Buffalo Thunder

t h e e a r l y y e a r s \ �

The AThleTic TrAdiTion of

W e s T T e x A s A & M U n i V e r s i T Y

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IsBn (standard): 978-1-934892-20-6IsBn (Prem�um): 978-1-934892-21-1

l�brary of Congress Control number: 2008934423

Pr�nted �n the un�ted states of amer�caf�rst pr�nt�ng 2008

t h e e a r l y y e a r s \ ��

introduction ...................................... 1

chapter 1: The early Years................3

chapter 2: The 1960s .......................39

chapter 3: The 1970s .......................63

chapter 4: The 1980s....................... 77

chapter 5: The 1990s ..................... 107

chapter 6: The 2000s .................... 133

conclusion..................................... 159

introduction

chapter 1: The

contents...................................... 1

3

introductionAlmost from the first day students arrived at WT in 1910, sports wove a brilliant

tapestry throughout the fabric of student life. Certainly no one then envisioned the

packed crowds at Kimbrough Stadium that would watch the Sun Bowl-bound Buffs

rewrite the record books in 1951 and send a ripple into the professional ranks.

No one predicted that twins Earl and Myrl Goodwin’s transition

from WT football to the professional ranks in 1928 would be only

the start of WT’s contribution to professional football.

The Pottsville Maroons was a long run from the Miami Dolphins,

Baltimore Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams. Yet

decades later, Mercury Morris, Duane Thomas, Jerry Don Logan,

and Jerry Richardson would grace the prairie campus of WT and

make their own headlines in the National Football League in

the 1960s and ’70s.

No one prophesied the dominant athleticism of women’s

volleyball or the Box’s packed house that would watch the

Lady Buffs deliver three-point salvos.

Nonetheless, sports began at WT even before throngs

of early Texas Panhandle settlers descended on Canyon to

dedicate what students now call Old Main.

No one predicted that twins Earl and Myrl Goodwin’s transition

from WT football to the professional ranks in 1928 would be only

The Pottsville Maroons was a long run from the Miami Dolphins,

Baltimore Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Rams. Yet

decades later, Mercury Morris, Duane Thomas, Jerry Don Logan,

and Jerry Richardson would grace the prairie campus of WT and

make their own headlines in the National Football League in

No one prophesied the dominant athleticism of women’s

volleyball or the Box’s packed house that would watch the

I n t r o d u C t I o n \ 1

2 / B u f f a l o t h u n d e r

t h e e a r l y y e a r s \ 3

Chapter 1:

The Early Years

t h e b e s t t h a t i s i n u s

t a l l e s t t e a m i n t h e w o r l d

The confines of early WT athletics were primitive by today’s standards, even oddly melancholy.

for nearly a century, athletes stra�ned under the shadows of

West texas’s old Ma�n. they clashed on football fields w�th and

w�thout helmets, on pr�ckly pra�r�e grass and eventually smooth

synthet�c turf. Women lofted set shots w�th first s�x, then five

players on the basketball court. (Modern-day basketball fans would find the juxtaposition of a grass court shared with distant herds of grazing cattle both amusing and unsettling.)


For certain, West Texas Normal College ushered in an infant century with its own brand of drama, athletic and otherwise.there was rumor of a gold str�ke southeast of Canyon about the same t�me the

G�rls’ athlet�c assoc�at�on sponsored an oyster

supper to ra�se the first twenty-e�ght dollars

to underwr�te women’s athlet�cs. under a th�ck

adornment of bloomers and t�ghtly knotted

athlet�c boots, women played �t all—basketball,

volleyball, field hockey, soccer, and dance.

here was rumor of a gold str ke southeast of Canyon about the same t


“in time to come our girls’ team will rival the standing set by our boys in basketball.”


“in time to come our girls’ team will rival the standing set by our boys in basketball.”

Back then sport was an end to itself for early WT women. In 1912,

M. Gentry—the tallest player on the women’s basketball team at s�x foot one—saw her

future as a far cry from the basketball court. her s�mple dream? “herd�ng cattle,” she

told Wt’s first yearbook ed�tor. eventually, though, the pronouncement made by Wt

G�rl’s athlet�c assoc�at�on member frank�e Broyles �n 1923 would be fulfilled: “In t�me

to come our g�rls’ team w�ll r�val the stand�ng set by our boys �n basketball.”



T h e B u f f a l o B o w l

W�th a capac�ty of twenty thousand fans, West texas’s

un�que, �mpress�ve, and h�stor�c play�ng field has

become a second home to many fans through the

decades. It has also been a susta�ned matter of pr�de

for Wt supporters and players s�nce �t was fin�shed �n

1959 to replace an ag�ng and a�l�ng and much smaller

fac�l�ty on campus. and, co�nc�dence or not, �t played

home to a new era of excellence, w�nn�ng ways, and

fiercely loyal support for Wt’s footballers.

Bes�des allow�ng more fans to watch the Buffs from

up close, the new stad�um offered luxury amen�t�es that

were almost unheard of �n the day, �nclud�ng electr�cal

outlets for fans to power up electr�c blankets, rad�os,

coffeepots, and even portable telev�s�on sets, wh�ch

then were mov�ng past novelty status.

“the Buffalo Bowl on Canyon h�ll,” �t was called.

Its ded�cat�on was the centerp�ece of the un�vers�ty’s

fift�eth ann�versary celebrat�on on september 25, 1959,

when then-u.s. senator lyndon Johnson—soon to be

the country’s v�ce pres�dent—was among the speakers.

With its rolling hills just off campus forming a natural bowl, it seemed like the perfect place for a football stadium. And not just any stadium—this one was a big deal, a “doozie,” as some might call it.

“It was truly state-of-the-art, no doubt about �t,”

sa�d Jerry Behrens, a former Wt player (1958–61),

ass�stant coach under Gene Mayfield, and longt�me fan

and booster. “It was l�ke go�ng from the outhouse to

the penthouse.”

Behrens should know. as an offens�ve guard, he

played �n the last game at the old stad�um and the first

one �n the new—a heartbreak�ng, one-po�nt loss to the

un�vers�ty of ar�zona for wh�ch eleven thousand fans

turned out. (Wt chalked up �ts first at-home v�ctory

soon after aga�nst drake un�vers�ty.)

the Bowl also made a last�ng �mpress�on on a young

Pete Pedro, when he by chance rolled through Canyon

as a member of the track team at tr�n�dad College �n

Colorado, wh�ch was headed to south texas for a cham-

p�onsh�p meet. Gaz�ng out the bus w�ndow on the long

dr�ve south, Pedro thought: Wow, that would be a great

place to play football.

and another th�ng caught the Massachusetts nat�ve’s

eye: the l�fe-s�ze statue of a buffalo that’s outs�de the

stad�um and fac�ng the h�ghway. a couple of years later,

as he was first be�ng recru�ted by Coach Joe Kerbel,

Pedro asked: “West texas? Is that the place w�th the

b�g stad�um and the buffalo?”

the stad�um, wh�ch rema�ns prom�nent and �mpres-

s�ve among those �n d�v�s�on II, was renamed K�mbrough

Memor�al stad�um �n 1971 �n honor of the late coach

and athlet�c d�rector frank K�mbrough, and was g�ven

a major overhaul �n 2002. It reta�ns the �nt�mate feel


that makes see�ng a football game there an unforget-

table, almost-fam�l�al exper�ence. At big games, an overflow of fans stretches out on the grassy hills—the same ones that Kerbel’s soldierly squadrons would sprint up and down—to be close to their beloved Buffs. As many say, there’s “not a bad seat in the house.”

In october 1998, Wt beat angelo state 37–7 �n front

of 12,240 fans �n what was the two-hundredth Buff

game played at the stad�um. In 2005, a lone star Con-

ference-record crowd of 22,993 filled the seats—and

the grass—as the Buffs defeated eastern new Mex�co

�n a thr�ll�ng 52–51 overt�me w�n.

“It’s just a great place to watch a game,” says

Behrens, summ�ng up the feel�ngs of twenty thousand-

plus people �n Canyon on a good day.

“ Under any circum-stances we will put forth the best that is in us.”


“ Many of them left their last ounces of bravura on the shores of europe and the jungles of unfamiliar Pacific islands.”


World War II later illuminated a brand of courage that transcended the playing fieldsas dozens of Wt students, many of them athletes, left the�r last ounces of bravura on the shores of europe and the

jungles of unfam�l�ar Pac�fic �slands. star Wt football player and second lt. J. e. P�etzsch was l�kely the first texan

to d�e at Pearl harbor on the now-sacred grounds of h�ckam f�eld.


In a boarding house somewhere in Canyon, a few students declared maroon and white the school colors.transportat�on was expens�ve and unrel�able, so West texas normal

College scheduled amar�llo h�gh school for �ts very first football game.

for whatever reason, one hundred years of Wt football began as �naus-

p�c�ously as the jackrabb�ts that streaked through the kafir fields—

w�th a ra�nout. so, “the normal eleven” were forced a few days later

to play the unnamed “town team.” they launched Wt athlet�cs w�th

a 6–0 w�n on the 35-by-70-yard gr�d�ron. But t. stalnacker, Wt’s

first football capta�n, couldn’t have env�s�oned the last�ng truth

of h�s own prophet�c utterance, wh�ch l�ngered �n the corr�dors

of old Ma�n and meandered up the steep cl�mb of Buffalo f�eld

and even the fore�gn beaches of europe. “under any c�rcum-

stances,” stalnacker �mplored, “we w�ll put forth the best that

�s �n us.”

In a boarding house somewhere in Canyon, a few students declared maroon and white the school colors.ransportat�on was expens

College scheduled

or whatever reason, one hundred years of W

ously as the jackrabb

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to play the unnamed “town team.”

a 6–0 w

first football capta

of h�s own prophet

old Ma

and even the fore

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s

In a boarding house somewhere in Canyon, a few students declared maroon and white the school colors.transportat

College scheduled

for whatever reason, one hundred years of W

p�c�ously as the jackrabb

w�th a ra

to play the unnamed “town team.”

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first football capta

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“The Best That is in Us”


“The Best That is in Us”


Tallest Team in the World

somet�mes that “best” d�dn’t measure up, as the sportswr�t�ng pund�ts would declare 1953

the “worst season �n the h�story of football at Wt.” at other t�mes the best was the flamboy-

ant 1940s-era men’s basketball team. self-descr�bed as “the tallest team �n the world,” they

tra�psed through the northeast and c�t�es l�ke Buffalo, Ph�ladelph�a, and new york to play

�n venues such as sacred Mad�son square Garden. the team frequently traveled �n match�ng

three-p�ece wool su�ts, gaudy roach-k�ller boots, and less-than-subtle ten-gallon hats that

put them all well past the seven-foot mark. The team averaged six-foot-six in an era when anyone who could stretch a measuring tape more than six feet was considered a tall drink of water.

In the 1941 season the team went 28–3

and was prom�nently featured �n w�dely c�r-

culated magaz�nes l�ke Colliers, Time, Life,

Look, PIC, and Esquire. they were led by frank

stockman, Charles halbert, and the qu�rky

Pr�ce Brookfield, who would be named all-

amer�can at both Wt and Iowa state dur�ng

the 1940s and go on to play profess�onally.

