After defeating East Texas State University, the 1966 Arlington State College Rebels continued their winning ways the following week by shutting out McNeese St, 20-0. The defense overshadowed quarterback Carl Williams' rushing, receiver Jimmy Thomas' receiving touchdowns and two Skipper Butler field goals. The defense led the way with five interceptions in the first shut victory since 1961.
Next up was a match-up against University Division Texas Western, or UT El Paso today. End Raymond Mathews scored first for ASC, but a 300+ yard passing performance with five touchdowns overwhelmed the secondary one game after their heroics en route to a 68-21 defeat. Quarterback Mike Baylor ran for two more TD's late.
Abruptly, Williams stepped down as QB, leading the way for Mike Baylor, whose stat lines would end as the best all-time passer in UTA history. Williams and Baylor were both sophomores, so this was definitely a history-defining moment.
With a 2-3 record, the Rebels opened Southland Conference play against the Trinity Tigers. After a scoreless first half, a long Mathews punt return set up running back Keith Luft for the game's first touchdown. Two Butler field goals and another Thomas TD gave ASC a 20-7 victory, and importantly, a 1-0 start to conference.
Former junior college rival Tarleton State came to Memorial Stadium the next week. After setting a record for worst defeat in El Paso, the Rebels set a record for most points scored in a 46-15 win. Baylor tossed four TD's in the win, a record that still holds today and backup QB Mickey Eddleman tossed one himself, another record for most TD passes in one game for a team, that would be tied later. Receiver Dick Hill caught three of the five, another record that still stands but would be equaled later. Receiver Jimmy Thomas caught one, as well as fullback Danny Griffin. Mathews scored the lone rushing touchdown. The defense added a safety and Butler made five of six point-after attempts and one field goal in the record-setting performance. The win moved the Reb record to 4-3, the first time it was above .500 all year.
Next up was another key SLC game. When there are only five teams, the four conference games leave little room for error. It was also the first road conference game as Abilene Christian was waiting to host the Rebs on homecoming. The Wildcats were struggling in 1966 and the ASC defense shined in a 23-0 shut out. Safety Jim Marcum took an interception into the end zone while cornerback Mike Barnes took three passes of his own. A Baylor-to-Mathews pass started the scoring and halfback Keith Lufts capped the TD scoring with a one-yard run. Butler, UTA's all-time scoring leader, added a lone field goal and two PAT's. ASC moved to 2-0 in the conference. ACU dropped to 0-3.
Meanwhile, today's opponent, Arkansas State, was coming in at 6-1 on the year, but that lone loss was to Lamar in conference via a shutout. Additionally, Lamar had been beaten by Trinity 23-14 a week prior. That meant a win would give ASC its first conference championship, not just in football, but in any sport. The SLC's first sponsored championship sport was in 1963. Football was not on the docket, but cross country, basketball, tennis, golf and baseball were. While ASC didn't sponsor all those sports, they had not fielded a champion in two years.
Arkansas State would go down as one of UTA's most-storied rivalries. They have played each other more times than any other opponent, tied with Lamar for a total of 22 times. On at least five occasions, the winner of the ASC/UTA and ASU game would clinch or lose a conference title for one of the teams involved.
The then-Indians are really a good barometer of UTA's football fortunes, as they were very on par, with the exception of UTA's early 1970's dip. The all-time series is in favor of the Red Wolves, 8-13-1. Five of the losses were by a field goal or less. When I mentioned UTA's peers passing them up in conference reshuffling, this University is one of the big ones to come to mind. I'd put UTA's teams up against any of A State's. But the perception is they are ahead and to this point, they are ahead in the conference reshuffling game. The Sun Belt is about as stable a mid-major conference as there is now. The Western Athletic could see more losses soon.
But all that said, Arkansas State visited Arlington with the Rebels playing for a conference title in 1966 on this date in UTA football history.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, November 13, 1966.
ASC would finish the season against the Lamar Tech Cardinals the following week. In the first two years of the SLC, no team had run through the conference slate undefeated. Lamar took the first two titles, with a tie the first year to ASC and a loss to ASC the second. If UTA could do it three times in a row, they would become the first 4-0 SLC team.
Lamar had other ideas however. If Lamar could get a win, they'd would earn a share of the title with ASC, as well as three in a row. After the first two foibles, the Cardinals were determined to not let ASC earn it. In one of the worst defeats in the series, Lamar blasted Arlington State 27-7. The Cardinals scored four times in their first five possessions and by the time Ronny Young caught the lone ASC TD, the game was in the bag. Regardless of the outcome, the 1966 Arlington State Rebels made history by winning the first conference championship at the University level in any sport.
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