West Texas A&M University
Encyclopedia
West Texas A&M University (also known as WTAMU, WT, and formerly West Texas State), part of the Texas A&M University System
, is a public university
located in Canyon
, Texas
, a small city
south of Amarillo
. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910. West Texas A&M University was originally called West Texas State Normal College
and started out as one of the seven state-funded teacher college
s.
approved the bill to establish West Texas State Normal College, construction began on the school's Administration Building. It consisted of the school's only classrooms, laboratory, library, and offices. On March 25, 1914, the school burned down; however, classes continued in local churches, courthouses, and vacant buildings. Later, in 1916, a new Administration Building opened.
The first four-year college degrees were granted in 1919. In the following years the college was admitted to: American Association of Teachers Colleges in 1922, Association of Texas Colleges in 1923, and Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1925. The school changed its name to West Texas State Teachers College in 1923. In the early 1930s, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society built its Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
on the campus.
In 1948, a nonconformist leftist sociology
professor, Joseph L. Duflot (1881–1957), created a sensation on campus when he told a meeting of the American Federation of Labor
in Amarillo that "modern capitalism" is the "No. 1 enemy of the United States economy." A powerful legislator at the time, Sam Hanna of Dallas County
, warned that state funding could be jeopardized for any college with "a communist" on the faculty. Though the West Texas regents first dismissed Duflot, he survived a second vote, and regent H.L. Mills praised him for "the courage of his convictions".
Many returning veterans from World War II
enrolled at the institution in the latter 1940s, taking advantage of new G.I. Bill of Rights
assistance. Conditions were so overcrowded for a time that the former soldiers slept in the gym
nasium, and beds were brought from a former Prisoner of War
camp in Hereford
.
In 1949, the school again changed its name, this time to West Texas State College. During the Cold War
, attention at West Texas was focused on anti-communism
. One history professor, John Cook, claimed that many of the films shown on campus, such as Communism on the Map, were "propaganda". During this time too, the historian
J. Evetts Haley
ran for governor of Texas
on a staunchly conservative platform, but the office went to Marion Price Daniel, Sr.
.
During the 1960s, the school changed from a regional teacher's college to a state university. In 1963, the Texas Governor John B. Connally signed a bill to change the school's name to West Texas State University. The newly named school would gain a College of Arts and Sciences
, a graduate school
, and professional schools of business
. Near the end of the 1960s, West Texas State obtained its own board of regents
, established a School of Agriculture
, a School of Fine Art
s, and created a Department of Nursing
.
By 1970, the student enrollment neared 8,000, but was decreasing. The primary reasons were the changes in the selective service system and increases in tuition. The university's funding was largely enrollment-driven, and this caused serious financial problems for the school.
The college radio
station KWTS
began broadcasting in 1972. The West Texas State athletics were in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I Missouri Valley Conference
, but the school decided to change its status to Division II and the Lone Star Conference
in 1984.
In 1986, WT President Ed Roach was the subject of protests and calls for his resignation over the amount of money spent on the campus' Presidential House. The 7301 sq ft (678.3 m²) house cost $991,000, which was more than the $494,900 authorized by the State College Coordinating Board. In 1991, Roach was indicted for diverting scholarship money to meet other budget deficits.
The university joined the Texas A&M University System
on September 1, 1990, and started to use the name West Texas A&M University in 1993. The school's first president under the new system was Barry B. Thompson. Early in Thompson's tenure, he dropped the school's football
program, but the program returned a year later without athletic scholarships.
President Thompson was appointed Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in 1994 and Russell C. Long became the new president. During Long's tenure, the school renovated buildings, maintained its student enrollment growth, and added its first Ph.D.
in agriculture.
The school had a long-term connection with T. Boone Pickens who was appointed to its Board of Regents in 1969. On March 21, 1973, Pickens resigned from the Board of Regents in protest, but was reappointed in 1981 and became its chair in 1982. He continued to chair its Board until its merger with the Texas A&M system in 1990. In 1987, he pledged a $1.5 million matching gift to endow its business school, which was named in his honor. On November 24, 2004, the school issued a press release stating that it planned to remove Pickens' name from the T. Boone Pickens College of Business after university officials came to believe he had not completed pledges he made to the university. In fact, Pickens had satisfied his pledge, but asked to have his name removed. On December 1, 2004, the then President Russell C. Long acknowledged the error and agreed to remove Pickens' name. Subsequently, Pickens donated $165 million to Oklahoma State University-Stillwater. In 2007, Pickens endowed the "Pickens Professorship of Business" and in 2010 he endowed the "Pickens Professorship of Management." The business school as a whole remains unnamed.
