Editor’s Note: This Article was published by the Dallas Morning News in November of 1985. It was written by Sam Blair and is not the work of The Lion Wire or any of the staff or the writers. It is here for reading enjoyment purposes only and every attempt has been taken to ensure the…
The year was 1931. From the time that collegiate football first arrived in Commerce, East Texas State Normal College had not done much to really speak of or shout about. The team had some winning seasons in the early years, but the 1920’s were absolutely awful and by far the worst decade in school history,…
Despite the trials of this season, if you are a Lion, you always have reason to feel proud of your roots, especially in football. Football is the prime sport here in Texas, but it is more than just about Football, it is about both fans and players alike remembering the great and deep rooted tradition…
As we head into yet another season of Lion football, 40 years ago there was a team that faced many of the challenges that the current team faces today. They were in their second year moving up classifications, they were on the lower end of the financial totem pole, and there was change on the…
I knew I said we were on a break, but seeing all the great Basketball that has been played in the NCAA tournament has Me thinking about hoops a lot lately. In the decade that I have been writing for this site, doing a smattering of things from history, to great stories, to games we…
Imagine this. At a future home football game you are walking toward the concourse at Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium and you get in line. You have seen the mural on the outside of the stadium before, but this time something catches your eye. National Champions 1952 1972 2017 Wait, did we go back…
30 Years ago this September, Dallas Morning News SportsDay Writer Kevin Sherrington took the 50 minute trip up Interstate 30 to cover a town that few knew about and a college football team that about as many seemed to have any idea existed. 10 Minutes north of the I-30 exit sat a campus of 9,000…
Every school has traditions. Some are great, some are not. But, traditions are there for a reason. There is reason and rationale behind them. At Texas A&M-Commerce, we have abandoned some traditions or have downplayed some of them. Some of them simply got placed by the wayside, and some of them have been outright abandoned.…
This Saturday one of the biggest regular season games in recent history is happening as most, if not all of you know. This game comes on the heels of one the biggest collapses in recent history that sent the Lions tumbling from # 7 to # 21 in the AFCA Coaches Poll. However, there was…
30 football seasons ago, one of the best group of football players strapped on the blue and gold of then-East Texas State and for the second straight year and third time in 4 years, made a run for the NCAA National Championship in Division II. Expectations were high, as the previous year ET had gone…
While we are patiently waiting for the college season to begin and other professional leagues to get completely back to “normal”, Russ and I have really been taken in with other leagues that are not the NFL. One reason is that we are Cowboy fans and are used to disappointment by now, another is the…
For 11 years, from 1982 to 1993 the hit show Cheers ran on television. It was set in a fictional bar in Boston, with a central cast of characters such as Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Norm Peterson, Cliff Clavin, Woody Boyd, Carla LeBec, Rebecca Howe, etc., and other recurring characters. It was a place where…
Greetings, Lion fans, and in today’s installment of 100 Days, 100 Reasons; Why We Love College Football, we examine reason number 97: Tragedy and Triumph. College football is unique in that it has experienced more than it’s share of tragedy and heartbreak. More than just the loss of a game or disappointing season. Some programs…
Greetings, Lion fans, and welcome back to 100 Days, 100 Reasons, and today, we reveal Reason #98, Fantastic Finsihes and Miracle Comebacks. If you want a fantastic finish, look no further than the bizarre match up between the Lions and the Mustangs of Midwestern State. A game that took two days and two different stadiums…
Greetings, Lion fans, today we’re back with reason #99 of what makes College Football so great, and why we love it so……rivalries. The Game, The one on the schedule that everyone points to as soon as it comes out. Oh my goodness, rivalries. There’s nothing else like them. Again, unlike the pro game, where players…
Greetings, Lion fans. Normally, This would be a summary of the Blue/Gold game, but, because of public health concerns, the game has been canceled. Hopefully, September 2nd, the season will open, at full capacity, in Pueblo, Colorado, against a thorn in the Lions side the past few years, Colorado State-Pueblo. Until then, as the great…
As I write this article, it is hard to believe that yet another college basketball season has come and gone. Thankfully, this one was the bridge to normal given everything that has happened. This past season was a down year for the Lion Men’s program, while the Women continued their sure and steady progress as…
In his nearly 30 years of coaching offense for East Texas State, Ernest Hawkins coached a lot of Quarterbacks. Some went to the NFL and started games. Some had great college careers and set records that might never be broken, even in today’s passer conducive offenses. However, when Hawkins took over as Head Coach in…
30 years ago Texas A&M-Commerce (formerly East Texas State University) made our inaugural appearance in the NCAA playoffs and what a ride it was. The 1990 team came into the season not expected to do much of anything coming off an injury riddled 4-6 campaign in the 1989 season. That in itself was a huge…
May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung May you stay……forever young Bob Dylan 40 years ago, they were lean, tough, battle tested. They bonded through a…
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