In fact, in one hundred years of WT men’s basketball, seven players have found playing time in the ABA or NBA, five of whom played in the 1940s.

the packed crowds at old Burton Gymnas�um

and the nat�onal attent�on at Wt bel�ed darker

t�mes to come for Wt athlet�cs, �n part�cular,

but more �mportantly, for the world. the entry

of the un�ted states �nto World War II ended

all organ�zed Wt athlet�cs and effect�vely

turned the ent�re campus �nto a preparatory

school for young men headed �nto battle. Wt

ended �ts 1943 season as Border Conference

co-champ�ons. student journal�sts understood

the effect on Wt athlet�cs: “at th�s wr�t�ng

there �s no way to pred�ct the future. But �t �s

not �dle speculat�on to bel�eve that, had not

the war d�srupted athlet�cs, West texas state

l�kely would have had the greatest basketball

team of a long l�ne of great outfits.”


“ despite the lows of war and the spirited highs of the ‘world’s tallest,’ WT athletics was poised to launch into the 1960s, from which some of its greatest football athletes would emerge.”

athlet�c d�rector al Baggett left to become a capta�n �n the u.s. a�r force, and dozens of players

sh�pped out for boot camp and entry onto battlefields across europe and the Pac�fic. “West texas

state �s always tough,” wrote one student journal�st �n descr�b�ng the departure of student athletes

�nto war. “th�s �s be�ng carr�ed over to a league �n wh�ch some of the stars, temporar�ly, are adolf, Il

duce, and h�roh�to.”

desp�te the lows of war and the sp�r�ted h�ghs of the “world’s tallest,” Wt athlet�cs was po�sed

to launch �nto the 1960s, from wh�ch some of �ts greatest football athletes would emerge. and Wt

would do �t w�th swagger. In 1959, Buffalo stad�um opened as the “world’s most modern football

plant.” unfortunately, the team struggled to eke out only one w�n for spectators enter�ng the twenty

thousand-seat fac�l�ty. But 1960 would usher �n the Joe Kerbel era, and Wt football would redefine

“the best that �s �n us.”



G i a n t s A m o n g M e n

By today’s standards, they weren’t that tall. But back

�n the early 1940s, the Buffaloes were a spectacle and

a sensat�on on the basketball court.

they were the self-procla�med “tallest team �n the

World,” and they had the he�ght to back �t up. The team averaged six feet, six inches, with the tallest, Charles Halbert, towering above most players of the era at six foot ten.

Coach al Baggett was s�x foot four h�mself, and

l�ked to recru�t other tall fellows for h�s team. Most

of them came from the Panhandle area, though others

were brought �n from M�ssour�.

the team fin�shed w�th a record of 28–3 �n 1941, w�th

a few lops�ded w�ns that went over the one hundred-

po�nt mark. In an art�cle �n Time magaz�ne �n 1942,

Baggett sa�d he had a s�mple ph�losophy for success

on the court: he would tell them, “Boys, don’t bother

pass�ng to anybody—just pass �t at the basket.”

dur�ng h�s t�me as coach, Baggett’s start�ng l�neup

always averaged at least s�x foot three. In the magaz�ne,

he was quoted as say�ng, “It takes three t�mes as much

work to develop a tall player as �t does a short one, but

when you’ve fin�shed, you have someth�ng.”

Indeed he d�d.

“it takes three times as much work to develop

a tall player as it does a short one, but

when you’ve finished, you have something.”you have something.”


Chapter 2:

The 1960s

t h e y w e r e n ’ t o n t h e p r o g r a m

g o l d e n a g e f o r r u n n i n g b a c k s

r e n a i s s a n c e

n o m o r e l a d y b u f f e t t e s

As longtime WT broadcaster Warren Hasse recalled it, quarterback Hank Washington and receiver Ted Wheeler popped a facile request: a few moments to speak during WT’s annual football banquet in 1964.

“I told them I would g�ve them a l�ttle t�me �f they prom�sed

me that they d�dn’t have any fool�shness planned,” sa�d hasse, who

emceed the banquet. “they weren’t on the program.”

Wash�ngton was a los angeles recru�t from a d�fficult fam�ly

s�tuat�on, and Wheeler came from detro�t, and both capta�ned the

1966 team. Both had found a father figure �n the ex�gent Kerbel.

the two team leaders muscled a large box to the lectern and

extracted a gluttonous trophy, present�ng �t to Kerbel as a g�ft from

the players.

“It sent Joe to tears,” Hasse recalled. “He just started bawling and sobbing.”

“ They weren’t on the program.”

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 41

“ Both had found a father figure in the exigent Kerbel.”

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 43


A D ay i n t h e S u n

out �n the West texas town of el Paso, they play a

game called the sun Bowl. And on the last day of 1962, Jerry Don Logan was its star.

It’s the second-oldest cont�nually played bowl game

�n the nCaa ranks, beh�nd only the rose Bowl, and

�t carr�ed w�th �t a great amount of prest�ge for West

texas players and fans. Many of them made the tr�p by

car, and others stayed home to watch �t on tV—a rare

thr�ll at the t�me. the Buffs themselves flew to el Paso

by jet and were put up �n a swanky hotel as they got

ready to face oh�o un�vers�ty for the first t�me at the

end of a tr�umphant season that saw only two losses.

It was a close one, w�th Wt edg�ng oh�o 16–15

thanks to a late-game two-po�nt convers�on. logan

was a dec�d�ng factor �n the w�n and was named �ts

Most Valuable Player. In those days, players played

both ways, on offense and defense, and logan excelled

on e�ther s�de of the ball. In the sun Bowl game he was

l�terally all over the field, mak�ng tackles and ass�sts

left and r�ght, break�ng up passes, runn�ng back punts,

and catch�ng a touchdown pass.

and though h�s play on that day certa�nly warranted

MVP recogn�t�on, �t wasn’t an unusually great perfor-

mance by logan’s except�onal standards.

“It was really just a normal game for Jerry,” says

Quarterback Corky dawson, who was also logan’s

roommate at Wt.

logan, who had a background as a rancher �n

Graham, texas, was one of the early greats at Wt

dur�ng the Coach Joe Kerbel era. he went on to have a

sturdy ten-year career w�th the Balt�more Colts �n the

nfl, and was on the w�nn�ng s�de aga�nst the dallas

Cowboys �n super Bowl V (�n wh�ch Wt’s duane thomas

also played.)

In 1962, when Pete Pedro was down w�th �njur�es,

logan led the nat�on �n scor�ng and returned s�x �nter-

cept�ons for a total of 168 yards. aga�nst ar�zona state

that year, logan returned one n�nety n�ne yards for a

game-w�nn�ng touchdown.

“out of all the great athletes that have played at

Wt, he was probably the best all-around,” says dawson.

“he could l�terally do everyth�ng—he could run, catch,

punt, return punts . . . he would even block field goals.”

and though sheer speed wasn’t logan’s greatest

weapon, he made up for �t w�th unbel�evable qu�ckness

and an amaz�ng ab�l�ty to ant�c�pate the d�rect�on of

the play.

“there are few athletes that are born w�th such

natural �nst�ncts,” says Jerry Behrens, another team-

mate. “Logan was two steps ahead of everybody—he could analyze the play at the snap of the ball. He just always had a jump on things.”

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 45

T h e O r i g i n a l P i s t o l

years before Pete Marav�ch put lsu on the map w�th

h�s jaw-dropp�ng basketball sk�lls, college football fans

thought of one man when they heard the name “P�stol

Pete.” It was an unlikely speedster named Pete Pedro, who once scored six touch-downs in a single game for the Buffs.

unl�kely because Pedro was from lynn, Massachu-

setts, a suburb of Boston and a world away from Canyon,

texas—and �n fact, nearly a three-day tra�n r�de.

to th�s day P�stol Pete rema�ns one of the very

favor�te players �n the canon of Wt greats. Coach

Kerbel’s staff heard about Pedro �n a roundabout way.

he had played at tr�n�dad Jun�or College �n southern

Colorado, but had also appl�ed to attend a college �n

Cal�forn�a. he d�dn’t meet the adm�ss�on requ�rements

there, but somehow h�s stats, �nclud�ng an �mpress�ve

9.7 seconds �n the one hundred-yard dash, got Kerbel’s

attent�on.

Pedro �s Puerto r�can, but many thought he was

black because of h�s dark sk�n. he had grown up �n

a mostly Ital�an ne�ghborhood, so race was never an

�ssue back home. and �t wasn’t at West texas, e�ther.

“My mother sa�d to Coach Kerbel, ‘you better not

make h�m r�de on the back of the bus,’ and he sa�d, ‘you

don’t have to worry about that.’”

Pedro acclimated quickly to Canyon, on and off the field. He remembers that Jerry Don Logan, whom he called “Cowboy,” bought him his first jeans, boots, and Stetson hat. though d�m�nut�ve at just five foot

seven and 150 pounds, Pedro was a dazzl�ng runner who

was th�rd-team all-amer�can h�s first season and once

scored s�x touchdowns aga�nst texas West�n. unfortu-

nately, knee problems shortened h�s career, though he

d�d play one season w�th h�s hometown Boston Patr�ots

and another w�th toronto �n the Canad�an football

league.

he met h�s future w�fe wh�le at Wt, and together

they had five ch�ldren. Pedro went on to work �n the

educat�on field, eventually becom�ng v�ce pr�nc�pal of

an alternat�ve h�gh school. he loves return�ng to Wt, as

he d�d �n 2000 when he was honored as one of the top

100 sports legends of the Panhandle.

“Every time I go there it’s unbelievable. I get a big welcome,” he said. “If I had to do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 47

Kerbel’s attenuated emot�onal outburst was juxtaposed to h�s devot�on to football

coach�ng legends Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bud W�lk�nson. In h�s decade-plus-one tenure,

Kerbel became an en�gma wrapped �n a mystery and shrouded �n contrad�ct�ons. Kerbel

recollect�ons span the range from the b�zarre to the emot�ve.

In 1966 West texas state opened the season by play�ng newly named texas-arl�ngton

(formerly arl�ngton state) at the Buffalo Bowl on september 17. Wash�ngton quarter-

backed the Buffs, and Karl W�ll�ams of K�rkpatr�ck h�gh �n fort Worth quarterbacked

the uta rebels. Both quarterbacks were black, and th�s may have been the first major

college football game to have two start�ng black QBs.

Kerbel was fanat�cally comm�tted to h�s players and refused to call them by anyth�ng

other than the�r g�ven names. Mercury Morr�s was “eugene” and P�stol Pete Pedro was

“Peter.” yet the coach was a firebrand who marched up and down the Wt s�del�nes bark�ng

orders to players, shout�ng obscen�t�es, and �mplor�ng players to g�ve more. “he was

just very �ntense,” hasse sa�d. “The players respected him and feared him at the same time. I don’t think any of them really liked playing for him at the time, but they were devoted to him.”

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 49

Even before Frank Kush’s antics made history at Arizona State University, Joe Kerbel was slinging players onto and off of WT football fields in fits of rage, and yet worked double time to protect them from negative influences. Players learned the

Kerbel way early and dec�s�vely. s�nce 1925, Wt letter w�nners

were �nducted �nto the t-Club, a r�te of passage that somet�mes

ended pa�nfully. some t-Club �nductees even allowed other club

members to brand g�ant ts on the�r chests �n add�t�on to other

forms of haz�ng.

former Wt player and profess�onal wrestler dory funk’s t-

brand came at the end of a spark w�re connected to an ant�que

telephone crank. and he looked forward to do�ng l�kew�se to the

next crop of t-Club �nductees. But Kerbel ended the pract�ce �n

h�s second year as coach.