In late 2005, Long retired from his position as the school's president, and J. Patrick O’Brien took that office. As of 2006, West Texas A&M University has approximately 7,000 students. The university contains over 60 undergraduate
-degree
programs, 40 graduate
-degree programs, and one doctoral
program
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3665. It offers individual classes online as well as three undergraduate and two master's degree programs that can be completed totally online.
GetEducated.com ranked West Texas A&M University's online MBA degree #3 (technically fourth) nationally in its list of affordable, quality Best Buys in online education.
The Administration Building is now called "Old Main." It went through a $5 million renovation beginning in February 1987. The Old Main building consist of four levels, and houses the administrative and enrollment management offices, as well as classrooms and laboratories. The Division of Education, the Department of History and Political Science, and the Division of Nursing are based in this building.
The Classroom Center was built in 1968. The four-story building contains classrooms, computer and writing labs, and faculty offices. The College of Business and the Department of English and Modern Languages are located in the Classroom Center. The Classroom Center had its grand reopening on August 24, 2009 for the start of the fall semester.
Mary Moody Northen
Hall accommodates music studios, dance studios, a public art gallery, recital hall, art studios, computer labs, and classrooms.
The Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, completed in September 2006, is the home of the Department of Communication and Department of Art, Theatre, and Dance. The facility houses classrooms, music studios, music halls, a proscenium theatre, an experimental theatre, the school newspaper newsroom, a television studio, broadcast editing suites, and the student-run radio studios.
The Agriculture and Sciences Building was constructed in 1974. The three-story building houses the Division of Agriculture and the Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The building contains classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices.
The Texas history museum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
has been located on the campus of West Texas A&M University since the early 1930s.
s teams participate in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference
. Their athletic teams are nicknamed the Buffalo
es or simply called the "Buffs." As of 2005, West Texas A&M University students compete in baseball
, basketball
, cross country
, equestrian
, football
, golf
, soccer
, softball
, and volleyball
. The equestrian, softball, and volleyball teams are composed only of women.
The football team plays its home games in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium
, and they have won Lone Star Conference championships in 1986, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The school's football rival is Eastern New Mexico University
which WTAMU plays for the coveted Wagon Wheel Trophy.
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf
was quarterbacks coach at WTAMU from 2006–2008 and golf coach from 2007–2008, before resigning over drug charges.
West Texas A&M was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
, from 1941-1961. The football team won a conference championship in 1950. They were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1972-1985.
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
, is a public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
located in Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
, 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...
, a small city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
south of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910. West Texas A&M University was originally called West Texas State Normal College
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
and started out as one of the seven state-funded teacher college
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
s.
History
In the first school year, West Texas State Normal College had 152 students and 16 faculty members. Its first president was Robert B. Cousins. A year after the Texas State House of RepresentativesTexas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
approved the bill to establish West Texas State Normal College, construction began on the school's Administration Building. It consisted of the school's only classrooms, laboratory, library, and offices. On March 25, 1914, the school burned down; however, classes continued in local churches, courthouses, and vacant buildings. Later, in 1916, a new Administration Building opened.
The first four-year college degrees were granted in 1919. In the following years the college was admitted to: American Association of Teachers Colleges in 1922, Association of Texas Colleges in 1923, and Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1925. The school changed its name to West Texas State Teachers College in 1923. In the early 1930s, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society built its Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
on the campus.
In 1948, a nonconformist leftist sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
professor, Joseph L. Duflot (1881–1957), created a sensation on campus when he told a meeting of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
in Amarillo that "modern capitalism" is the "No. 1 enemy of the United States economy." A powerful legislator at the time, Sam Hanna of Dallas County
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
, warned that state funding could be jeopardized for any college with "a communist" on the faculty. Though the West Texas regents first dismissed Duflot, he survived a second vote, and regent H.L. Mills praised him for "the courage of his convictions".
