Texas State Bobcats football
Encyclopedia
The Texas State Bobcats football program is a college football team that represents Texas State University-San Marcos. The team is currently categorized as an FCS Independent as it transitions to FBS. They will become a member of the FBS Western Athletic Conference
as of July 1, 2012. The program began in 1904 and has an overall winning record. The program has a total of fourteen conference titles, nine of them being all out conference titles. Up until recently, the Bobcats had been coached by Brad Wright, an alumnus of the university, and home games are played at Bobcat Stadium
in San Marcos, Texas.
Despite the school being now the fifth-largest university in Texas
, and one of the 75 largest universities in the United States, its football program still lags behind other universities. However on November 26, 2007, President Denise Trauth announced that the University has plans for moving the football team to compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision within the next five years. And with this monumental decision, the University's
Athletic Department immediately started "The Drive" campaign in order to get the Bobcats' Football program ready to make the move from the FCS to the FBS. The Western Athletic Conference (FBS)
announced on Nov. 11, 2010 that Texas State will be one of three schools to join the conference in 2012 and that the football program will be included thus fulfilling "The Drive".
Bobcat Stadium, where the team has played its home games since 1981, currently holds 15,968. A massive expansion project is currently underway that will ultimately seat more than 34,800 to prepare the school for its FBS move.
title and advanced to the Division I-AA football playoffs for the first time since the 1980s in 2005, losing in the semi-final game to eventual National Runner-Up Northern Iowa
, with the Bobcats losing in overtime 40-37 and finishing with an 11-3 record. In 2008 Texas State overcame a 21-0 deficit to win the Southland Conference championship with a 48-45 overtime victory against Sam Houston State
making it the first outright league title since 1982. The Bobcats share their 2005 Conference title with rival Nicholls State
.
The University will join the WAC
effective July 1, 2012.
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{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:65%;"
|-
!bgcolor="#500000"| Year
!bgcolor="#500000"| Coach
!bgcolor="#500000"| Record
!bgcolor="#500000"| Championship
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1981|| Jim Wacker
|| 13-1 || NCAA Division II National Champions
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1982 || Jim Wacker || 14-0 || NCAA Division II National Champions
|- style="text-align:center;"
|}
{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="65%"
!bgcolor="#500000"| Year
!bgcolor="#500000"| Conference
!bgcolor="#500000"| Overall Record
!bgcolor="#500000"| Conference Record
|- align="center"
| 1925 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
|| 7–0–0 || 5–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1926 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association || 7–2–0 || 5–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1929 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association || 6–1–2 || 4–0–1
|- align="center"
| 1948 || Lone Star Conference
(NAIA
) || 8–1–0 || 4–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1954† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 6–3–1 || 5–0–1
|- align="center"
| 1955† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 6–5–0 || 4–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1963 || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 10–0–0 || 6–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1971† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 8–1–1 || 7–1–1
|- align="center"
| 1980 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 8–3–0 || 5–1–0
|- align="center"
| 1981 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 13–1–0 || 6–1–0
|- align="center"
| 1982 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 14–0–0 || 7–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1983† || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 9–2–0 || 6–1–0
|- align="center"
| 2005† || Southland Conference
(Division I FCS) || 11–3–0 || 4–1–0
|- align="center"
| 2008 || Southland Conference (Division I FCS) || 8–5–0 || 6–2–0
|-
|}
† Denotes shared title. Reference: *http://txstatebobcats.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/092304aaa.html
Conference affiliations
No Team: 1905–1908, 1917, 1942–1945
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
as of July 1, 2012. The program began in 1904 and has an overall winning record. The program has a total of fourteen conference titles, nine of them being all out conference titles. Up until recently, the Bobcats had been coached by Brad Wright, an alumnus of the university, and home games are played at Bobcat Stadium
Bobcat Stadium (Texas State)
Bobcat Stadium is a 16,008-seat multi-purpose stadium in San Marcos, Texas. It opened in 1981 and is home to the Texas State University Bobcats football team. It was also home of the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football...
in San Marcos, Texas.