“Kerbel called a team meet�ng and la�d

down the law; there would be no such haz�ng,

no brand�ng of the young athletes, and

anyone �nvolved �n haz�ng would be �mmed�-

ately d�sm�ssed from the team and k�cked off

scholarsh�p. We were a team work�ng together

for a common cause, and no haz�ng would be

tolerated,” funk recalled. the next season,

Wt went 9–2, �nclud�ng a sun Bowl w�n.

unk recalled.

for a common cause, and no haz

tolerated,” funk recalled. unk recalled.

nclud�ng a sun Bowl w

tolerated,” funk recalled.

Wt went 9–2, �nclud

nductees. But Kerbel ended the pract


Jerry don logan, who would later play for a decade �n the Balt�more Colts’ defens�ve

backfield, was the sun Bowl MVP and led the nat�on �n scor�ng. P�stol Pete Pedro led the

nat�on �n rush�ng the same year.

as a former Mar�ne, Kerbel carr�ed h�s wart�me exper�ence to the gr�d�ron w�th elongated

pract�ces and a constant barrage of mercur�al orders that he began us�ng dur�ng h�s early

successful years as a h�gh school coach �n Breckenr�dge, texas, and later at amar�llo h�gh

school. one former Wt player confided �n hasse that after h�s t�me at Wt, he entered the

army and went through the r�gorous army ranger tra�n�ng. “He told me that every time he felt like quitting, he would remind himself that he had made it through Joe Kerbel two-a-days,” says Hasse. “Everything after that was a breeze.”

Kerbel told hasse that as a Mar�ne he had seen sold�ers d�e �n combat because someone

�n the�r un�t d�dn’t carry h�s we�ght. he would hold Wt football players to the same standard

as he d�d the Mar�nes under h�s command. Kerbel’s reckon�ng was no respecter of persons.

after a spectacular rush�ng performance, crack runn�ng back duane thomas ended a long

run by stepp�ng out of bounds. Kerbel exploded, k�cked h�m off the team, and ra�led at

h�m through the next defens�ve ser�es. By the next offens�ve possess�on, he had re�nstated

thomas. from that po�nt forward, thomas rout�nely ran over defenders at the end of runs.

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 51


Q u i c k a s M e r c u r y

here are the facts:

Mercury was the roman god who was known for h�s

sw�ftness and mob�l�ty.

the element mercury �s named for the god and �s

also called “qu�cks�lver.”

the planet Mercury takes nearly three months to

orb�t the sun.

In h�s day, �t must have seemed that young eugene

Morr�s, w�th h�s l�ghtn�ng qu�ckness, could have made

the tr�p much sooner—and w�th lots of flash and style.

Morris, perhaps the most famous West Texas sports figure of all time, earned his dashing nickname soon after arriving in Canyon from the faraway metropolis of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. unt�l he was pegged

w�th the memorable mon�ker, he was known as eugene.

amar�llo newspaper column�st frank Godsoe, now de-

ceased, �s bel�eved to have been the first to put the tag

on Morr�s.

“I remember they were say�ng he was ‘qu�ck as

mercury, ’ ” says former teammate, coach, and longt�me

fr�end ronn�e Mank�n. “all I can say �s, �t certa�nly

seemed appropr�ate.”

and talk about double trouble: Morr�s was just a year

ahead of duane thomas, another of Wt’s true greats,

and as a pa�r �n the backfield they were almost unbeat-

able. thomas was flu�d, smooth, and defin�tely strong.

But Morr�s, a l�ttle b�t smaller, was also known for h�s

speed and qu�ckness and had surpr�s�ng and �ncred�ble

strength and power.

“he had the upper-body strength that allowed h�m to

break tackles,” says Mank�n. “It was l�ke h�tt�ng a p�ece

of steel. People could not arm-tackle h�m at all.”

after h�s groundbreak�ng tenure at West

texas, the two-t�me all-amer�can, w�th l�ttle

surpr�se from anyone, was the th�rd player

chosen �n the 1969 nfl draft.

He went on, of course, to become an integral part of perhaps the best NFL team of all time, the Miami Dolphins of the early 1970s. he

ga�ned more than one

thousand yards as

M�am� went undefeated

of steel. People could not arm-tackle h

ng tenure at West

mer�can, w�th l�ttle

se from anyone, was the th�rd player

draft.

He went on, of course, to become an integral part of perhaps the best NFL team of all time, the Miami Dolphins of

he

ned more than one

thousand yards as

went undefeated

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 53

�n 1972, and ga�ned cruc�al yards for them �n three

super Bowls.

But before he wore the aqua and orange of the

dolph�ns under Coach don shula, Morr�s left �ndel�ble

marks on West texas dur�ng h�s three seasons as a

Buffalo. In 1967 and ’69 he—and the un�vers�ty—

earned a h�gher profile as he was runn�ng v�rtually neck-

and-neck w�th the un�vers�ty of southern Cal�forn�a’s

o. J. “the Ju�ce” s�mpson, who ult�mately captured the

coveted he�sman trophy, g�ven to college football’s

most outstand�ng player.

“Merc,” as h�s former teammates affect�onately call

h�m, set nCaa records at Wt for most yards �n a career

(3,388), most yards �n a season (1,571), and most

yards �n a game (340). During the years that he was in the backfield, the Buffs lost only eight games. He averaged more than six yards a carry.

And he gained them quickly.

Golden Age for running Backs

the 1960s was the golden age for Wt football. the Buffs won more games

dur�ng the 1960s than �n any other decade before or s�nce. As WT’s winningest coach, Kerbel sent twenty-one players to the NFL via draft and dozens of others as free agents.Kerbel was one of the early �ntercolleg�ate coaches to understand the

�mportance of speed, part�cularly at the runn�ng back pos�t�on. Wt con-

tr�buted to the nfl backfields P�stol Pete Pedro, Mercury Morr�s, rocky

thompson, and duane thomas, among others.

Wt had won just two games �n two years before Kerbel replaced

Clark Jarnag�n. In eleven years he re�gn�ted the program, amass�ng

a 68–42–1 record and w�nn�ng two bowl games along the way, the

1962 sun Bowl and the 1967 Jun�or rose Bowl. Kerbel was fired �n

1971 am�dst a sw�rl of controversy and a polar�zed commun�ty.

“It broke h�s heart,” sa�d hasse. “I went to v�s�t h�m r�ght after

the announcement. he was s�tt�ng �n h�s house w�th h�s beloved dog

and was heartbroken and angry.”

Just two years later, Kerbel would d�e of a heart attack. Wt football

would never aga�n scale the he�ghts of d�v�s�on I that �t d�d under

Kerbel, who struggled w�th h�s we�ght and suffered from chron�c back

pa�n and c�rculat�on a�lments throughout h�s Wt career.

Golden Age


t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 55


D u a n e T h o m a s a n d W e s t T e x a s

W�th assured s�desteps and eye-bl�nk�ng d�splays of

unquest�onable power, duane thomas qu�ckly but

del�berately carved h�s own un�que h�story �nto the Wt

legacy. and he d�d �t one sw�ft and sh�fty, confident

step at a t�me.

dur�ng those glory days, Wt’s beloved #33 often

thought of the cowboys and front�er men who had come

before to stake the�r own but d�fferent cla�ms. leav�ng

home �n south dallas for the relat�ve unknown of l�ttle

Canyon, texas, was somewhat of a W�ld West adventure

for thomas—and espec�ally as a black athlete �n the

1960s try�ng to prove h�mself �n the relat�vely l�ly-

wh�te realm of major college football.

the strong and speedy thomas had just started play�ng

football �n the n�nth grade but was an early bloomer.

desp�te �nterest from other colleges, he jumped at the

chance to play at West texas—for many reasons. as �t

turned out, he would become one of the true Wt greats

as he shared the backfield and learned firsthand from

other standout players l�ke quarterback Pete Wash�ng-

ton and such great runners as eugene “Mercury” Morr�s,

ronn�e Mank�n, and alb�e owens. But he would also pave his own golden path that would lead to two years with the Dallas Cowboys, Rookie of the Year honors, scoring the

first touchdown in the now-landmark Texas Stadium, and leading “America’s Team” to victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI in 1972.

thomas, who now l�ves �n san d�ego, has lots of

memor�es reserved for the occas�onal t�me for reflect�on.

and West texas comes to m�nd often, he says. Wh�le he

had other college offers, he says go�ng to Wt was “abso-

lutely” the best dec�s�on he could have made.

he saw an opportun�ty to show h�s sk�lls on the field

and to sat�sfy an unbr�dled pass�on for travel. Because

the Buffs were �ndependent, and not confined to

reg�onal conference games, �t was a chance for h�m—�n

many ways—to break �nto the great w�de open. road

tr�ps �n those days took h�m, �n h�gh style �n the late

1960s, to far-flung, exc�t�ng tr�ps to great amer�can

places l�ke tempe and las Cruces and salt lake C�ty,

and even over to Memph�s and up to fargo, all the

t�me marvel�ng at the amer�can countrys�de from the

fr�endly sk�es above.

the young star was recru�ted from all s�des, and

was tempted by other offers, some of them reportedly

�nvolv�ng cash and cars. But Coach Joe Kerbel’s stra�ght

talk w�th thomas’s father, a hard-work�ng contractor

whom young duane had learned to respect greatly,

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 57

sealed the deal. Kerbel offered someth�ng more bas�c:

“We don’t give money,” the Kerbel story goes, “and we don’t give special favors. But I guarantee you two things: one, we’ll give him an education; two, he’ll have the opportunity to play football.”

dad’s response was that not only would Kerbel get

duane, but the other thomas sons as well. (duane’s

brother Bertrand worked as a tra�ner and frankl�n, Jr.,

played as a backup guard and l�nebacker.)

Wh�le other former Buffs have m�xed feel�ngs about

Kerbel and h�s somet�mes-harsh ways, duane thomas

says he always took Kerbel’s h�str�on�cs �n str�de and

was thankful to have a great coach, as he had also

exper�enced at the all-black l�ncoln h�gh.

“race was never an �ssue w�th Coach Kerbel,” thomas

re�terates. “he loved and respected all of the players,

across the board.”

as for the travel, wh�ch thomas longed for: “It was

first-class all the way. our pract�ce fac�l�t�es and travel

arrangements were top-notch. We would travel just l�ke

a pro team; we had chartered fl�ghts and stayed �n the

n�cest hotels.”

thomas would go on to exper�ence th�s first-class

treatment for two years as a dallas Cowboy and two more

as a Wash�ngton redsk�n. he would play �n super Bowl

VI �n 1972, w�th former runn�ng mate Mercury Morr�s

challeng�ng thomas’s Cowboys as part of the dynam�c

M�am� dolph�ns’ backfield. thomas was offens�ve rook�e

of the year w�th dallas �n 1970, a key player �n the�r

first-ever super Bowl w�n, and was seem�ngly on top of

the world.

W�th the flashy and fleet Morr�s—duane’s former

backfield mate—on the oppos�ng s�de, fellow Cowboys

looked for �ns�ght from thomas.

“I remember [Cowboys defens�ve back] Mel renfro

say�ng, ‘What can you tell me about th�s guy, Mercury?’

and I sa�d, ‘I’ll tell you one th�ng . . . don’t let h�m get

past you, or you’ll never catch h�m.’ ”

renfro and the other Cowboys were able to conta�n

Morr�s and headbang�ng bru�sers larry Csonka and J�m

K��ck as they dom�nated the dolph�ns 24–3.

old pal eugene wasn’t a factor �n the game, though

he would help lead M�am� to an unprecedented and

perfect 17–0 season the next year.

thomas sa�d he was never surpr�sed at—and never

jealous of—Morr�s’s success, and feels that they each

made the other better through the�r exper�ences of

runn�ng �n tandem and block�ng for one another at Wt.

one th�ng �s puzzl�ng to thomas, though:

“I was faster than Merc at first, but he went back home [in the off-season] and then came back and he was fast, man. I haven’t been able to catch him since.”

