Abilene Christian Wildcats football
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] 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 | ||
| Athletic director | Zack Lassiter | ||
| Head coach | Keith Patterson 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Stadium | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium (capacity: 12,000) | ||
| Location | Abilene, Texas | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | WAC | ||
| All-time record | 525–444–32 (.540) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 2 (2 NAIA) | ||
| Conference titles | 12 (7 TCAC, 1 Gulf Coast, 4 Lone Star) | ||
| Division titles | 3 (3 Lone Star South) | ||
| Rivalries | Incarnate Word | ||
| Colors | Purple and white[1] | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Website | ACUSports.com | ||
History
Football classifications
- 1951–1972: College Division (small school)
- 1952–1969: NAIA
- 1970–1982: 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
- 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–present: Western Athletic Conference
Head coaching history
| 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 | 2021-present | 0-0 | .000 |
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
Championships
National championships
| 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
| 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 | |||
| Conference Championships | 12 | ||||
† Co-champions
Division championships
| 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
| 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
NCAA Division II
The 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
The 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
Sources:[4]
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Prairie View A&M | vs Northern Colorado | at Texas Tech | at Texas Tech | at Texas A&M | ||
| at Missouri | at Prairie View A&M | at Northern Colorado | ||||
| at Dixie State | at North Texas | at New Mexico State | ||||
| at Texas A&M |
References
- "Colors of Master Logo - Office of University Marketing". Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- McMurphy, Brett. "Abilene Christian to Southland". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 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.
- "Future Abilene Christian Football Schedules". FBSchedules. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
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