Many returning veterans from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
enrolled at the institution in the latter 1940s, taking advantage of new G.I. Bill of Rights
G.I. Bill of Rights
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 , known informally as the G.I. Bill, was an omnibus law that provided college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans as well as one year of unemployment compensation...
assistance. Conditions were so overcrowded for a time that the former soldiers slept in the gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, and beds were brought from a former Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp in Hereford
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
.
In 1949, the school again changed its name, this time to West Texas State College. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, attention at West Texas was focused on anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
. One history professor, John Cook, claimed that many of the films shown on campus, such as Communism on the Map, were "propaganda". During this time too, the historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
J. Evetts Haley
J. Evetts Haley
James Evetts Haley, Sr., usually known as J. Evetts Haley , was a Texas-born political activist and historian who wrote multiple works on the American West, including an enduring biography of legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight...
ran for governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
on a staunchly conservative platform, but the office went to Marion Price Daniel, Sr.
Price Daniel
Marion Price Daniel, Sr. , was a Democratic U.S. Senator and the 38th Governor of the state of Texas. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the National Security Council, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and Assistant to the President for Federal-State...
.
During the 1960s, the school changed from a regional teacher's college to a state university. In 1963, the Texas Governor John B. Connally signed a bill to change the school's name to West Texas State University. The newly named school would gain a College of Arts and Sciences
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
, a graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
, and professional schools of business
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
. Near the end of the 1960s, West Texas State obtained its own board of regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
, established a School of Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, a School of Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s, and created a Department of Nursing
Nursing school
A nursing school is a type of educational institution, or part thereof, providing education and training to become a fully qualified nurse. The nature of nursing education and nursing qualifications varies considerably across the world.-United Kingdom:...
.
By 1970, the student enrollment neared 8,000, but was decreasing. The primary reasons were the changes in the selective service system and increases in tuition. The university's funding was largely enrollment-driven, and this caused serious financial problems for the school.
The college radio
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
station KWTS
KWTS
KWTS is a radio broadcast service in Canyon, Texas, USA and is operated by the West Texas A&M University. The station started broadcasting in 1972 with 10 watts—just enough to cover the university's campus. In 1982, the Federal Communications Commission ordered all educational radio stations to...
began broadcasting in 1972. The West Texas State athletics were in the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
, but the school decided to change its status to Division II and the 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...
in 1984.
In 1986, WT President Ed Roach was the subject of protests and calls for his resignation over the amount of money spent on the campus' Presidential House. The 7301 sq ft (678.3 m²) house cost $991,000, which was more than the $494,900 authorized by the State College Coordinating Board. In 1991, Roach was indicted for diverting scholarship money to meet other budget deficits.
The university joined the Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
on September 1, 1990, and started to use the name West Texas A&M University in 1993. The school's first president under the new system was Barry B. Thompson. Early in Thompson's tenure, he dropped the school's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
program, but the program returned a year later without athletic scholarships.
President Thompson was appointed Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in 1994 and Russell C. Long became the new president. During Long's tenure, the school renovated buildings, maintained its student enrollment growth, and added its first Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in agriculture.
The school had a long-term connection with T. Boone Pickens who was appointed to its Board of Regents in 1969. On March 21, 1973, Pickens resigned from the Board of Regents in protest, but was reappointed in 1981 and became its chair in 1982. He continued to chair its Board until its merger with the Texas A&M system in 1990. In 1987, he pledged a $1.5 million matching gift to endow its business school, which was named in his honor. On November 24, 2004, the school issued a press release stating that it planned to remove Pickens' name from the T. Boone Pickens College of Business after university officials came to believe he had not completed pledges he made to the university. In fact, Pickens had satisfied his pledge, but asked to have his name removed. On December 1, 2004, the then President Russell C. Long acknowledged the error and agreed to remove Pickens' name. Subsequently, Pickens donated $165 million to Oklahoma State University-Stillwater. In 2007, Pickens endowed the "Pickens Professorship of Business" and in 2010 he endowed the "Pickens Professorship of Management." The business school as a whole remains unnamed.