Wh�le Kerbel fulm�nated along the s�del�nes of Buffalo stad�um, d�m�nut�ve basketball coach J�mmy V�ra-

montes and p�oneer�ng allene stovall were attempt�ng to resusc�tate the long-dormant men’s basketball

program and to remake women’s sports, respect�vely.

V�ramontes had replaced Metz lafollette �n 1963 w�th an eye toward resurrect�ng the fame Wt had

cult�vated more than twenty years pr�or. student journal�sts descr�bed V�ramontes as “an �ntense man who

approaches perpetual mot�on,” and he was able to encourage h�s team to a 13–9 record, the best �n more

than a decade.

not long after, Wt offic�als were outlaw�ng “the dog dance” on campus and students were post�ng

“au h20” s�gns consp�cuously around campus. yet V�ramontes was never able to take advantage of the

momentum. In fact, by the end of the 1967 season, Wt had exper�enced �ts worst season ever at 1–18. they

beat only texas a&M �n a stunn�ng upset. one sports pund�t op�ned that �t “was �ndeed a gray year.”

V�ramontes was out and former Wt star denn�s “duck” Wall�ng stepped �n and �mmed�ately del�vered a

more respectable 10–11 record �n the next season. By the following season, the 18–7 program had received its first NIT bid since 1942, won more games than any WT team since 1951, and earned new respectability among its rivals.

renaissancenated along the s�del�nes of Buffalo stad�um, d�m�nut�ve basketball coach J�mmy V�ra-

enaissance


as duck Wall�ng was rebu�ld�ng the men’s basketball team, allene

stovall qu�etly cobbled together the framework for what would

become a dom�nant women’s athlet�c mach�ne.

Before her career had ended, stovall coached women’s bas-

ketball, volleyball, bowl�ng, badm�nton, cross country, golf,

softball, and track and field. she helped resurrect women’s sports

from the obscur�ty of �ntramural fields to leg�t�macy, and eventu-

ally found a place �n the Panhandle sports hall of fame.

she organ�zed teams on a shoestr�ng. a few players even sold

the�r own plasma to ra�se money for travel and un�forms.

Perhaps Stovall couldn’t have envisioned the powerhouse volleyball and basketball teams to come, but she would live to see some of them. her most obscure and least apprec�ated contr�but�on was find�ng

a way to gracefully jett�son the early Wt Buffettes for the current

women’s mon�ker of “lady Buffs.”

Women’s sports would spark �n the 1960s, slowly burn �n the

1970s, and �gn�te �n full burn �n the 1980s, and stovall would

l�ve to see her dream of a full-fledged women’s athlet�c program

come to fru�t�on.

no More Buffettes

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 59


“ B l o o d o n t h e M o o n ”

you can’t talk about West texas football w�thout talk�ng

about Coach Joe Kerbel. and h�s former players have

plenty to say.

Mostly, �t’s out of respect. they feared h�m—and

even hated h�m at t�mes—but came away from the�r

somet�mes-harsh exper�ences w�th last�ng respect.

Kerbel’s exper�ence as a u.s. Mar�ne framed h�s

approach as one of college football’s great taskmas-

ters. several former players commented that game day

was almost a rel�ef compared to the brutal marathon

pract�ce sess�ons.

ronn�e Mank�n, a nat�ve of Coleman, texas, came to

Wt �n 1963 as a quarterback. he later played runn�ng

back and defens�ve back and was a graduate ass�stant

�n ’67. he also coached under Gene Mayfield from 1970–

75. he says that Kerbel prepared h�s players for battle

on the field, and l�fe off of �t as well.

“he had a tremendous �nfluence on all of us,” Mank�n

says. “he taught us that there are go�ng to be ups and

downs, but you can’t stay down. you’ve got to get up

and keep go�ng.

“he was very much concerned w�th us be�ng good

c�t�zens as well. and most of the guys I played w�th

have been successful �n l�fe—good fathers, good

c�t�zens,” he sa�d.

Mankin’s initial impression of Kerbel was his sense of humor. “He was a Jackie Gleason-type guy. He could make anybody laugh at any time. He just had a great, great personality.

“unt�l I put on the un�form the first day, and then he

wasn’t funny anymore. he could put you on a pedestal

and make you feel you were on top of the world, and he

could also make you want to crawl �nto a cleat hole.”

“P�stol Pete” Pedro, a Wt star �n the early 1960s,

laughs when he remembers Kerbel’s un�que commands

and demands. “We would be at practice, and he would get onto the guys for not hitting hard enough. He would say, ‘I want to see blood on the moon!’”

Pedro remembers scor�ng touchdowns on four

stra�ght plays �n pract�ce. sens�ng that Kerbel had

warmed up to h�m, he made a s�mple request. h�s feet

had been hurt�ng because the screw-�n cleats they used

�n those days were pok�ng through the �nsoles of h�s

shoes and �nto h�s feet. he figured Kerbel would be

sympathet�c—after all, a great runner needs comfort-

able shoes—so he asked the coach �f he could get a

new pa�r. the coach’s response can’t be pr�nted here;

Pedro carr�ed on w�th h�s feet st�ll hurt�ng.

t h e 1 9 6 0 s \ 61

Pedro, though Puerto r�can, �s cons�dered to have

broken the “color l�ne” when he arr�ved at Wt �n 1961.

other m�nor�ty players are thankful that Kerbel was truly

color-bl�nd when �t came to race. he act�vely recru�ted

players from all parts of the un�ted states, �nclud�ng

Pedro from outs�de Boston and eugene “Mercury” Morr�s

from P�ttsburgh, Pennsylvan�a.

“Coach Kerbel was a very car�ng person,” says former

star runn�ng back duane thomas. “Everything was about family, about commitment, and

about developing character, developing manhood . . . . It was about creating cohe-siveness among the team.”

and, of course, “he had a great m�nd for the game,”

thomas says.

Pedro, who thought about go�ng back home to Mas-

sachusetts after h�s first spr�ng tra�n�ng under Kerbel,

changed h�s op�n�on qu�ckly. “We really d�d respect

h�m and he really d�d love us,” Pedro says. “he cared

about us.”

t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 63

Chapter 3:

The 1970s

a c a p r i c i o u s d e c a d e o f h i g h s a n d l o w s

b r u s h e s w i t h a t h l e t i c i m m o r t a l i t y

the departure of the revered and tumultuous

Joe Kerbel ushered �n more than the erud�te

Gene Mayfield as h�s replacement to lead Buff

football—Wt entered the M�ssour� Valley Confer-

ence, and the accompany�ng trava�ls of compet�ng

aga�nst a r�gorous schedule every year. Kerbel’s

departure also marked the beg�nn�ng of a capr�-

c�ous decade of h�ghs and lows. Indeed, Wt saw

plenty of gr�d�ron grow�ng pa�ns �n the ’70s.

he departure of the revered and tumultuous

Joe Kerbel ushered �n more than the erud�te

Gene Mayfield as h�s replacement to lead Buff

entered the M�ssour� Valley Confer-

ence, and the accompany�ng trava�ls of compet�ng

gorous schedule every year. Kerbel’s

departure also marked the beg�nn�ng of a capr�-

�ghs and lows. Indeed, Wt saw

ron grow�ng pa�ns �n the ’70s.

A capricious decade of highs and lows

t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 65

“there seemed to be a lot more lows than h�ghs [�n the

1970s],” descr�bed ronn�e Mank�n, who played and coached for

Kerbel and cont�nued h�s coach�ng career w�th Mayfield unt�l

1975. Mayfield had left odessa Perm�an h�gh school w�th a 62–

10–2 record, a state champ�onsh�p, and two state

final�sts �n five years. Perhaps more �mportantly,

Mayfield had earned l�ttle all-amer�can honors

wh�le lead�ng the Buffs to a sun Bowl v�ctory �n

1950. Mayfield was ostens�bly com�ng home.

Kerbel, on the other hand, was d�sm�ssed on

february 8, 1970, four days after the death of h�s

coach�ng predecessor, frank K�mbrough, who had led

the Buffs from 1947–57, and whose teams had posted

w�ns �n the sun and tanger�ne Bowls.

Wh�le K�mbrough’s teams had posted one of the

best (10–1) and one of the worst (1–8) seasons �n

Wt h�story, �t was Kerbel’s d�sm�ssal that polar�zed Wt

football fans. Kerbel �mmed�ately fired verbal salvos

aga�nst the Wt Board of regents, call�ng them “an

�nexper�enced board . . . w�th whom I have never even

had the opportun�ty to confer.”

the 1971 yearbook wr�ter asked “the quest�on that

many asked follow�ng the d�sm�ssal . . . . ‘Is that any way

to repay Kerbel for gett�ng West texas state �n the MVC?’”

on Kerbel’s last day on campus, he told a student jour-

nal�st that he had “no apolog�es to make for my staff, my

players, or for myself.” and �n latent protest, Wt students

�n 1971 named the�r newest Buffalo mascot “l�ttle Joe”

�n Kerbel’s honor.

th�s was the env�ronment Gene Mayfield walked �nto.

and he saw only l�m�ted success.


t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 67

Mayfield swapped the pro-style offense �nst�tuted by Kerbel and replaced �t w�th the run-

or�ented w�shbone offense. and although Mayfield was only able to assemble one w�nn�ng

season �n five campa�gns, he managed to grab a share of the MVC �n Wt’s first conference

season. Wt wouldn’t w�n another conference champ�onsh�p unt�l B�ll yung re�gn�ted the Wt

pro-style offense and took the Buffs to the top �n 1977.

Mayfield also sent a handful of players to the nfl, most notably offens�ve l�neman John

ayers, who went to three super Bowls—two w�th san franc�sco

and one w�th denver. (ayers returned to Canyon after

h�s profess�onal career had ended and d�ed �n 1995

after los�ng a bout w�th l�ver cancer.)

Mank�n bel�eves that the lack of college-level

coach�ng exper�ence, the sh�ft to the w�shbone,

and a strong emphas�s on

recru�t�ng locally kept

Mayfield’s teams from

gather�ng tract�on.

enver. (ayers returned to Canyon after enver. (

onal career had ended and d

ng a bout w

eves that the lack of college-level

ence, the sh

and a strong emphas

ng locally kept


on.

enver. (ayers returned to Canyon after

onal career had ended and d�ed �n 1995

ng a bout w�th l�ver cancer.)

eves that the lack of college-level

ence, the sh�ft to the w�shbone,

and a strong emphas�s on

ng locally kept


on.


t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 69

In th�s notable decade women’s sports advanced �n the texas Comm�ss�on of Intercolleg�ate

athlet�cs for Women, but Wt left the MVC before �ts first women’s conference champ�onsh�ps.

Men’s tenn�s was the only Wt team to establ�sh an early dom�nance �n the MVC, allow�ng Coach

dav�d Kent to promulgate a legacy set by h�s father, who played tenn�s at Wt �n the 1920s.

Bob K�tchens also establ�shed h�s coach�ng legacy �n track and field, mentor�ng s�x nCaa all-

amer�cans and seventy M�ssour� Valley Conference champ�ons, and be�ng named MVC Coach of the

year after lead�ng the Buffs to the 1977 MVC cross country and the 1979 MVC �ndoor t�tles. Perhaps

more remarkable was that K�tchens’s teams overpowered southern Ill�no�s, whose squads had won

each prev�ous MVC t�tle �n the 1970s.

