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…
70 years ago today, the East Texas State Lions took the field in front of 12,000 fans against regional rival North Texas State for the first game at Memorial Stadium on the campus of East Texas State University on a crisp fall evening. I wish I could tell you that our beloved Lions came out…
In many Football programs across the country, there is somewhat of an initiation for new players who come into the program. Usually it involves pain, a test of endurance, and an attempt to see who has what it takes to be in that respective program. For over 60 years, there was a tradition that every…
Contrary to what some might think or might not even know, Texas A&M-Commerce/East Texas State has a strong tradition in Men’s Basketball, and as many know has had a lot of recent success in Women’s Hoops. This past season saw the largest attended Women’s game in program history as the Lion Women took down defending…
Billy and I here at The Wire wanted to pass along the best of birthday wishes to our editor and, more importantly, our friend, Brian Pate. Brian’s love for Commerce, superb writing style, and willingness to take a chance with a couple of older Lions make him a great friend. Happy Birthday, sir.
Lion Wire contributor Billy Minor has a ton of great stories when it comes to his playing days. The two time All-LSC Receiver and 1990 conference champion told us the story of playing in one of the best small college towns in America, Pittsburg, Kansas. B.Minor recounts; ” I saw for me what was the…
The 1980 football season in Commerce was eagerly anticipated. After a lackluster 4-7 season in 1978, 1979 showed promise despite an average looking 5-5 record. They had shut out the defending NAIA champions in Texas A&I, and were in the hunt for a conference title until the very end of the season. The Wizard of…
This is Part 3 in a Multi-Part series of the great traditions of our Alma Mater. In sports, the old saying goes that “defense wins championships.” Personally I have not bought totally into that, I prefer that “the best defense is an unstoppable offense.” That being said, nobody can doubt that a team that plays…
This is Part 2 in a Multi-Part series of the great traditions of our Alma Mater. Part of this article is taken from my piece on the Championship Chronicles for the 1958 team. Every great college team has a tradition. Texas A&M has yell practice the night before home games. Texas Tech picks members of…
Just a little more quarantine fun. The only qualification to make this team is to have been a teammate of mine at East Texas State. Each guy will have the year they played labeled. That means players who roamed the Hawk between 88-92. This is strictly my picks. Again we will do it two-deep style…
This is Part 1 in a Multi-Part series of the great traditions of Alma Mater Dear. In the Fall of 1964, Sports Illustrated visited the small hamlet of Commerce, Texas to feature the Football program of East Texas State College. They were there to cover the recent passing of Head Coach J.V. Sikes, and the…
Before I get started in revealing who I believe is the greatest ETSU/TAMUC football team ever, I just wanted to say a few words with this being Easter (or as I call it, Resurrection Sunday). First I wanted to wish everyone a Blessed Sunday and let everyone know those of us at the Wire are…
So as I prepare to submit my nominations for the Texas A&M-Commerce athletic Hall of Fame, I want to focus this year on another teammate that I feel has waited long enough…Allen Roulette. Allen was a 4 year Letterman for the the Lion teams from 1985-1988. While the squads he played on early did not…
Sunday one of the largest events in the known world happens, the annual game that just about everyone watches, regardless of if their team is even playing. The 54th Super Bowl will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The San Francisco 49ers will try to join an elite group of teams that have…
Your weekly dose of all things Texas A&M-Commerce Related- Volleyball- The Lion Volleyball team continues to push for a higher ranking as the # 20 team in the country had great week, defeating Midwestern State in 4 sets in Wichita Falls and then defeating Texas Women’s in Denton in 4 sets as well. Craig Case…
Editor’s Note: This is a reprint of a Sports Illustrated article from September 21, 1964. It is the work of Sports Illustrated and not The Lion Wire or it’s staff, and every attempt has been made to ensure the original integrity of the article. This is solely for reading pleasure only. Images have been added…
Great Experience for a chilly spring game at The Hawk. Want to say hat tip to Athletic Director Tim McMurray and Josh Manck (The SID for the Athletic Department) for putting on a good event. Concession stands were open, coffee and hot drinks were there for the fans, and there was a great time as…
For the fourth time in five years, the Lion Men are heading to the NCAA Division II tournament. One of the things I want to do is to show people that we have a pretty rich tradition in Basketball as well. There have been some dry eras, but for the most part, Lion Basketball has…