In late 2005, Long retired from his position as the school's president, and J. Patrick O’Brien took that office. As of 2006, West Texas A&M University has approximately 7,000 students. The university contains over 60 undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
-degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
programs, 40 graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
-degree programs, and one doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
program
Distance Education
The school is a leader in distance educationDistance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/3665. It offers individual classes online as well as three undergraduate and two master's degree programs that can be completed totally online.
GetEducated.com ranked West Texas A&M University's online MBA degree #3 (technically fourth) nationally in its list of affordable, quality Best Buys in online education.
Campus
Mary Moody Northen
Mary Moody Northen
Mary Elizabeth Moody Northen was an American financier and philanthropist from Galveston, Texas. She was the daughter of financial and insurance tycoon William Lewis Moody, Jr. and aunt of businessman Shearn Moody, Jr....
Hall accommodates music studios, dance studios, a public art gallery, recital hall, art studios, computer labs, and classrooms.
The Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, completed in September 2006, is the home of the Department of Communication and Department of Art, Theatre, and Dance. The facility houses classrooms, music studios, music halls, a proscenium theatre, an experimental theatre, the school newspaper newsroom, a television studio, broadcast editing suites, and the student-run radio studios.
The Agriculture and Sciences Building was constructed in 1974. The three-story building houses the Division of Agriculture and the Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The building contains classrooms, laboratories, and faculty offices.
The Texas history museum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
has been located on the campus of West Texas A&M University since the early 1930s.
Athletics
West Texas A&M University's sportSport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s teams participate in the NCAA Division II 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...
. Their athletic teams are nicknamed the Buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
es or simply called the "Buffs." As of 2005, West Texas A&M University students compete in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. The equestrian, softball, and volleyball teams are composed only of women.
The football team plays its home games in Kimbrough Memorial Stadium
Kimbrough Memorial Stadium
Kimbrough Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Canyon, Texas. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of West Texas A&M University. The stadium holds 20,000 people and was built in 1959...
, and they have won Lone Star Conference championships in 1986, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The school's football rival is Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University
Eastern New Mexico University , frequently called Eastern, is a state university in Portales, Roosevelt County, New Mexico, USA...
which WTAMU plays for the coveted Wagon Wheel Trophy.
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf
Ryan Leaf
Ryan David Leaf is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons...
was quarterbacks coach at WTAMU from 2006–2008 and golf coach from 2007–2008, before resigning over drug charges.
West Texas A&M was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Border Conference , was an NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961-1962 season...
, from 1941-1961. The football team won a conference championship in 1950. They were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1972-1985.
Notable faculty and alumni
- Jennifer ArcherJennifer ArcherJennifer Archer, is an author of young adult/teen fiction, women's fiction and romance born in Cleburne, north central Texas. Her novels typically have strong female protagonists, and have been nominated for numerous awards....
, author - Anthony Armstrong, NFL American football player
- John AyersJohn AyersJohn Ayers was a National Football League offensive lineman from 1977 through 1987. During that span, he appeared in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX for the San Francisco 49ers...
, NFL American football player - Tully BlanchardTully BlanchardTully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
, professional wrestler - Bruiser Brody (Frank Goodish), professional wrestler
- Ulane BonnelUlane BonnelUlane Bonnel was a U.S. naval historian working in France, who played a major role developing professional connections between American and French naval historians and in founding both the scholarly journal Chronique d'histoire maritime and the French Commission of Maritime...
, naval historian - Candace CampCandace CampCandace Pauline Camp is a best-selling American writer of romance novels. She has also published under the pen names Lisa Gregory, Sharon Stephens, Kristin James and under her real name Candace Camp....
, author - Maurice CheeksMaurice CheeksMaurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks is a retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008...
, NBA basketball player and coach - Larry CombestLarry CombestLarry Ed Combest is a retired Texas Republican U.S. politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1985 to 2003.-Early life:...
, politician - Jesse CrossJesse CrossBrigadier General Jesse R. Cross, USA was the 50th Quartermaster General of the United States Army and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Quartermaster School at Fort Lee, Virginia.- Military career :...