Basketball faced up to the demands of mid-major competition when Coach Ron Ekker traveled to Chicago to recruit a hot prospect; he returned with a lesser-known talent—Maurice Cheeks. the angular Cheeks would set a bevy of Wt records

and launch the most prol�fic nBa career of any Wt player before or s�nce. desp�te two years of

probat�on for recru�t�ng v�olat�ons, Wt challenged for the MVC t�tle �n basketball throughout most of

the 1970s. Cheeks was a three-t�me all-M�ssour� Valley Conference p�ck, tw�ce to the first team.

The passing of Frank Kimbrough, longtime coach and athletic director, also marked the evolution of WT to a fully developed athletic program. The Buffalo Bowl was renamed in 1971 to honor Kimbrough’s memory.


t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 71

Brushes with Athletic immortality

t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ \ \ 71

As WT walked through the transom leading to the MVC, it welcomed more rigorous competition and brushes with athletic immortality: larry B�rd pa�d a v�s�t to the amar�llo C�v�c

Center and eked out a w�n for Ind�ana state. In 1972, ekker welcomed

Cheeks, who would forever etch h�s name �n nBa h�story as a champ�onsh�p

po�nt guard for the Ph�ladelph�a 76ers and a coach w�th the Portland tra�l

Blazers and the 76ers—and maybe as the greatest player �n Buff annals.

ekker would go on to make h�s own �mpr�nt �n the nBa as well, as an ass�stant

coach and scout w�th several teams.

Pat W�ll�ams chron�cles a conversat�on between ekker and legendary coach

John Wooden �n h�s book How to be Like Coach Wooden. ekker was dr�v�ng

Wooden back to the amar�llo a�rport after Wooden had del�vered a speech on campus. “It was a w�ndy, dreary

n�ght, and as we got �n the car, Wooden sa�d, ‘It’s got to be a tough job recru�t�ng here.’ I sa�d, ‘Well, �t �s

�solated and there’s no soc�al l�fe, but that allows the players to concentrate on basketball.’”

Wooden then recounted how d�fficult �t was for h�m to recru�t dur�ng h�s early years at uCla. Most sports

pund�ts thought of uCla as a “football school.”

“My staff kept say�ng, ‘We can’t recru�t. We can’t do th�s or that.’ you’ve got to get r�d of that att�tude before

you can succeed,” he told ekker.

Pr�or to ekker’s arr�val, “Maroon Madness” had gr�pped the �mag�nat�on of Wt bas-

ketball fans and Coach denn�s “duck” Wall�ng had—temporar�ly—ho�sted the Wt men’s

program from the doldrums of the 1960s to respectab�l�ty. after a 1969 nIt appearance,

though, Wt’s men had crumbled to a 9–17 fin�sh and 2–10 �n conference play by 1972,

�ts first year �n the MVC. the men’s team l�terally l�mped �nto the MVC w�th a flurry of

�njur�es that s�del�ned at least s�x players dur�ng the year. By 1973, Wall�ng had passed

the torch to naIa standout coach ekker.

ekker’s team �mmed�ately posted an 11–15 and 5–8 conference record. the follow�ng

season the Buffs collapsed w�th a 9–17 record, fin�sh�ng last �n the MVC. r�s�ng from

the ashes of the 1974 season debacle was the Wt l�neup w�th Cheeks on board.


Perhaps the b�ggest—or at least most exc�t�ng—

game of ekker’s and Cheeks’s career came on January 9,

1975, when Wt played the th�rd-ranked un�vers�ty of

lou�sv�lle �n the amar�llo C�v�c Center Col�seum. W�th

the score t�ed at fifty one w�th e�ghteen seconds

rema�n�ng, Cheeks drove the lane and put up a shot

that was choked back by s�x foot n�ne lou�sv�lle center

B�ll Bunton. he swatted the ball hard enough to reach

m�dcourt, where Card�nal guard Ph�ll�p Bond snatched

the ball and waltzed �n for a le�surely, game-w�nn�ng

layup.

nearly one year later, on January 3, 1976, ekker’s

Buffaloes shocked legendary coach denny Crum’s

Card�nals by a score of 84–78 �n overt�me at freedom

hall �n lou�sv�lle. the w�n propelled the Buffs to a top

20 rank�ng and a final season mark of 19–7. they lost

to lou�sv�lle 69–57 later �n the season before a record

crowd of 6,308 at the amar�llo C�v�c Center.

t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 73


“ L i t t l e M o ”

he was dwarfed �n compar�son by some of the Buffs’

legendary tall players of the 1940s, but Maur�ce Cheeks

towers above even that generat�on �n terms of h�s

accompl�shments both at West texas and beyond.

The six-foot, one-inch Cheeks went on to make major marks in the NBA both as a player and coach. Besides his accom-plishments on the basketball court, he’s remembered and loved at WT as an all-around great player and for his personal integrity and inspiring work ethic.

l�ke many of Wt’s athlet�c greats, Cheeks came

from outs�de the area. he grew up on Ch�cago’s

hardscrabble south s�de and made h�s way south to

Canyon because, somewhat unbel�evably, very few

other schools recru�ted h�m.

It wasn’t a natural fit at first, and Cheeks strongly

cons�dered leav�ng Wt beh�nd after h�s freshman year.

But h�s mother �ns�sted that he stay �n school, and

he went on to have an amaz�ng career that paved the

way for fifteen years �n the nBa as a po�nt guard—

eleven w�th the Ph�ladelph�a 76ers—and more years

as a coach. he led the Portland tra�l Blazers as head

coach from 2001 to 2005, and was then h�red to take

the helm of h�s beloved s�xers.

h�s graceful ball handl�ng and cons�stent play put

h�m at the top or near the top of many of Wt’s all-t�me

basketball ach�evements. he started for four years and

was named Most Valuable Player three t�mes and all-

M�ssour� Valley Conference before graduat�ng �n 1978.

he averaged 16.8 po�nts h�s sen�or year and shot for

56.8 percent from the field, fin�sh�ng fourth on Wt’s

all-t�me scor�ng l�st w�th 1,227 po�nts.

“he was an all-around player w�th �ntell�gence and

great phys�cal sk�lls,” sa�d Jerry schaeffer, a teammate

�n the 1970s who rema�ns a fr�end. “he had unbel�ev-

able qu�ckness. he was a world-class athlete and was

very, very strong.”

on and off the court, Cheeks had �ncred�ble char�sma

and a magnet�c personal�ty, though he was somewhat

naturally shy and ret�cent, schaeffer sa�d.

“Maur�ce was a guy who was always very engaged

w�th people when they were �n h�s presence. he was

�ns�ghtful and able to connect w�th people then and

there. He would always stop and give you his full attention. Because of that, he became a real treasure to the campus when he was here. Everybody loved him,” says schaeffer.

and help�ng h�m to make the trans�t�on from urban

Ch�cago to rural Canyon was a couple �n amar�llo named

John and Betty sol�s. they essent�ally “adopted” the

young Cheeks—and other players over the years—and

made h�m feel at home. “Betty was a great cook,” says

shaeffer. “she reached out to some of the players that

t h e 1 9 7 0 s \ 75

she thought needed a fam�ly outs�de the�r

own fam�ly.”

Wh�le he was at Wt, a scout from Ph�la-

delph�a got to see Cheeks �n act�on several

t�mes, and the s�xers eventually selected

h�m �n the second round (the th�rty-s�xth

player selected overall) �n the 1978 draft. he

went on to star alongs�de such s�xers greats as

Jul�us “dr. J.” erv�ng and Moses Malone—both

of them legends �n the nBa—and because of

h�s ach�evements and cons�stency, eventu-

ally had h�s #10 ceremon�ously ret�red by the

Ph�ladelph�a organ�zat�on.

It was �n the early 1980s that Cheeks

became known as “l�ttle Mo,” as a contrast

to “B�g Mo,” Moses Malone, who stood n�ne

�nches taller.

In the nBa, Cheeks averaged 11.1

po�nts and 6.7 ass�sts per game. he played

�n 1,101 games, scored a total of 12,195

po�nts, and had 7,392 ass�sts. at the

t�me of h�s ret�rement, he was the nBa’s

all-t�me leader �n steals, w�th 2,310.

he played �n the nBa all-star Game

four t�mes and helped Ph�ladelph�a go

to the finals four t�mes, w�nn�ng the

champ�onsh�p �n 1983.

xers greats as

ng and Moses Malone—both

—and because of

stency, eventu-

red by the

n the early 1980s that Cheeks

ttle Mo,” as a contrast

ne

Chapter 4:

The 1980sa n e l e g a n t c u l t u r e

w o m e n ’ s . . . a n d m e n ’ s v o l l e y b a l l

s p e e d a n d t h e t h r e e

a s t r i n g o f f o u r

l o s s . . . a n d g a i n

w o m e n ’ s s o f t b a l l

If Allene Stovall cultivated WT women’s sports in the 1960s and ’70s, Bob Schneider didn’t bother harvesting the crops—he and his Lady Buff basketball team set the field of women’s sports ablaze in the 1980s and ’90s, fulfilling Frankie Broyles’s prophecy sixty years prior.

An elegant culture

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 79

The trek to WT for Schneider meandered through the arable ranks of Texas Pan-handle girls’ basketball, its own polestar for collegiate recruiting. In forty-three years

of coach�ng, schne�der’s teams posted only two los�ng

seasons. he was pred�ctably rewarded w�th a place

�n the texas h�gh school Basketball hall of fame.

after a short st�nt at texas Woman’s un�vers�ty,

schne�der planted h�mself �n Canyon and cho-

reographed the elegant mythos that became

Wt’s legend �n d�v�s�on II women’s basket-

ball. In the wake of the lady Buffs’ success

floated a troupe of talented players,

many of whom followed schne�der �nto

the coach�ng ranks.

The trek to WT for Schneider meandered through the arable ranks of Texas Pan-handle girls’ basketball, its own polestar for collegiate recruiting.

der’s teams posted only two los

e was pred

gh

fter a short st

der planted h


’s legend

ball. In the wake of the


many of whom followed

the coach

through the arable ranks of Texas Pan-handle girls’ basketball, its own polestar for collegiate recruiting.of coach�ng, schne�

seasons. he was pred

�n the texas texas t h�gh

after a short st

schne�der planted h


Wt’s legend

ball. In the wake of the


many of whom followed

the coach

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 81

after los�ng twelve games �n both the 1981 and

1982 seasons, twenty more years would pass before

the lady Buffs roundballers would drop a dozen games

�n a s�ngle season. W�nn�ng became the lady Buffs’

elegant culture, an expectat�on, a noblesse that

�gn�ted all of women’s athlet�cs.

Under Schneider’s coaching mastery, the Lady Buffs staged twenty-five straight winning seasons and launched one of the most storied women’s programs since moving into Division II play in 1986. the

r�se of lady Buff basketball came just �n t�me for Wt

to m�grate from the remote M�ssour� Valley Conference

to the more fam�l�ar compet�t�on �n the lone star

Conference.

“Winning became the lady Buffs’elegant culture, an expectation, a noblesse

that ignited all of women’s athletics.”

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 83

The Lady Buff basketball team’s list of accomplishments became almost mythical in Division II basketball; among other Division II coaches, Schneider inhales rarified air.

