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 is a member of the Southland Conference,[2] but will leave that league in July 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference, which will reinstate football at that time.[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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1910 | ||
| Athletic director | Allen Ward | ||
| Head coach | Adam Dorrel 2nd season, 8–14 (.364) | ||
| Stadium | Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium (Capacity: 12,000) | ||
| Location | Abilene, Texas | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southland (WAC in July 2021) | ||
| All-time record | 497–409–31 (.547) | ||
| 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–future: 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–present | 8–14 | .364 |
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
- 1939: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference co-champions
- 1940: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference co-champions
- 1946: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference champions
- 1950: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference champions
- 1951: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference champions
- 1952: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference champions
- 1953: Texas Collegiate Athletic Conference champions
- 1955: Gulf Coast Conference champions
- 1973: Lone Star Conference champions
- 1977: Lone Star Conference co-champions
- 2002: Lone Star Conference South Division co-champions
- 2008: Lone Star South Division & Conference champions
- 2010: Lone Star South Division & Conference champions
Future non-conference games
Sources:[4]
| Year | Home Games | Away games | Game dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SMU | September 4
September 11 | |
| 2022 | Prairie View A&M | Missouri | September 10
September 17 |
| 2023 | Northern Colorado | Prairie View A&M | September 2
September 9 November 18 |
| 2024 | Texas Tech
Northern Colorado |
August 31
September 14 November 23 | |
| 2026 | Texas Tech | September 5 | |
| 2028 | Texas A&M | TBA |
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. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
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