, US Army general - Angie DeboAngie DeboAngie Elbertha Debo was an American historian who wrote 13 books and hundreds of articles about Native American and Oklahoma history...
, historian (faculty member, 1924–1933) - Ted DiBiaseTed DiBiaseTheodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
, professional wrestler (did not graduate) - Carolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-BallardCarolyn Dorin-Ballard is one of the top female ten-pin bowlers in the World. She was a member of the PWBA and has bowled in PBA Tournaments as well. She was an exempt competitor in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 PBA Women's Series seasons, which were sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress...
, professional ten-pin bowlerTen-pin bowlingTen-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
who won 20 titles on the PWBA tour and 2 more in the PBA Women's SeriesPBA Women's SeriesThe PBA Women's Series was a mini-tour for female professional bowlers. It was started in 2007 as a way to bring women's bowling back to television after the Professional Women's Bowling Association disbanded in 2003... - Manny FernandezManny Fernandez (wrestler)Emanuel "Manny" Fernandez is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling for different independent promotions. He is best known by the his ring name "The Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez.-Professional wrestling career:...
, professional wrestler - Dory Funk Jr., professional wrestler
- Terry FunkTerry FunkTerrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
, professional wrestler - Brent Garcia, 16U coach for Arlington A's, Front Office Sales Rep for Texas Rangers Baseball Organization
- J. Evetts HaleyJ. Evetts HaleyJames Evetts Haley, Sr., usually known as J. Evetts Haley , was a Texas-born political activist and historian who wrote multiple works on the American West, including an enduring biography of legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight...
, historian and political activist - Jaime Handy, baseball standout and current TCU Assistant Director of Media Relations
- Stan HansenStan HansenJohn Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
, professional wrestler - Grady HazlewoodGrady HazlewoodGrady Hazlewood was a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from 1941 to 1971, having represented the Amarillo-based District 31 in the Panhandle...
, state senator (1941–1971), benefactor of Panhandle-Plains Historical MuseumPanhandle-Plains Historical MuseumPanhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
, regent of WTAMU - Alondra JohnsonAlondra JohnsonAlondra Johnson was a Canadian Football League linebacker who played sixteen seasons in the CFL, mainly for the Calgary Stampeders. Johnson was a three time All Star and won Grey Cups with Calgary in 1992, 1998 and 2001...
, Canadian Football League football player - William R. KlesseWilliam R. KlesseWilliam "Bill" R. Klesse is CEO and President of Valero Energy Corporation and Chairman of the Valero Board of Directors. He previously held positions with Valero as Vice Chairman of the Board, Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer...
, CEO and President of Valero Energy Corporation - Steve KragthorpeSteve KragthorpeSteve Kragthorpe is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He was head coach at Louisville from 2007 to 2009, and for Tulsa from 2003 through 2006.- Early career :Kragthorpe was born in...
, college football head coach - Martin Herman Kuhlman, historyHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
professor, who is penning the centennial history of WTA&M scheduled for 2010 - Kareem LarrimoreKareem LarrimoreKareem Maktrel Larrimore is a retired arena football defensive back. He was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
, NFL American football player - Ryan LeafRyan LeafRyan David Leaf is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for four seasons...
, NFL American football player and quarterbacks coach (faculty member) - Jerry LoganJerry LoganJerry Don Logan is a former American football player. He played as a safety for ten seasons in the NFL. He was a part of the Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V winning team....
, NFL American football player - Charly MartinCharly MartinCharly Martin is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
, NFL American football player - Mickey MatthewsMickey MatthewsMichael Chester "Mickey" Matthews, is the head football coach at James Madison University , and has served in that role since 1999. Under Matthews's leadership, James Madison achieved a Division 1-AA national football championship in 2004...
, college football head coach - Reggie McElroyReggie McElroyReggie McElroy was a National Football League offensive lineman from 1982 through 1996....
, NFL American football player - Mercury MorrisMercury MorrisEugene Edward "Mercury" Morris , is a former American football player, nicknamed early on for his mercurial quickness when running with the ball. Morris was a running back and kick returner for 9 years, playing mostly for the Miami Dolphins...
