1972 East Texas State Lions football team

rdf:langString 1972 East Texas State Lions football team

rdf:langString Bobby Fox

rdf:langString Ernest Hawkins

rdf:langString LSC champion

rdf:langString NAIA Division I champion

rdf:langString football

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Abilene Christian Wildcats

rdf:langString Angelo State Rams

rdf:langString Carson–Newman Eagles

rdf:langString Tarleton State Texans

rdf:langString East Texas State Lions

rdf:langString Central State Bronchos

rdf:langString Sul Ross State Lobos

rdf:langString Abilene Christian

rdf:langString Carson–Newman

rdf:langString Central State Bronchos

rdf:langString Sul Ross State

rdf:langString Angelo State

rdf:langString Tarleton State

rdf:langString W 21–18 vs.

rdf:langString LSC

rdf:langString The 1972 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1972 NAIA Division I football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his ninth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions won the Lone Star Conference, the NAIA District IV, and the NAIA Division I National Championship. Heading into the 1972 season, the Lions were picked to finish fourth in the conference, and started out the season with 14–12 loss to rival Abilene Christian, but then racked up six straight wins to climb into the national polls. Then The Lions were upset by Sul Ross State, dropping them out of the top five in the rankings. The Lions finished the season with wins over Angelo State and Tarleton State. When the final national rankings came out, the Lions were ranked fourth in the nation and invited to the NAIA Division I playoffs. In the semifinal round the Lions faced the top-ranked team in the nation, the Central State Bronchos of Oklahoma. The Lions routed Central State, 54–0 in the earning them a spot in Champion Bowl against the second-ranked Carson–Newman. The title game was determined to be played in Commerce. On a bitterly cold December day in front of a packed Memorial Stadium, Hawkins's Lions defeated Carson–Newman, 21–18, to claim the national title. Among the players on the team were future National Football League (NFL) players Will Cureton, Harvey Martin, Autry Beamon, Aundra Thompson, and Tim Collier. The Lions were named the National Team of the Year and Hawkins was named both Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year.