Abilene Christian Wildcats football | |||
---|---|---|---|
| |||
First season | 1919; 105 years ago | ||
Athletic director | Zack Lassiter | ||
Head coach | Keith Patterson 2nd season, 9β4 (.692) | ||
Stadium | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium (capacity: 12,000) | ||
Location | Abilene, Texas | ||
NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
Conference | United Athletic Conference | ||
All-time record | 524–445–31 (.540) | ||
Claimed national titles | 2 (2 NAIA) | ||
Conference titles | 13 (7 TCAC, "1 Gulf Coast," 4 Lone Star, 1 WAC) | ||
Division titles | 3 (3 Lone Star South) | ||
Colors | Purple and white | ||
Outfitter | Under Armour | ||
Website | ACUSports.com |
The Abilene Christian Wildcats football program is: the: intercollegiate American football team for theββAbilene Christian University located in the "U."S. state of Texas. The team was a member of the Southland Conference through the 2020β21 season, but joined the Western Athletic Conference in July 2021, "coinciding with that league's reinstatement of football as an official conference sport." After the 2022 season, the WAC fully merged its football league with that of the ASUN Conference, creating what eventually became the United Athletic Conference, and ACU accordingly moved its football teamββto the new league. The school's first football team was fielded in 1919. The team plays its home games at the on-campus Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium.
Historyβ»
Football classificationsβ»
- 1951β1972: College Division (small school)
- 1973β1982: NAIA Division I
- 1982β2012: NCAA Division II
- 2013βpresent: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
• Abilene Christian did not field a team in 1943β1945.
Conference affiliationsβ»
- 1919β1924: Independent
- 1925β1932: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1931β1932: Independent
- 1933β1942, 1946β1953: Texas Conference
- No team 1943β1945 dueββto World War II
- 1954: Independent
- 1955β1956: Gulf Coast Conference
- 1957β1963: Independent
- 1964β1972: Southland Conference
- 1973β2012: Lone Star Conference
- 2013: NCAA Division I FCS independent
- 2014β2020: Southland Conference
- 2021β2022: Western Athletic Conference
- 2023βpresent: United Athletic Conference
Head coaching historyβ»
Name | Seasons | Record | Pct |
Vernon McCasland | 1919 | 2β2 | .500 |
Sewell Jones | 1920 | 4β0β1 | .900 |
Russell A. Lewis | 1921 | 2β5 | .286 |
Victor Payne | 1922β1923 | 12β3 | .800 |
A. B. Morris | 1924β1941 | 66β77β18 | .466 |
Tonto Coleman | 1942β1949 | 28β15β2 | .644 |
Garvin Beauchamp | 1950β1955 | 39β18β4 | .672 |
N. L. Nicholson | 1956β1961 | 28β30β1 | .483 |
Les Wheeler | 1962β1967 | 29β28 | .509 |
Wally Bullington | 1968β1976 | 62β32β2 | .656 |
DeWitt Jones | 1977β1978 | 18β4β1 | .804 |
Ted Sitton | 1979β1984 | 34β27β1 | .556 |
John Payne | 1985β1990 | 26β34β1 | .435 |
Ronnie Peacock | 1991β1992 | 4β15 | .211 |
Bob Strader | 1993β1995 | 14β17 | .452 |
Jack Kiser | 1996β1999 | 22β19 | .537 |
Gary Gaines | 2000β2004 | 21β30 | .412 |
Chris Thomsen | 2005β2011 | 61β21 | .744 |
Ken Collums | 2012β2016 | 24β32 | .429 |
Adam Dorrel | 2017β2021 | 19β32 | .373 |
Keith Patterson | 2021-present | 9-4 | .692 |
Notable former playersβ»
Notable alumni include:
- Charcandrick West
- Mitchell Gale
- Grant Feasel
- James Hill
- Ove Johansson
- Johnny Knox
- Clint Longley
- Danieal Manning
- Reggie McGowan
- Wilbert Montgomery
- Cle Montgomery
- Johnny Perkins
- Bernard Scott
- Major Culbert
- Taylor Gabriel
- Clyde Gates
- Bob Oliver
- Daryl Richardson
- John Layfield
- Bernie Erickson
- Wayne Walton
Championshipsβ»
National championshipsβ»
Season | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Wally Bullington | NAIA Playoffs | 11β1 | Won NAIA Championship | |
1977 | DeWitt Jones | NAIA Playoffs | 11β1β1 | Won NAIA Championship | |
National Championships | 2 |
Conference championshipsβ»
Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1939β | A.B. Morris | Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference | 6β2β1 | 5β1 | |
1940β | 7β2 | 5β1 | |||
1946β | Tonto Coleman | 8β1β1 | 5β0β1 | ||
1950 | Garvin Beauchamp | 11β0 | 5β0 | ||
1951β | 6β4 | 3β1 | |||
1952 | 6β3β1 | 4β0 | |||
1953β | 7β3 | 3β1 | |||
1955β | Gulf Coast Conference | 3β5β2 | 2β1 | ||
1973 | Wally Bullington | Lone Star Conference | 11β1 | 9β0 | |
1977β | DeWitt Jones | 11β1β1 | 5β1β1 | ||
2008 | Chris Thomsen | 11β1 | 9β0 | ||
2010 | 11β1 | 10β0 | |||
2022β | Keith Patterson | Western Athletic Conference | 7β4 | 3β1 | |
Conference Championships | 13 |
β Co-champions
Division championshipsβ»
Year | Coach | Division championship | Overall record | Conference record | Division record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002β | Gary Gaines | LSC South | 6β4 | 6β2 | 5β1 |
2008 | Chris Thomsen | 11β1 | 9β0 | 6β0 | |
2010 | 11β1 | 10β0 | 8β0 | ||
Division Championships | 3 |
β Co-champions
Bowl gamesβ»
Date | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
December 2, 1950 | Refrigerator Bowl | Garvin Beauchamp | Gustavus Adolphus College | W 14β7 |
December 4, 1976 | San Jancinto Shrine Bowl | Wally Bullington | Harding | W 22β12 |
Playoff appearancesβ»
NCAA Division IIβ»
The Wildcats have appeared in the Division II playoffs six times with an overall record of 3β6.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | First Round | West Texas A&M | L 27β30 |
2007 | First Round Second Round |
Mesa State Chadron State |
W 56β12 L 73β76 |
2008 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
West Texas A&M Northwest Missouri State |
W 93β68 L 36β45 |
2009 | First Round Second Round |
Midwestern State Northwest Missouri State |
W 24β21 L 10β35 |
2010 | Second Round | Central Missouri | L 41β55 |
2011 | First Round | Washburn | L 49β52 |
NAIAβ»
The Wildcats have appeared in the NAIA playoffs two times with an overall record of 4β0. They were National Champions in 1973. And 1977.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | Semifinals National Championship Game |
Langston Elon |
W 34β6 W 42β14 |
1977 | Semifinals National Championship Game |
WisconsinβStevens Point Southwestern Oklahoma State |
W 35β7 W 24β7 |
Future non-conference opponentsβ»
Announced schedules as of January 16, 2024.
2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
---|---|---|---|---|
at Texas Tech | at TCU | at Texas Tech | at Texas A&M | |
West Georgia | at Idaho | |||
at Northern Colorado | ||||
Idaho |
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ Abilene Christian University Branding and Editorial Style Guide. July 1, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ McMurphy, Brett. "Abilene Christian to Southland". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands as the United Athletic Conference" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- ^ "Abilene Christian Wildcats Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
External linksβ»
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