It takes a lot to be a Champion.

A lot of games played, a lot of miles traveled, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

Then, and only then, comes the treasure.

For the East Texas State Lions, the 1950’s midpoint saw them make serious back to back runs in the NAIA National Tournament. Two seasons earlier, they had made their first final four, the previous season, they had gotten to the Elite 8, the first of many appearances.

1955 was the year that Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis signed with Sun Records and Rock and Roll was on the radio airwaves. The Soviet Union became more powerful with the signing of the Warsaw Pact. The First McDonalds opened, and James Dean was tragically killed in a car accident.

These things may have seen foreign to Commerce, Texas, but everyone knew what was going on, but at the same time, things were going very well at East Texas State College. The football team had won 5 straight Lone Star Conference titles, including the 1953 Tangerine Bowl Championship which capped off an 11-0 season that is still the best team to ever do it in Lion football. In track, the Lions had taken 4 of the past 6 LSC titles. In addition, Memorial Stadium had been constructed in addition to a new University Fieldhouse that was the home of one of the state’s best basketball programs. It was truly a golden era in Commerce.

The 1955 Lions started off the season with an 8-2 that saw them dispatch most of their opponents with ease. After one loss, the Lions ran off to a 15-2 record that saw them cruise to the end, but then hit a speed bump. Despite the amazing season, the Lions had tied with Southwest Texas for first place in the Lone Star Conference which meant that the incredible season would come down to one game to determine who would advance to the NAIA District 4 Championship. The Lions and Bobcats met in Waco at Baylor University, and the Lions gutted out an 86-83 win to clinch a spot in the NAIA District Playoffs, with a long awaited foe Texas Wesleyan waiting for them.

Wesleyan had given the Lions a lot of issues in the past, but this year, Rogers had his team ready, and they steamrolled the Rams in the NAIA District 4 Championship 78-52 to advance to the round of 32 and head back to Kanas City. A tough Portland State team was waiting for them.

That wait should have been a bit longer as the Lions downed Portland State 68-55, getting them to the round of 16. Southwestern Kansas had defeated the Lions a few years earlier in the tournament, but it was the Lions time to do the eliminating as they defeated the Moundbuilders 94-78, moving them back to the Elite 8. Beloit, the next opponent was a tad bit more worthy, but still a double digit win 66-57 moved the Lions to their second final four in two seasons. Arkansas Tech’s Wonder Boys were next and the Lions punched their ticket the championship game in a fairly uneventful 81-66 win.

Heading into the Championship Game against Southeastern Oklahoma Savages, the Lions had won every single postseason game by double digits. If you know anything about college basketball, you know that rarely happens, but this time the Lions took on their Highway 11 rivals from across the Red River and defeated Southeastern 71-54 in a game that was never in doubt.

Jim Miller was first team All American, Meawhile future Texas A&M Head Coach Shelby Metcalf was named Second Team All-American along with Clarence Lynch. The team finished with a final record of 29-5, the best season in school history, and it took the Lions till the late 1970’s under another legendary coach to get back to the NAIA final four. It was a season that stretched from December 1, 1954 through March 12, 1955, and it showed there was no shortcuts to winning it all. The first national championship in the athletic department’s history.

1954-1955 East Texas State Lions Basketball

Lone Star Conference Champions

NAIA District 4 Champions

NAIA National Champions