, NFL American football player - LaWanda Neel, 30+ year Bible Study Fellowship teaching leader for Colorado
- Keith NullKeith NullKeith Null is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2009 NFL Draft...
, NFL American football player - Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'KeeffeGeorgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
, artist (faculty member) - The Otwell TwinsThe Otwell TwinsThe Otwell Twins are an American singing duo made up of identical twin brothers Roger and David, born August 2, 1956, in Tulia, Texas...
, musicians and businessmen from TuliaTulia, TexasTulia is a city in, and county seat of, Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census; in the 2005 census estimate, it had fallen to 4,714. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, approximately two miles east Interstate 27...
and Amarillo - Anita Thigpen PerryAnita Thigpen PerryAnita Thigpen Perry is the current and longest-serving First Lady of Texas, and the wife of Governor Rick Perry. As First Lady of Texas, she has been an active advocate for nursing and other health care issues...
, First Lady of Texas - Donald PowellDonald PowellDonald Powell was an officer in the British Indian Army during World War II'-Biography:As part of Iraqforce , Brigadier Powell commanded the 20th Indian Brigade of the Indian 10th Infantry Division during the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Syria-Lebanon campaign, and the Anglo-Soviet invasion of...
, former Chairman of the FDIC and Current Federal Coordinator of Gulf Coast Rebuilding - Russell Powell, Musician and Bee Gees Bassist
- Dusty RhodesDusty Rhodes (wrestler)Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
, professional wrestler - Bruce RobisonBruce RobisonBruce Robison is an Austin-based Texas country music singer-songwriter. Bruce and his brother, fellow singer-songwriter Charlie Robison, grew up in Bandera, Texas near San Antonio, and he currently resides in Austin, Texas...
, hit country songwriter ("Travelin' Soldier", Angry All The Time, Desperately) and singer - Tito SantanaTito SantanaMerced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
(Merced Solis), professional wrestler - Bill SarpaliusBill SarpaliusWilliam "Bill" Sarpalius is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented from 1989 to 1995 District 13, which covers the Texas Panhandle eastward to Wichita Falls, Texas....
, politician - Mike ScrogginsMike ScrogginsMike Scroggins is a left-handed professional ten-pin bowler and member of the Professional Bowlers Association , having joined in 1989. He resides in Amarillo, TX.Profile at www.pba.com He has won eight PBA Tour titles in his career, including two majors. He won the USBC Masters in 2005 and the...
, professional ten-pin bowlerTen-pin bowlingTen-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
who has won 8 titles (including 2 majors) on the PBAProfessional Bowlers AssociationThe Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
Tour - Marsha SharpMarsha SharpMarsha Sharp is the former head coach of Texas Tech University's women's basketball team, the Lady Raiders. She retired after twenty-three years at the conclusion of the 2005/06 season....
, head coach of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball teamTexas Tech Lady Raiders basketballThe Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball team represents Texas Tech University and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The team is coached by Kristy Curry who is in her fourth season at the university.-History:... - John T. SmitheeJohn T. SmitheeJohn True Smithee is an Amarillo attorney who has been a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives since January 1985....
, Texas state representative since 1985 - Red SteagallRed SteagallRussell Steagall is a multitalented showbusiness personality whose career has covered a period of 35 years and has spanned the globe...
, country singer and Western poet - French StewartFrench StewartMilton French Stewart , better known by his stage name French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Early life:...
, actor - Matt Shellenberger, actor/ professional wrestler
- Jean A. StuntzJean A. StuntzJean Allison Stuntz is a professor at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, where she specializes in women's studies and the history of Texas, the Spanish Borderlands, and the American West. She holds the rank of associate professor...
, WTAM history professor - Duane ThomasDuane ThomasDuane Julius Thomas is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played four seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins from 1970 to 1974....
, NFL American football player - Chaun ThompsonChaun ThompsonChaun Thompson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, NFL American football player - J'Marcus WebbJ'Marcus WebbJ'Marcus Webb is an American football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bears in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
, NFL American football player - Mitch Meyer, successful entrepreneur and farmer
- Barry WindhamBarry WindhamBarry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
, professional wrestler (did not graduate)