Bob Rogers first season in Commerce saw the Lions go the furthest they ever had as the reached the NAIA Final four, the first of 3 appearances in school history. After countless conference titles and NAIA tournament appearances, it was as ever a time to make another run at a national championship.

It would hard to duplicate what Rogers had done the first season, but the Lions season looked like it would another great season. The 53-54 season started with an 8 game winning streak, including against Central Oklahoma, Northeastern Oklahoma, Central Missouri State, Findlay, Illinois Wesleyan, and Southwest Missouri State. Howard Payne took down the Lions in a tough three-point loss, but the Lions rebounded, winning their next three. The hardest stretch of the season came in a three-game losing streak to Southern Mississippi, Loyola-New Orleans, and Sheppard AFB. That losing streak ended with a 71-54 blowout of Texas State. That win started a 12-game winning streak streak that lasted all the way until the NAIA National Elite 8. It was also in the middle of a 10-0 conference record, something no Lion basketball team had ever done. After the Lions defeated Lamar 69-55, the team was undefeated conference champions and once again, the NAIA rang the Lions to tell them they had qualified for the District 4 playoffs and would face a familiar foe, The North Texas State Eagles.

North Texas had been in the Lone Star Conference throughout the thirties and forties, but made a change to the Gulf Coast Conference in the early 1950’s. The Eagles had won their conference, setting them up with a matchup with the Lions to see who would win NAIA District 4 and advance to the round of 32 in Kanas City. Both teams played a tough game, but the Lions came out on top 60-54, punching their ticket to Kansas City.

In The round of 32, ET blitzed Portland State 72-59 to advance to the round of 16, where they delivered another easy victory over Geneva College, 79-52. That win over Geneva in the Round of 16 had given the Lions 12 straight wins, and they wanted to make that streak 15, as that would give ET a national championship.

With a second straight Final Four Birth on the line, The Lions faced Southwest Missouri State, a team the Lions had defeated 59-43 in December. This time however in a fight between Lions and Bears, went down to the wire. Regulation ended in a tie and it would take an overtime period to determine who would face Western Illinois in the NAIA Final Four. In overtime, a resurgent Southwest Missouri State team did just enough to hold off a hungry Lion team and send ET back to the Northeast Texas Blacklands by defeating them 65-59. SW Missouri would lose in the Final Four to Western Illinois 78-75, but would defeat Arkansas Tech in the third place game 75-61.

It was a step back in the eyes of the Lion team who had gone to the final four the previous year and had such a promising year, but all of the disappointments of the past two years of having gotten so close would pay off and pay off in dividends in the next season, but in the year 1954, there was plenty to celebrate.

1954 East Texas State Lions

Lone Star Conference Champions

NAIA District 4 Champions

NAIA Elite 8

23-5 Overall Record