It's not often I get three season openers in one volume of this series, but that's the case this year as we take our first look into the 1966 season for the Alington State College Rebels.
In the last entry, I alluded how successful the 1960 season was. That success was short lived, however as the ASC fortunes began to drop off. A 7-3 record in 1961 dropped to 4-6 in 1962 and 1-8 in 1963. The first year in the Southland Conference in 1964 was a disappointing 3-6-1, including a 0-3-1 SLC record.
But in 1965, ASC exceeded expectations and broke a streak of three straight losing seasons with a 6-3 record, including a 2-2 mark in the conference, earning legendary coach, Claude "Chena" Gilstrap Coach-of-the-Year honors. It also turned into his last season on the sidelines as he retired from the coaching ranks. He retained his Athletic Director title, though.
ASC had an interesting quarterback situation, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Carl Williams came in as the expected starter. I remember people saying Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper and (ahem) Quincy Carter represented a new wave of the future for quarterbacks in the early 2000's. Discounting Fran Tarkenton and Roger Staubach from the 1970's, that was Carl Williams in 1965. He set a record for total yards that year as a freshman with 902 yards passing and 329 yards rushing, despite battling injuries for the final six games. The Dallas Morning News labeled him "one of the finest quarterbacks" in the State of Texas.
Backing Williams up was sophomore Mike Baylor. He didn't garner the preseason attention of most fans and media at the start of the season, but he did play a fair amount the year prior when Williams was injured. He'd end up as the leader in most UTA career passing records when it was all said and done. Most records are still his today: attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, interceptions, total yards and total plays are the ones I know he still has. There could be others too. He essentially presided over the most successful period in UTA football in a balanced offense, before they turned into a run heavy team.
Raymond Matthews, the reigning offensive player of the year for UTA, was returning at wingback, a now-defunct idea of a player set up to be both a runner and receiver. He had 31 catches for 476 yards the year prior, single-season records at the time. Three of the catches were for TD's, tied for another single-season record.
Danny Griffin was starting his freshman season at fullback. He was at school the year prior and was red-shirted, however, so he wasn't a stereotypical freshman. He would end his career as the most prolific rusher in program history, though the dominant rushers UTA would know in the 1970's and '80's would push him down the list. He was expected to contend for a starting spot and contribute immediately. He would not disappoint.
Unheralded at the start of the season by the local press, UTA had two all-time great receivers in Jimmy Thomas and Dick Hill. Thomas retired as the total TD leader with 22, which is still third today. 20 of those were receiving, a record he still holds now. Hill and Thomas are 1, 2 in career receptions with 109 and 94 respectively. They switch spots in yardage with Thomas at 1,906 and Hill at 1,544. Every single-season record has at least one of the two in the top three and most single-game records sees an appearance by those two. They easily, unquestionably were the most potent one-two receiving punch in program history.
Junior Bob Utley was returning from an all-Southland first team selection at center and was anchoring the offensive line. Helping him out was junior guard Bob Diem. He would earn all-SLC recognition more than once throughout his career.
Defensively, the Rebels were a little more iffy, but there certainly were stars, both known and unknown. Defensive tackle Ken Ozee was fresh of a first-team all-SLC selection. At defensive end, Melvin Witt was expected to contend for his own, coming of a 2nd team nod in 1965.
Linebackers were thin, but the secondary was thought to make up for some of that as junior safety Robert Willbanks would be everywhere making plays. Mike Barnes anchored a cornerback position and was coming off a five interception season the year prior.
Kicker Skipper Butler was a freshman on this team. I'm not certain if anyone knew what he was about to do in the next four years, but just as much as Baylor, Thomas, Hill, Griffin, et al. were responsible for the late '60's success, Butler was right up there too. He would retire with the all-time record for points scored with 215 in four years, a record that hasn't been broken. He, along with Brian Happel, sits at first or second in virtually every career and single season record. He went on to score 340 points in seven NFL seasons.
At the start of this season, ASC was already thinking about moving up to the highest level of the NCAA. The Association was split into two divisions, College and University. The rules required more than half your schedule to be against the higher-level foes. Three of the first five games were against University Division teams, all on the road.
The first one would be West Texas State, today's West Texas A&M. UTA has a unique history with the Buffaloes. They met on the field a total of 19 times in 27 years as a university. Four would occur on opening day, the most for any UTA opponent. It was a pretty even series, with UTA sitting at 9-10 overall.
West Texas State started playing ASC once the Border Conference collapsed prior to the 1962 season and they needed to play more schools as an independent. When they joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1972, the series continued.
The conference collapse may have been a shame for WTSU. as they mirrored ASC/UTA in the '60's and had a good decade. Overall, they went 61-39-1 and experienced only two losing seasons, including Coach Joe Kerbel's first season. They'd go to a couple of bowls that decade, in a time when bowl appearances were hard to come by, especially for schools not in the major conferences (SEC, SWC, Big 10, etc.).
They had some talent that would land among NCAA leaders, particular Gene "Mercury" Morris. He set a couple of NCAA records before he'd move on to the NFL and help the Dolphins to a couple of Super Bowl wins. They were all-around, a very good University Division team that was capable of beating anyone.
Duane Thomas, a future first round pick for the Dallas Cowboys, was a freshman on this team and would end a series of running backs from Pete Pedro and Jerry Logan ealy in the '60's, through Morris to Thomas that was giving WTSU a reputation for churning out All-American caliber running backs.
On this date in UTA football history, Arlington State College opens the 1966 season against the West Texas State Buffaloes in Canyon, Texas.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, September 18, 1966.
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