· 585–163 at WTAMU· Twenty five straight winning seasons (Schneider’s

WT teams never posted a losing record) · Eighteen seasons with 20-plus wins· 1997 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s

NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year · NCAA Invitational Tournament Runners-Up· Only two losing basketball seasons in more than 43

years of coaching · Eight Lone Star Conference titles· Two Women’s National Invitational Tournament

appearances In 1988 the lady Buffs posted the best season �n �ts h�story, fin�sh�ng at

33–1 and as nCaa tournament runners-up. along the way, the lady Buffs

captured a str�ng of four lone star Conference Champ�onsh�ps even though

they played only half of the decade �n the lsC. they followed the near-

perfect 1988 campa�gn w�th a 26–3 season and a th�rd stra�ght lsC t�tle.

Wt’s teresa t�nner was named lsC Player of the year and leona Gerber was

named all-Conference.


t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 85

At the same time that the women’s basketball team was gaining dominance, women’s volleyball was producing conference-threatening teams in the 1980s that became national menaces into the 1990s, tak�ng advantage of a robust

supply of local athletes. Panhandle athletes who rema�ned close to home were

v�rtually assured four w�nn�ng seasons and postseason play.

By the m�ddle of the ’80s, K�m hudson ratcheted up the women’s volley-

ball program just �n t�me for the trans�t�on from the old o�l Country athlet�c

Conference to the lsC. Pr�or to hudson’s arr�val, Wt had jumped from a 2–27

record �n 1979 to a 23–13–2 record �n 1980 and earned a b�d to the reg�onal

tournament at uta under Coach Bobb�e Cox.

In 1982 the lady Buffs won the o�l Country athlet�c Conference w�th a

38–21 record �n Carmen Penn�ck’s first year. three seasons later they lost a

share of the 1985 conference t�tle by .00203 po�nts �n the league’s complex

scor�ng system.

dur�ng hudson’s first year �n 1986, Wt �mproved from a 10–24 season to

a 25–7 w�nn�ng program. In 1989 hudson’s g�rls closed out the decade w�th

a 33–8 record to w�n the lsC. hudson and the double threat of s�sters J�ll

and Jul�e Myatt stamped the close of the 1980s w�th a forebod�ng volleyball

dom�nance.

Player eve Posey set the stage for the oncom�ng decade—and eventually

the greatest season �n Wt volleyball h�story.

In 1989 she and her fellow lady Buffs produced a 31–9 season, took home

a share of the lsC t�tle, and made the�r �naugural appearance �n the el�te

e�ght. Posey took home f�rst-team all-lsC, amer�can Volleyball Coaches asso-

c�at�on all-south reg�onal team, south Central reg�onal tournament MVP,

and aVCa second-team all-amer�can honors. on the court, she set a Wt and

an lsC record w�th 1,616 ass�sts.

Women’s . . . and Men’s Volleyball


dur�ng hudson’s tenure her teams won 127 games and lost only

twenty five. under her forbearance, Wt secured two lsC t�tles and a

co-champ�onsh�p. hudson was named the d�v�s�on II Coach of the

year by the amer�can Volleyball Coaches assoc�at�on �n 1990 and

moved the follow�ng year to coach northern ar�zona. named to the

Wt hall of fame five years later, she �s now ret�red after coach�ng the

un�vers�ty of south Carol�na Gamecocks.

Wt even br�efly launched a men’s �ntercolleg�ate volleyball team

�n 1980, but �t was trag�cally marred when team member Greg thomp-

son was k�lled �n a car acc�dent dur�ng the season.

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 87

88 / B u f f a l o t h u n d e r88 / B u f f a l o t h u n d e r

Over a decade, three WT men’s basket-ball coaches attempted to bring WT basketball back to its earlier promi-nence, beg�nn�ng w�th Ken edwards. after back-

to-back 8–19 seasons �n 1979 and 1980, newcomer

edwards pulled off a 19–10 record w�th the help

of terry adolph, whose older brother Mose adolph

was edwards’s ass�stant coach. adolph broke

Cheeks’s record for most ass�sts w�th 215. adolph,

who developed a well-deserved reputat�on for h�s

speed and pass�ng ab�l�ty, led the team to an nIt

berth for the th�rd t�me �n school h�story and beat

20th-ranked southern Cal�forn�a.

In 1981, Adolph won the Frances P. Naismith Award as the best player in the nation under six feet tall. he went

on to the Golden state Warr�ors as a fourth-round

draft p�ck.

speed and the Three

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 89

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 91

edwards’s team sl�pped the follow�ng year, post�ng an 8–20

season, and cont�nued to struggle unt�l Gary Moss took over the

Wt men’s program �n 1984 and �nstantly elevated them to an

11–17 season. the team followed w�th another 11–17 season

�n ’85, and by 1986 Moss had helped the Wt men cl�mb to the

top of the lsC w�th a 24–7 record, and w�th another sem�nal

force on the court. Charles Byrd had all but mastered the three-point shot that had just been intro-duced into the Lone Star Conference. Byrd ended the 1986 season as the conference’s second most prolific three-point shooter, all the while leading WT to an LSC co-championship.

Coach Moss left after only three seasons and under the cloud

of an nCaa �nvest�gat�on that eventually ended w�th two years’

probat�on placed on the Wt men’s team. Consequently

new coach Mark adams began h�s tenure at Wt �nel-

�g�ble for postseason play; nonetheless, adams

led the Buff’s to an 18–10 season and a t�e for

second �n the lsC. adams’s teams put together

a 108–40 record from 1987–92, �nclud�ng con-

secut�ve twenty-plus w�nn�ng seasons �n h�s final

three years.


t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 93

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 95

A string of four head football coaches throughout the 1980s sought to produce winning seasons for WT football. dynam�c B�ll yung could only st�tch together a

26–27–2 record �n five seasons. h�s team was able to capture two

conference champ�onsh�ps �n the 1970s, but none �n the 1980s.

yung left that chore to don dav�s, choos�ng �nstead to step

�nto the helm at texas-el Paso, wh�ch competed �n the Western

athlet�c Conference (WaC).

dav�s �nst�tuted a run-and-shoot-style offense that let V�ctor

McGee emerge as one of the top passers �n the country �n 1982.

But dav�s’s team took a nosed�ve �n 1983 and posted only a

s�ngle t�e and the worst season �n Wt h�story.

In don dav�s’s last season, 1984, Wt posted a paltry 3–8

record but ended an e�ghteen-game los�ng streak that had

started �n 1982.

A String of Four

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 97

In 1985, under the direction of new coach Bill Kelly, WT tried to parlay the arm of standout quarterback Tod Mayfield into victory in a season that saw Mayfield rewrite the record

books and emerge as one of the top Division II quarterbacks in the nation.

the follow�ng year, 1986, was Wt’s first year �n d�v�s�on II and

the lone star Conference. the Buffs began 1–4 and los�ng on the

road at stephen f. aust�n state (a d�v�s�on I-aa team) by a score

of 36–31. on the follow�ng Monday meet�ng of the Wt touchdown

Club, master of ceremon�es and K�mbrough stad�um publ�c address

announcer Ph�l Woodall pred�cted that the Buffaloes would not

lose another game that year.

Wt r�pped off s�x consecut�ve v�ctor�es, �nclud�ng a w�ld 54–49

w�n at texas a&I and a season-end�ng tr�umph at ab�lene Chr�st�an

on november 22. the Buffs were beh�nd 28–7 at the start of the

fourth quarter, but they scored twenty five unanswered

po�nts to w�n 32–28 and cl�nch the outr�ght lsC champ�on-

sh�p. although they were conference champ�ons, the Buffs

were not selected for the nCaa d�v�s�on II playoffs, wh�ch

then took only e�ght teams. It was probably a good th�ng

for the rest of d�v�s�on II, s�nce the Buffs could have won

�t all.


t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 99

am�d all the tr�umphs of the ’80s, Wt sadly b�d farewell to �ts track and field

programs. Coach�ng legend Bob K�tchens parlayed h�s early success at Wt

�nto fabled programs, first at M�ss�ss�pp� state and then at the un�vers�ty of

texas-el Paso.

But �t was dur�ng th�s decade that bowl�ng erupted �n �ts place. though

B�ll Passons’s 1980 men’s team lost �n the finals of the nat�onal Colleg�ate

Bowl�ng tournament, they became known as one of the most prolific bowling squads in the collegiate ranks, producing national and international talent for years to come.

Loss . . . and Gain

they became known as one of the most prolific bowling squads in the collegiate ranks, producing national and international talent for years to come.

they became known as one of the most prolific bowling squads in the collegiate ranks, producing national and international talent for years to come.

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 101

among the several alumn� Wt has sent to the Profes-

s�onal Bowlers assoc�at�on are amar�llo tw�ns M�ke and Mark

scrogg�ns. M�ke jo�ned the PBa tour �n 1989 and has won nearly

$1 m�ll�on, and another teammate, Marc Mcdowell, became

the 1986 PBa rook�e of the year, served as PBa pres�dent from

1991–92, won five t�tles, and earned Bowler of the year honors

�n 1992. Jack Jurek st�ll ranks as one of the top twenty bowlers

�n the Profess�onal Bowlers assoc�at�on. In 1983 Jurek qual�fied

for the World Bowl�ng tour �n austral�a wh�le play�ng for the

Buffs. the lackawanna, new york, nat�ve eventually jo�ned the

PBa tour and won nearly $400,000.

The women’s team sent shockwaves through the collegiate bowling ranks with a dominating national championship in 1982 and again in 1987. By the end of the decade, the women’s squad had

made eight straight trips to nationals, even after they lost all university funding. By that t�me, Coach reg�na loveall had assembled one of the

most �n�m�table teams �n the nat�on and ra�sed the funds to keep them on the lanes.

s�sters Cathy and Carolyn Pr�ce returned the favor by prov�d�ng strong leadersh�p.

$1 m

the 1986 PB

1991–92, won five t

�n 1992. Jack Jurek st

�n the Profess

for the World Bowl

Buffs.

PBa

The women’s team sent shockwaves through the collegiate bowling ranks with a dominating national championship in 1982 and again in 1987. By the end of the decade, the women’s squad had

t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 103

Women’s softball made an impressive launch in 1979 before the program fell victim to budget cuts in 1984. Under the tutelage of Brenda Marshall, the brief chapter in WT women’s sports history is still paying dividends. lady Buff renee luers set school records for

most w�ns, saves, complete games, �nn�ngs p�tched, and str�keouts,

and later converted texas tech’s women’s team to nat�onal prom�-

nence �n 1998 before tak�ng the un�vers�ty of Central flor�da job.

In add�t�on, she p�tched several no-h�tters and a shutout aga�nst

nat�onally ranked oklahoma state �n 1983.

Women’s softball


t h e 1 9 8 0 s \ 105

Chapter 5:

The 1990s

a f a r m e r d o w n t h e r o a d

h u n t i n g f o r a j o b

a r e m a r k a b l e s e a s o n

t h e b e s t s e a s o n e v e r

A farmer down the roadWT faculty and administration had sparred for much of the 1980s, leaving little goodwill for the tattered athletic department. WT needed a change.

A WT faculty and WT faculty and

A WT faculty and


So Barry Thompson was summoned from Tarleton State Uni-versity to assume the presidency of WT and to ameliorate the administrative footing that was splintered by the years of faculty-administration head-butting.

thompson orchestrated a plan for Wt to jo�n the texas a&M system and changed �ts

name to West texas a&M un�vers�ty. But first, he had to face the financ�al d�fficult�es of

rehydrat�ng the emac�ated shell of the Wt athlet�c department.

thompson was a cunn�ng r�sk taker who had

fash�oned a reputat�on for retool�ng broken �nst�-

tut�ons. he’d brought tarleton state back from the

br�nk of collapse; Wt’s s�tuat�on wasn’t qu�te as

d�re, but old wounds needed tend�ng. thompson

held h�s own pass�on for sports—horse rac�ng �n

part�cular. (after ret�r�ng from h�s publ�c un�vers�ty

career, thompson would open h�s own horse rac�ng

operat�on �n West texas.) But h�s personal sports

hurrah would have to wa�t, for Wt’s football program

was �n the red, and anem�c on the field.

c department.

s personal sports

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 109

“it was a very difficult decision, especially when you consider

how much i love college sports.”

