president Daniel Jones.
Morriss's tenure at Texas A&M–Commerce began with five losses, before the Lions reeled off five straight wins, finishing 5–5 overall with a 5–0 record in their division, winning the North Division of the Lone Star Conference outright. That gave Texas A&M–Commerce its first division title since 2007 and its first outright title of any kind since 1990. Morriss also introduced the idea of wearing throwback jerseys that had the moniker "EAST TEXAS" on the front, as an homage to the schools previous name, East Texas State University.
After Morriss's first season, players from his football team coordinated an effort to illegally remove all copies of a student newspaper from campus because it contained an unfavorable article about a teammate who had been arrested on drug charges. Morriss said that he was "proud" of his players for taking the newspapers. He also referred to the theft as "the best team building exercise we have ever done." Morriss was subsequently disciplined by the school administration over the incident.
The 2010 season started with much excitement as a massive renovation to Memorial Stadium in Commerce was completed that added 3,500 seats to the east side of the stadium, a second press box, a new scoreboard with a video jumbotron, and new locker rooms. The Lions christened their newly renovated stadium by routing Upper Iowa, 33–10, giving Morriss six straight wins as head coach. However, the Lions only won two more games the rest of the season and finished with a disappointing 3–8 season. The 2011 season only produced one win, a 60–28 win over Eastern New Mexico, and the Lions finished 1–9. 2012 produced an identical record of 1–9, the lone victory coming over long time rival Texas A&M–Kingsville, 21–14 in overtime.
On November 12, 2012, after leading the A&M–Commerce football program for four seasons, Morriss stepped down as head football coach. He stayed on at A&M–Commerce as special assistant to the athletic director. His duties included fundraising, teaching, and oversight of athletic facilities and special projects.
Carthel years (2013–2018)