The Abilene Christian Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Abilene Christian University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team was a member of the Southland Conference through the 2020–21 season,[2] but joined the Western Athletic Conference in July 2021, coinciding with that league's reinstatement of football as an official conference sport.[3] 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 team to the new league.[4][5] 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.
| Abilene Christian Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1919; 105 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Zack Lassiter | ||
| Head coach | Keith Patterson 3rd season, 17–13 (.567) | ||
| Stadium | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium (capacity: 12,000) | ||
| Year built | 2016 | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Abilene, Texas | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | United Athletic Conference | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1919–1924) TIAA (1925–1932) Texas (1933–1953) Independent (1954) GCC (1955–1956) Independent (1957–1963) SLC (1964–1973) LSC (1973–2012) FCS Independent (2013) SLC (2014–2020) WAC (2021–2022) | ||
| All-time record | 540–459–14 (.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[1] | ||
| Outfitter | Under Armour | ||
| Website | ACUSports.com | ||
History
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Football classifications
edit- 1951–1972: College Division (small school)
- 1973–1982: NAIA Division I
- 1982–2012: NCAA Division II
- 2013–present: NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
• Abilene Christian did not field a team in 1943–1945.
Conference affiliations
edit- 1919–1924: Independent
- 1925–1932: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1931–1932: Independent
- 1933–1942, 1946–1953: Texas Conference
- No team 1943–1945 due to World War II
- 1954: Independent
- 1955–1956: Gulf Coast Conference
- 1957–1963: Independent
- 1964–1972: Southland Conference
- 1973–2012: Lone Star Conference
- 2013: NCAA Division I FCS independent
- 2014–2020: Southland Conference
- 2021–2022: Western Athletic Conference
- 2023–present: United Athletic Conference
Head coaching history
edit| Name | Seasons | Record | Pct |
| Vernon McCasland | 1919 | 2–2 | .500 |
| Sewell Jones | 1920 | 4–0–1 | .900 |
| Russell A. Lewis | 1921 | 2–5 | .286 |
| Victor Payne | 1922–1923 | 12–3 | .800 |
| A. B. Morris | 1924–1941 | 66–77–18 | .466 |
| Tonto Coleman | 1942–1949 | 28–15–2 | .644 |
| Garvin Beauchamp | 1950–1955 | 39–18–4 | .672 |
| N. L. Nicholson | 1956–1961 | 28–30–1 | .483 |
| Les Wheeler | 1962–1967 | 29–28 | .509 |
| Wally Bullington | 1968–1976 | 62–32–2 | .656 |
| DeWitt Jones | 1977–1978 | 18–4–1 | .804 |
| Ted Sitton | 1979–1984 | 34–27–1 | .556 |
| John Payne | 1985–1990 | 26–34–1 | .435 |
| Ronnie Peacock | 1991–1992 | 4–15 | .211 |
| Bob Strader | 1993–1995 | 14–17 | .452 |
| Jack Kiser | 1996–1999 | 22–19 | .537 |
| Gary Gaines | 2000–2004 | 21–30 | .412 |
| Chris Thomsen | 2005–2011 | 61–21 | .744 |
| Ken Collums | 2012–2016 | 24–32 | .429 |
| Adam Dorrel | 2017–2021 | 19–32 | .373 |
| Keith Patterson | 2022–present | 12–10 | .545 |
Notable former players
editNotable 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
Championships
editNational championships
edit| Season | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Wally Bullington | NAIA Playoffs | 11–1 | Won NAIA Championship | |
| 1977 | DeWitt Jones | NAIA Playoffs | 11–1–1 | Won NAIA Championship | |
| National Championships | 2 | ||||
Conference championships
edit| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall record | Conference record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939† | A.B. Morris | Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference | 6–2–1 | 5–1 | |
| 1940† | 7–2 | 5–1 | |||
| 1946† | Tonto Coleman | 8–1–1 | 5–0–1 | ||
| 1950 | Garvin Beauchamp | 11–0 | 5–0 | ||
| 1951† | 6–4 | 3–1 | |||
| 1952 | 6–3–1 | 4–0 | |||
| 1953† | 7–3 | 3–1 | |||
| 1955† | Gulf Coast Conference | 3–5–2 | 2–1 | ||
| 1973 | Wally Bullington | Lone Star Conference | 11–1 | 9–0 | |
| 1977† | DeWitt Jones | 11–1–1 | 5–1–1 | ||
| 2008 | Chris Thomsen | 11–1 | 9–0 | ||
| 2010 | 11–1 | 10–0 | |||
| 2022† | Keith Patterson | Western Athletic Conference | 7–4 | 3–1 | |
| Conference Championships | 13 | ||||
† Co-champions
Division championships
edit| Year | Coach | Division championship | Overall record | Conference record | Division record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002† | Gary Gaines | LSC South | 6–4 | 6–2 | 5–1 |
| 2008 | Chris Thomsen | 11–1 | 9–0 | 6–0 | |
| 2010 | 11–1 | 10–0 | 8–0 | ||
| Division Championships | 3 | ||||
† Co-champions
Bowl games
edit| Date | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 1950 | Refrigerator Bowl | Garvin Beauchamp | Gustavus Adolphus College | W 14–7 |
| December 4, 1976 | San Jancinto Shrine Bowl | Wally Bullington | Harding | W 22–12 |
Playoff appearances
editNCAA Division II
editThe Wildcats have appeared in the Division II playoffs six times with an overall record of 3–6.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | First Round | West Texas A&M | L 27–30 OT |
| 2007 | First Round Second Round |
Mesa State Chadron State |
W 56–12 L 73–76 3OT |
| 2008 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
West Texas A&M Northwest Missouri State |
W 93–68 L 36–45 |
| 2009 | First Round Second Round |
Midwestern State Northwest Missouri State |
W 24–21 L 10–35 |
| 2010 | Second Round | Central Missouri | L 41–55 |
| 2011 | First Round | Washburn | L 49–52 |
NAIA
editThe Wildcats have appeared in the NAIA playoffs two times with an overall record of 4–0. They were National Champions in 1973 and 1977.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Semifinals National Championship Game |
Langston Elon |
W 34–6 W 42–14 |
| 1977 | Semifinals National Championship Game |
Wisconsin–Stevens Point Southwestern Oklahoma State |
W 35–7 W 24–7 |
Future non-conference opponents
editAnnounced schedules as of August 10, 2024.[6]
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Texas Tech | at Tulsa | at Texas Tech | at Texas A&M | |
| at Northern Colorado | at TCU | at Idaho | ||
| Idaho | Stephen F. Austin | |||
| at Stephen F. Austin | at Incarnate Word |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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 links
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