The interplay of WT politics and athletics careened into the 1990s with especially ruinous consequences for WT football. after talks w�th then head football coach steve Graf, and

one of the worst seasons �n Wt h�story (1–10 �n 1990), thompson canceled the 1991 season. “It was a very

d�fficult dec�s�on, espec�ally when you cons�der how much I love college sports,” thompson sa�d.

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 111

Students complained. Scholarship athletes scram-bled to find spots with other intercollegiate teams. And Kimbrough Stadium fell silent with no collegiate football for the first time since its construction. even

Wt’s march�ng band was forced to look for fr�day n�ght g�gs at area

h�gh schools, and homecom�ng found a temporary home w�th �nter-

colleg�ate rodeo.

trag�cally, the haymaker of a cancelled season

was felt throughout most of the 1990s as the

football program cont�nued to sputter. When

thompson rev�ved the sport a year later, Wt was

out of the lone star Conference and compet�ng

as a d�v�s�on II �ndependent w�th non-scholarsh�p

athletes. the jov�al ron steele took the unenv�able

task of rebu�ld�ng Wt football and was only able to put

together seasons of 1–9 (Wt beat Pra�r�e V�ew a&M, w�th

�ts own legacy of los�ng seasons) and 3–6 before leav�ng �n

the spr�ng of 1994.

steele’s ass�stant, Morr�s stone, held the re�ns for the next

three seasons before stan McGarvey took the helm �n 1997

and brought some respectab�l�ty back to Wt football, post�ng

w�nn�ng seasons �n 1997 and 1998. however, three Wt teams �n the

’90s ended the�r seasons w�th only one w�n ap�ece, as four coaches

dur�ng the decade assembled total records of 38–57.

stone’s 1994 team went to the a�r on the arm of prol�fic quarter-

back Grady Benton, an ar�zona state transfer, and produced a 9–2

record, g�v�ng longt�me fans a gl�mmer of the past. the Buffs scored

506 po�nts and threw v�rtually every down under stone’s run-and-

shoot offense, but the next two years were d�smal.

cally, the haymaker of a cancelled season

was felt throughout most of the 1990s as the

nued to sputter. When

was

�ng

th non-scholarsh�p

teele took the unenv�able

football and was only able to put

e V�ew a&M, w�th

ng seasons) and 3–6 before leav�ng �n

tone, held the re�ns for the next

tan McGarvey took the helm �n 1997

ty back to Wt football, post�ng

n the

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 113

even w�th the spark of 1994, though, Wt was st�ll unable to defeat even the lesser teams of the lsC. they lost to both

ab�lene Chr�st�an and eastern new Mex�co �n the season pr�or to reenter�ng the lone star Conference.

By 1995, Wt was back �n the lsC, and the teeth of the lsC buzz saw cut deep: Wt fin�shed w�th a s�ngle w�n. stone

res�gned. and eventually athlet�c d�rector M�ke Chandler left. longt�me d�v�s�on II athlet�c d�rector ed harr�s took over the

athlet�c department and h�red stan McGarvey, whose demeanor was the ant�thes�s of Joe Kerbel, whose shadow st�ll hung

over K�mbrough stad�um. Nonetheless, McGarvey’s job was to reincarnate WT football as the decade wound down.

McGarvey quietly propagated a sense of dedication, commitment, and integrity in Kimbrough Stadium and recruited heavily from the junior college ranks to field immediately competitive teams. In h�s first season McGarvey’s Buffs posted a 7–4 record w�th three stra�ght w�ns to end the season. By the 1997

season Wt won s�x of �ts first seven games and completed an 8–3 campa�gn. for McGarvey’s final three Wt seasons, h�s

teams struggled to hold on to what they had started, and by 1999 they’d dropped to 3–8.

desp�te McGarvey’s dr�ve toward respectab�l�ty, K�mbrough stad�um never saw a cons�stent stream of fans pack the

stad�um once the l�ghts were turned back on. If the 1960s were the golden years of Wt football, the 1990s were a tarn�shed

d�splay of courage and struggle followed by heartache and d�sappo�ntment.

Sustaining traction was difficult. Money was in short supply. Students struggled to envision a football renaissance. No one realized that the resurrection of WT football was embodied in a farmer toiling just a few miles west of Canyon.


t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 115

hunting for a JobIt was an odd confluence of the happenings—deer hunting, a disas-trous football season, and a sliver of an article in a small north central Texas newspaper. But it all fell together for Butch Lauffer, the only full-time soccer coach that WT has ever had.

the dem�se of Wt’s football team �n 1991 had jeopard�zed Wt’s el�g�b�l�ty �n d�v�s�on

II. they needed another men’s sport, and soccer was the cheapest add�t�on to a financ�ally

strapped athlet�c department. Wh�le he was tak�ng a break from deer hunt�ng �n el dorado,

lauffer spotted a newspaper art�cle that announced Barry thompson’s dec�s�on to end Wt

football. the story �nd�cated that Wt m�ght add another men’s sport—perhaps soccer—so

�t could ma�nta�n d�v�s�on II status.

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 117

Lauffer was under no illusions. soccer was a l�ttle exot�c for Wt. By the early ’90s, ch�ldren were

just d�scover�ng organ�zed soccer and the knowledge pool was a l�ttle shallow. But lauffer took on the task

of bu�ld�ng a soccer program w�th the zeal of an evangel�st and the savo�r fa�re of a soccer �ntellect.

he wrote �nstruct�onal books, cast soccer v�deos, and elevated the stature of the world’s most

popular sport among youth organ�zat�ons �n the texas Panhandle. Wh�le he was at �t, he

created a few w�nn�ng teams at Wt.

he lobb�ed local sportswr�ters to take an �nterest �n Major league soccer. he

had to enl�ghten a w�ll�ng but somewhat �gnorant Wt athlet�c adm�n�strat�on on

the finer�es of soccer et�quette: “do you have cheerleaders at soccer games?”

More �mportantly, he understood that soccer needed early success or �t

wouldn’t last past the renewal of football at Wt.

“It was a heckuva learn�ng exper�ence from day one. at the t�me I

was runn�ng a club �n houston, so I was able to find some players. I

told recru�ts that they’d have a chance to play r�ght away. We had

to be successful early on or �t wouldn’t work,” he recalled.

h�s teams d�dn’t d�sappo�nt, w�th the men go�ng 10–9–2

�n the�r first season and the women post�ng a 12–4 record

and w�nn�ng the lsC t�tle us�ng Panhandle talent �n the�r

�naugural season a few years later �n 1996. M�dfielder

Jul�e saylor young, an amar�llo h�gh school graduate,

completed her career w�th twenty one goals and

twenty four ass�sts and was f�rst team all-lsC as well

as rece�v�ng all-lsC academ�c honors.

In seventeen years as head men’s soccer coach

and another twelve years as the women’s coach,

lauffer’s teams would amass a 334–143–32

record. By 1997 (and then aga�n �n 2000), the

Buffs reached the nCaa d�v�s�on II playoffs.

Both the men’s and women’s teams would

make the tr�p �n 2001.


“he wrote instructional books, cast soccer videos, and

elevated the stature of the world’s most popular sport

among youth organizations in the Texas Panhandle.”

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 119

Undeterred by the gridiron struggles of the 1990s, Bob Schneider’s Lady Buffs basketball team posted winning seasons during each year of the decade. the

lady Buffs notched five lsC champ�onsh�ps and e�ght appearances �n

nCaa postseason tournaments.

Perhaps the most remarkable season �n the decade was 1997. the

lady Buffs ran �nto a labyr�nth of �njur�es; �n one game the lady

Buffs lost two players to l�gament �njur�es w�th�n the span of one

m�nute. at t�mes they had only one healthy player on the bench. so

Coach schne�der looked for help.

a product of the texas Panhandle’s women’s basketball lore,

schne�der knew there must be a few players among the student

den�zens. In the earl�est days of texas Panhandle h�story, g�rls �n

farm�ng commun�ty schools played basketball long before

adm�n�strators �n large schools env�saged women’s athlet�cs.

“the larger schools thought sports were too tough on g�rls

unt�l about the 1970s. the small schools knew better, so

some of these g�rls had mothers, grandmothers, and great-

grandmothers that played basketball,” schne�der sa�d.

A remarkable season

adm

“the larger schools thought sports were too tough on g

unt

some of these g

grandmothers that played basketball,”


“The larger schools thought sports were too tough on girls

until about the 1970s. The small schools knew better,

so some of these girls had mothers, grandmothers, and

great-grandmothers that played basketball.”

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 121

Schneider publicized an all-campus tryout, recruited volleyball players who were in their off-season, and figured out a way to win. the lady roundballers lost only two

games and won the lsC champ�onsh�p as schne�der not only punc-

tuated h�s own coach�ng legacy but spotl�ghted the latent talent

w�th�n reach among Wt’s student body.

“It was really a remarkable season,” he recalled. “I asked some of

the g�rls �f they wanted to play, and they were very w�ll�ng, worked hard, and had a great att�tude.”

one of those players was Wt volleyball standout lesl�e Brown Murrell who, at the t�me, was struggl�ng for play�ng t�me at the net.

“I was r�d�ng the p�ne. for some reason I th�nk play�ng basketball that season made me

a better volleyball player. I went to help them and they ended up help�ng me,”

she sa�d. “the next year volleyball seemed to cl�ck.”

Brown, who l�ves �n omaha, nebraska, and performs �n stand-up comedy clubs,

was forced to adjust to a culture that was far more ser�ous than she was.

“I remember one t�me, on a road tr�p, Coach schne�der was dr�v�ng. I was jok�ng

around w�th the other teammates, ‘Why do you dr�ve on a parkway and park on a

dr�veway?’ ‘If you dr�nk half of half-n-half, does that make �t Quarter-Quarter?’ and

Coach schne�der sn�ckered and sa�d, ‘lesl�e, �f you could put half of that effort �nto

remember�ng our plays, �t’d be wonderful.’ touché. I st�ll remember some of the plays

now. It took me a wh�le, but I figured them out.”

for most players, schne�der and h�s fam�ly became the�r extended fam�ly. schne�-

der’s w�fe, Barbara, acted as cook and confidante. “I wanted the girls and their parents to understand that even though they were away from home, they had a home with us,” said the coach.

one of those players was W

“I was r

a better volleyball player. I went to help them and they ended up help

she sa

was forced to adjust to a culture that was far more ser

around w

dr

Coach

remember

now. It took me a wh

der’s w

their parents to understand that even though they were away from home, they had a home with us,” said the coach.

“ We are in the Texas Panhandle. i knew that there were talented girls on campus.”


t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 123

With Coach Kim Hudson’s departure at the close of the 1980s, people feared the WT volleyball program would go downhill fast. But thanks to a few coaching connections (including a Buff men’s basketball player from Brazil) and some

serendipity, Hudson had gotten her hands on a videotape of two promising Brazilian players with lightning speed and blistering kills who would make their mark in the new decade.

hudson had conv�nced ana Carol�na and ana Cr�st�na Pere�ra to make the tr�p to

Canyon. they were k�nd, even-tempered, and qu�et women off the volleyball court, but

they merc�lessly pun�shed unsuspect�ng teams on the other s�de of the net. “I’ve burned

my hand �n the oven and felt less pa�n than the t�me I blocked Carole [Carol�na] dur�ng

pract�ce,” sa�d lesl�e Brown.

