On the last day of September, this year's series will dip into the 1961 season for the first time. Like the last time in 2017, it seems I'm working backward, starting with 1978, doing them twice before going to '72. Last week was 1967 and this week is the fourth and final qualifying season.
The Arlington State Rebels opened the 1961 season against Southern Mississippi on the road, losing in a blow out 30-7. They came home for the second game and defeated the Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs, now known as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 26-0. They came into today's game at home with a 1-1 record.
The early 1960's are the hardest for me to cover for a couple of reasons. The first is their independence status limits both records and meaningful games. Some of my research went through the Southland Conference records. Some of the games had a conference title with a possible postseason berth on the line.
Ironically, ASC was in the talks for the at-large berth in the Tangerine Bowl the year prior. After a 9-2 season, the Bowl ended up with The Citadel, who beat Ohio Valley Conference champion Tennessee Tech, 27-0. The OVC sent their champion to the bowl versus the at-large. Ironic, as the '61 team was only the second year as a University, but they were a senior-laden team. Most of the players on the Arlington State Rebels junior college team stayed on in 1959. Coach Chena Gilstrap said many times that they were the three-year national champions, as there were no seniors on the team.
That put added interest in this year. How would the team manage with a four-year recruiting class? There was still some star power coming from recruiting classes in '59 and '60. Look no further than sophomore quarterback Doug Wilson. The Rebs weren't short on quarterbacks in this era, Allen Anz was technically the number one quarterback this year and Amos North, the 31-year old senior, was commonly in the game. All three have their names over the record books, but Wilson would end his tenure number one in most every stat.
North led the Rebs in total yards in 1959, Wilson did the same in 1960 and Anz would be the leader this year. Certainly, about as stacked as the program had ever been at the position, but the backfield had other star power.
Fullback Charlie Key, a man I affectionately refer to as Mr. UTA due to his tenure as a player and a two-decade coach at the school retired as the school's all-time leading scorer, thanks to his role as the team's kicker.
Halfback Freddie Arnold was a capable, if not star-studded halfback. He'd end the year as the Rebels leading rusher.
Stats and accolades for the rest of the team is harder to find. However, on defense, UTA's first University NFL draft pick was Doug Hart. He was a versatile secondary player and would sign as an undrafted free agent by the Saint Louis Cardinals. After getting waived in training camp, the Green Bay Packers would sign him. The rest becomes history as he played in 112 games from 1964 to '71. He led ASC in interceptions as a freshman in 1959 and would do so this season and the following. He was a versatile return man and would be the primary kick and punt returner. He was a champion in the NFL three times from '65-'67, winning a Super Bowl twice.
Today's opponent is a well-known rival, though it didn't become that way until much later as for football, it was just a name on a schedule. I firmly believe this would be a circle the calendar type rivalry had the team never been disbanded.
When it comes to both basketballs and volleyball, Stephen F. Austin is the first opponent fans from my generation look for when a schedule is released. There's been meaningful games, games with storylines and in some cases, non-sports antics that have raised the stakes of these games. I chronicled one instance on the men's basketball side here.
However, on the football side, they did play a few times. Three of those occasions occurred in the early part of this decade. Once today, the only home game, and two in Nacogdoches in 1960 and '62. They later played again in 1984 and were contractually scheduled to play in 1986 and '87, had the team been fielded. Based on statements made by the UTA administration at the time, this likely would have been a regular match-up.
But history is what history is. The UTA faithful's hope now is that UTA follows through with the student vote this past spring and they join Stephen F. Austin in the United Athletic Conference, a football-only conference with the combo of the Western Athletic Conference's football school as well as the ASUN's.
As it is now, the only constant is history. On this day in 1961, the Arlington State Rebels squared off against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, October 1, 1961.
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