1968 East Texas State Lions football team

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.

1968 East Texas State Lions football
ConferenceLone Star Conference
Record7–2–1 (5–1–1 LSC)
Head coach
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1967
1969 →
1968 Lone Star Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2/6 Texas A&I $^ 6 1 0 10 2 0
East Texas State 5 1 1 7 2 1
McMurry 5 2 0 8 2 0
Sam Houston State 3 3 1 5 4 1
Southwest Texas State 3 4 0 5 5 0
Sul Ross 2 4 1 5 4 1
Howard Payne 1 5 1 2 7 1
Stephen F. Austin 1 6 0 3 7 0
Tarleton State * 0 0 0 2 7 0
Angelo State * 0 0 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA playoff participant
    * – did not complete for conference title
Rankings from NAIA poll and AP small college poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultSource
September 21at Abilene Christian*W 29–22[1]
September 28Southwest Missouri State*W 52–0[2]
October 5at No. 12 UT Arlington*L 30–41[3]
October 12McMurry
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 20–0[4]
October 19No. 5 Texas A&I
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 35–27[5]
October 26at Sul Ross
T 28–28[6]
November 2Howard Payne
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 24–14[7]
November 9at Sam Houston StateL 21–24[8]
November 16Southwest Texas State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Commerce, TX
W 51–14[9]
November 23at Stephen F. Austin
W 28–20[10]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[11]

Postseason awards

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All-Americans

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  • Chad Brown, First Team offensive tackle
  • Arthur James, First Team tailback
  • Tom Black, Honorable Mention tight end
  • Bruce Butler, Honorable Mention linebacker

All-Lone Star Conference

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LSC First Team

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  • Bill Allison, fullback
  • Arthur James, tailback

LSC Second Team

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  • Chad Brown, offensive rackle
  • Tom Black, receiver
  • Bruce Butler, linebacker
  • Rich Houston, receiver
  • Don Hynds, defensive end

LSC Honorable Mention

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  • Jack Herrington, offensive tackle
  • Jay Johnson, defensive tackle
  • Grady Ivy, linebacker
  • Ben Kirkland, quarterback
  • Ralph Weaver, linebacker [11]

References

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  1. ^ "Christians thrown to Lions, 29–22". The Abilene Reporter-News. September 22, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "East Texas romps, 52–0". The Abilene Reporter-News. September 29, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "UTA rolls 41–30 as Butler boots 60-yard fielder". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 6, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Lions roar, 20–0". Victoria Advocate. October 13, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "East Texas upends A&I, 35–27". The Paris News. October 20, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "East Texas held to tie by Sul Ross". The Tyler Courier-Times. October 27, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "East Texas dumps Jackets by 24–14". Brownwood Bulletin. November 3, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Sam Houston trips Lions from LSC lead". The Paris News. November 10, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "ETS Lions crush SWT". The Austin American. November 17, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "East Texas State edges Lumberjacks". The Tyler Courier-Times. November 24, 1968. Retrieved August 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Lion Football History" (Press release). Texas A&M University Commerce Department of Athletics. December 12, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2023.