Venturing into the second week of this year's edition of This Day in UTA Football History, we take a peek at the 1974 season. In 2013, The Maverick Rambler covered their season opener, a 33-6 loss on the road to Western Michigan.
The first half of the 1970's were the darkest days of the Arlington State College / UT Arlington football program. Three of the four lowest single season winning percentages occurred between 1970 and 1974. The other two years saw competitive teams, but no season ended with more wins than losses.
There were three coaches in that time span. Burley Bearden ended his tenure after an 0-10 mark in 1970. He would retire as the last coach with a winning record until Chuck Curtis a decade and a half later.
John Symank took over and after three years, his 11-21 mark would go down as the fewest wins among coaches of a four-year institution. It would be second fewest going back to 1919 as a junior college. Those stats repeat for winning percentage. He never got a head coaching job anywhere else afterwards, only a career assistant. I don't know if he tried to be the head man again. UTA was certainly as tough a job as there was back then.
1974 was the first year of Harold "Bud' Elliott's tenure. Long-time readers of the blog know I call him the epitome of mediocrity. He had four 5-6 seasons and was 46-64 overall. Factor out this season, and that changes to 45-55. He made the program competitive, but rarely winners. But after the start to the decade, it certainly was a welcome sight for Mav fans to be competitive again.
After losing the '74 opener, the Mavs would go on the road for their easiest trip of the year. This kind of game was appealing to the schedulers as it was a chance for the Mavericks to go on the road, but minimize costs. I don't know if TCU wrote a check, but they never played in Arlington. I would assume so but haven't found documentation either way. Fans enjoyed it too, as it was a rare chance to see UTA in September.
I've mentioned many times that Arlington Stadium was a terrible home for UTA football. The program played five home games in the month of September during the 1970's. They played five neutral site games in the same time period. The Texas Rangers were not friendly roommates. Games in Fort Worth were a way around this little snag. Technically a true road game, but an easy drive for players, staff and fans.
The Mavericks had played the TCU Horned Frogs every year since 1970, losing by scores of 31-7, 42-0, 38-14 and 49-13. In those seasons, the Horned Frogs were 4-6-1, 6-4-1, 5-6 and 3-8. In 1974, TCU had one win. In 1972, the Frogs win over UTA was their sole home victory. To say TCU was competitive in the Southwest Conference would be an overstatement at best and an inaccuracy more likely.
But it was a rivalry of convenience and geography. However, much like current days, that didn't matter to TCU when they won no more than two games every year from 1974 to 1981. They needed easier opponents and as I mentioned, Coach Elliott made the Mavs competitive. The series ceased after UTA won in 1975. It resumed in 1979, and in UTA's best Division I season, they again beat TCU. After a Maverick loss in 1981, UTA's last in Division I-A, or today's FBS, the two never played again.
On this day in UTA football history, TCU and UTA squares off in Fort Worth in 1974.
Taken from the Dallas Morning News, September 15, 1974.
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