Despite the school being now the fifth-largest university in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and one of the 75 largest universities in the United States, its football program still lags behind other universities. However on November 26, 2007, President Denise Trauth announced that the University has plans for moving the football team to compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision within the next five years. And with this monumental decision, the University's
Athletic Department immediately started "The Drive" campaign in order to get the Bobcats' Football program ready to make the move from the FCS to the FBS. The Western Athletic Conference (FBS)
WAC
WAC is a three-letter acronym and may refer to:* WAC Corporal, the first U.S. sounding rocket* Walker Art Center, a modern art museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA...
announced on Nov. 11, 2010 that Texas State will be one of three schools to join the conference in 2012 and that the football program will be included thus fulfilling "The Drive".
Bobcat Stadium, where the team has played its home games since 1981, currently holds 15,968. A massive expansion project is currently underway that will ultimately seat more than 34,800 to prepare the school for its FBS move.
Championship history
Texas State won the Southland ConferenceSouthland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
title and advanced to the Division I-AA football playoffs for the first time since the 1980s in 2005, losing in the semi-final game to eventual National Runner-Up Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
, with the Bobcats losing in overtime 40-37 and finishing with an 11-3 record. In 2008 Texas State overcame a 21-0 deficit to win the Southland Conference championship with a 48-45 overtime victory against Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
making it the first outright league title since 1982. The Bobcats share their 2005 Conference title with rival Nicholls State
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...
.
The University will join the WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
effective July 1, 2012.
National championships (2)
{| border="0" style="width:100%;"|-
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:65%;"
|-
!bgcolor="#500000"| Year
!bgcolor="#500000"| Coach
!bgcolor="#500000"| Record
!bgcolor="#500000"| Championship
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1981|| Jim Wacker
Jim Wacker
Jim Wacker was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Texas Lutheran University , North Dakota State University , Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University–San Marcos, , Texas Christian University ,...
|| 13-1 || NCAA Division II National Champions
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
|- style="text-align:center;"
| 1982 || Jim Wacker || 14-0 || NCAA Division II National Champions
|- style="text-align:center;"
|}
Conference championships (14)
Only nine of Texas State's fourteen conference titles are outright titles. The other five are shared titles.{| border="0" width="100%"
| valign="top" |
{| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" width="65%"
!bgcolor="#500000"| Year
!bgcolor="#500000"| Conference
!bgcolor="#500000"| Overall Record
!bgcolor="#500000"| Conference Record
|- align="center"
| 1925 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association was an NCAA-affiliated Division III college athletic association for schools in Texas from 1976 to 1996....
|| 7–0–0 || 5–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1926 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association || 7–2–0 || 5–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1929 || Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association || 6–1–2 || 4–0–1
|- align="center"
| 1948 || Lone Star Conference
Lone Star Conference
The Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
(NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
) || 8–1–0 || 4–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1954† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 6–3–1 || 5–0–1
|- align="center"
| 1955† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 6–5–0 || 4–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1963 || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 10–0–0 || 6–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1971† || Lone Star Conference (NAIA) || 8–1–1 || 7–1–1
|- align="center"
| 1980 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 8–3–0 || 5–1–0
|- align="center"
| 1981 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 13–1–0 || 6–1–0
|- align="center"
| 1982 || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 14–0–0 || 7–0–0
|- align="center"
| 1983† || Lone Star Conference (Division II) || 9–2–0 || 6–1–0
|- align="center"
| 2005† || Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
(Division I FCS) || 11–3–0 || 4–1–0
|- align="center"
| 2008 || Southland Conference (Division I FCS) || 8–5–0 || 6–2–0
|-
|}
† Denotes shared title. Reference: *http://txstatebobcats.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/092304aaa.html
Conference affiliations
- 1904–1924: IndependentNCAA Division I-A independent schoolsNCAA Football Bowl Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions whose football programs are not part of an NCAA-affiliated conference. This means that FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition like conference schools do...
- 1925–1930: Texas Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationTexas Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationThe Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association was an NCAA-affiliated Division III college athletic association for schools in Texas from 1976 to 1996....
- 1931–1983: Lone Star ConferenceLone Star ConferenceThe Lone Star Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico...
- 1984–1986: Gulf Star ConferenceGulf Star ConferenceThe Gulf Star Conference was a conference that existed from 1984 until 1987. It lasted for three school years. All of the schools subsequently joined the Southland Conference.-Members:*Nicholls State *Northwestern State...
- 1987–2010: Southland ConferenceSouthland ConferenceThe Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
- 2011: Independent
- 2012–future: Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
No Team: 1905–1908, 1917, 1942–1945