Abilene Christian Wildcats football

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Abilene Christian Wildcats football
2021 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team
Abilene Christian Wildcats Wordmark.png
First season1919
Athletic directorZack Lassiter
Head coachKeith Patterson
1st season, 0–0 (–)
StadiumAnthony Field at Wildcat Stadium
(capacity: 12,000)
LocationAbilene, Texas
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceWAC
All-time record525–444–32 (.540)
Claimed national titles2 (2 NAIA)
Conference titles12 (7 TCAC, 1 Gulf Coast, 4 Lone Star)
Division titles3 (3 Lone Star South)
RivalriesIncarnate Word
ColorsPurple and white[1]
   
OutfitterNike
WebsiteACUSports.com

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.

History[]

Football classifications[]

 • Abilene Christian did not field a team in 1943–1945.

Conference affiliations[]

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

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Colors of Master Logo - Office of University Marketing". Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  2. ^ McMurphy, Brett. "Abilene Christian to Southland". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "WAC Announces Expedited Entrance for Four Texas Institutions" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "Future Abilene Christian Football Schedules". FBSchedules. Archived from the original on 2019-03-23. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

External links[]

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