The Best season ever


t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 125

W�th plans to stay for perhaps a month, the s�sters �nstead gu�ded the lady Buffs

to �ts best season ever (38–1) and a nat�onal champ�onsh�p �n 1990, and aga�n �n

1991 under new head coach J�m G�acomazz�. the Pere�ra s�sters also rece�ved all-

amer�can honors.

In 1991 nCaa d�v�s�on II nat�onal champ�onsh�p p�tted Portland state aga�nst

WtaMu at the amar�llo C�v�c Center before 3,199 rab�d volleyball fans. ana Cr�st�na

“t�ta” Pere�ra was the d�v�s�on II nat�onal Player of the year. the next year “t�ta”

d�d not play, but her s�ster ana Carol�na “Carole” led the lady Buffs to a 30–11

record and th�rd place �n the nat�onal tournament. After Giacomazzi was fired by the athletic director, a diminutive spark plug named Debbie Hendricks filled the void.

tak�ng over �n 1993, hendr�cks �mmed�ately endeared herself to volleyball

boosters and sol�d�fied her teams by br�ng�ng �n a few playmaker recru�ts. In four

seasons Wt was 97–37 w�th two lsC champ�onsh�ps.

hendr�cks left at the close of the 1998 season after a first-round loss �n the

reg�onal tournament to pursue a med�cal career. But not before the year—1997—

when amar�llo h�gh product sarah Butler surpr�sed the B�g 12 world by leav�ng the

un�vers�ty of texas after be�ng named the B�g 12 freshman of the year to return to

her home �n the texas Panhandle. Can you say “nat�onal champ�onsh�p”?

“We were so fortunate to get her,” expla�ned hendr�cks. “It was a real coup and

we knew �t.” so hendr�cks and her staff beg�n assembl�ng a cadre of players around

Butler, made up mostly of local talent. “you had to stop our team. d�fferent people

stepped up at d�fferent t�mes, but sarah was the nucleus.”

as the cornerstone of the 1997 team, Butler and company posted a 37–3 record,

�nclud�ng an e�ghteen-match w�nn�ng streak to end the season, and earned another

nat�onal champ�onsh�p w�th an exc�t�ng five-game rally over Barry (4–15, 15–13,

21–19, 7–15, 18–16) �n Bakersfield, Cal�forn�a. It was a match that was heard �n

the early morn�ng hours back �n amar�llo and Canyon.

hendr�cks was named the 1997 aVCa nCaa d�v�s�on II nat�onal Coach of the

year. she also won 1997 and 1998 lsC south d�v�s�on Coach of the year honors.

hav�ng posted th�rty-plus w�nn�ng seasons �n 1995 and 1997 and comp�led a

159–47 record. hendr�cks was selected to the lsC’s seventy-fifth ann�versary all-

sports team �n 2007.


t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 127

Along the way, Sarah Butler collected enough postseason hardware to secure a spot in the conversation about the best volleyball players in WT history—and remain in it. she

was a two-t�me nCaa d�v�s�on II Player

of the year, �nclud�ng that nat�onal cham-

p�onsh�p season as a sophomore, and she

eventually jo�ned only five other women

named to the nCaa d�v�s�on II all-t�me

volleyball team. Butler repeated the

d�v�s�on II nat�onal Player of the year

honor �n 1999 �n Coach tony Graystone’s

first year, when the lady Buffs lost �n

the el�te e�ght sem�finals at Battle Creek,

M�ch�gan.

Butler eventually jo�ned tony Gray-

stone’s staff as an ass�stant and marr�ed

Colby Carthel, Wt football’s defens�ve

coord�nator.


t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 129

t h e 1 9 9 0 s \ 131

for nearly th�rty years, Warren hasse was the vo�ce

of the Buffs on the rad�o. It was sort of an acc�den-

tal career for hasse, and �t was a perfect match. he

cher�shes h�s decades of assoc�at�on w�th West texas.

hasse, a nat�ve of W�scons�n, was a sportswr�ter

before he got �nto rad�o. at the 10,000-watt KGnC—

at 710 on the aM d�al—he would go on to announce

v�rtually all of the Buffaloes’ sports contests, even

go�ng on the road w�th the teams and arrang�ng to

have the sun Bowl telev�sed reg�onally �n 1961.

he says he had no model as a broadcaster; he just

wanted to keep �t natural and preserve the flow of the

games (v�rtually un�nterrupted by commerc�als �n those

days). He was literally thrust into the job one sunny day in 1954 for the second game of a baseball double-header. the regular announcers,

he sa�d, had gone off for a b�te to

eat between games, and fa�led to

return �n t�me for the open�ng p�tch

of the second game.

“suddenly, they sa�d, ‘here’s Warren hasse

to do the play-by-play,’ and they pushed a m�cro-

phone �n front of my face,” he says w�th a chuckle.

from the m�d-1950s to the early ’90s, Buff fans

nterrupted by commerc als n those

He was literally thrust into the job one sunny day in 1954 for the second

tch

ere’s Warren

to do the play-by-play,’ and they pushed a m

n front of my face,” he says w

d-1950s to the early ’90s, Buff fans

He was literally thrust

ere’s Warren hasse

to do the play-by-play,’ and they pushed a m�cro-

n front of my face,” he says w�th a chuckle.

d-1950s to the early ’90s, Buff fans

T h e V o i c e o f t h e B u f f s

assoc�ated the�r teams’ progress on the field w�th

hasse’s gentle, d�rect del�very.

“I just tr�ed to be profess�onal. My �nterest was more

�n people—the players and the coaches—than try�ng

to keep scores and stat�st�cs,” he says.

“On radio, you can’t talk too much—you have to paint the picture. You have to describe everything—the wind, the tem-perature, the color of the uniforms, the size of the crowd. Everything. one of the

b�ggest compl�ments I’ve rece�ved �s that three d�fferent

bl�nd people have told me, ‘I could p�cture everyth�ng

that’s happen�ng.’”

hasse’s son, John, of course, has been a part

of the West texas athlet�cs program for th�rty

years, now as ass�stant athlet�c d�rector.

When he was l�ttle, he would somet�mes

accompany h�s father on the road tr�ps.

former player ronn�e Mank�n says

what made hasse’s del�very stand out

was �ts personal nature. he would go to

great lengths to get to know the players

and the�r var�ous �nterests and share that

w�th h�s l�steners.

“he knew us, so �t was almost l�ke the

fans knew us too,” says Mank�n.

Chapter 6:

The 2000s

n o t o n v i d e o

t h e s a v i o r f a r m e r

s o c c e r s u c c e s s s t o r i e s

n o t t h e f i r s t c h o i c e . . . o r t h e s e c o n d

v o l l e y b a l l

For nine years Don Carthel walked the turn rows that framed his farm rather than the sidelines of Kimbrough Stadium because he loved his children and had learned the hard way, during several successful campaigns at Eastern New Mexico University, that coaching took time. Lots of it. And he missed his children.

not on Video


t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 135

“I was missing all of their games. I just stepped back and decided that I wanted to see them in person and not on video,” Carthel recalled.

so after seven years at enMu, �n wh�ch Carthel had comp�led a 44–28–1

record and pulled the Greyhounds out of the doldrums, he took a decade-

long h�atus from coach�ng, stuck h�s hands �n h�s father’s farm near fr�ona,

and went about ra�s�ng h�s two ch�ldren. all the wh�le he was look�ng over

h�s shoulder and th�nk�ng about football. and he kept h�s toe d�pped �n the

football flow.

he coached �n d�v�s�on II all-star games. When he had a chance,

he volunteered to help coaches of other teams, even ass�st�ng h�s

son, who coached at ab�lene Chr�st�an un�vers�ty. after gett�ng

h�s ch�ldren off and runn�ng, he took over the struggl�ng WtaMu

football team �n 2005, comp�l�ng a 33–5 record and w�nn�ng three

stra�ght lsC t�tles, and s�multaneously resurrect�ng a w�nn�ng

trad�t�on that WtaMu hadn’t seen s�nce the Kerbel era.

Carthel recru�ted speed. found a quarterback �n dalton

Bell, for whom th�rty passes a game was a slow day, and

wove together local talent w�th jun�or college transfers

and a few d�v�s�on I recru�ts look�ng for a second chance.

K�mbrough stad�um was full aga�n; cars l�ned Interstate

27 north to amar�llo and south to Canyon. attendance

averaged fourteen thousand and set nat�onal d�v�s�on II

records. local folks dec�ded the Buffs were worth watch�ng aga�n. Conversa-

t�on even started about poss�bly construct�ng a b�gger, more modern stad�um

fit for a new generat�on of players.

In 2005 the Buffs shocked the Lone Star Conference—and even Coach Carthel—with a 10–1 season after the pundits had matter-of-factly added them to the bottom of the con-ference in preseason polls.

“I was surpr�sed that we got �t turned around as fast as we d�d; we won a

lot of games that we shouldn’t have won,” sa�d Carthel.


t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 137

Success brought accolades. Carthel was 2005 Coach of the Year. The first conference championship in nineteen years was followed by two more. no Wt team had ever managed a p�ece of three stra�ght conference

champ�onsh�ps, much less three unshared t�tles �n a row. folks started talk�ng about

Carthel even more fondly than they had remembered Joe Kerbel. In h�s first three

seasons Kerbel had wracked up e�ghteen w�ns. Carthel’s Buffs amassed th�rty-three w�ns

�n the first three years aga�nst five losses.


t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 139

And while Kerbel was lionized for his iron-fisted coaching, Carthel commingled accountability with an engaging, salesman’s demeanor—only Carthel believed in what he was selling. “Wt was a

sleep�ng g�ant. I felt that way from the t�me that they dropped to d�v�s�on II. all of

the �ngred�ents were �n place; we had to get them [the players] to bel�eve,” Carthel

expla�ned.

But Carthel took a few plays out of Kerbel’s d�sc�pl�ne playbook. “the b�ggest key

to coach�ng �s treat�ng the k�ds well and hold�ng them accountable. and that h�ll

at K�mbrough works wonders,” sa�d Carthel, referenc�ng the pern�c�ous �ncl�ne on

K�mbrough stad�um’s north end. Players forced to scale the h�ll were usually mak�ng

amends for some on-the-field transgress�on.


“WT was a sleeping giant.”sleeping giant.”

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 141

Carthel brought a singular philosophy to the football field—“play with passion.”

In 2005, dalton Bell sparked Buff aer�al appet�tes by throw�ng for nearly

four thousand yards and th�rty touchdowns �n eleven games and reveal�ng

the posture of the new Buff team. “fans love to see you sell your body and

play w�th exc�tement. that’s 90 percent of football,” he sa�d.

Carthel’s early success has also allowed the sav�or farmer to bu�ld Wt

football the way he wanted to from the beg�nn�ng, but he was forced to

take a more exped�ent route. the Wt talent pool was so depleted when

Carthel arr�ved that he �mmed�ately went to jun�or colleges for qu�ck

help. W�th the 2007 recru�t�ng class,

Carthel and h�s staff focused almost

exclus�vely on fill�ng �ts open ranks

w�th h�gh school recru�ts.

“We’re trying to wean our-selves from the transfers. In the first years we didn’t have a choice, but now we’re building a self-sustaining program,” he

sa�d. If the Buffs are successful, future

pund�ts w�ll survey the crop of w�nn�ng

seasons grown by Wt’s sav�or farmer and

declare t. stalnacker’s prom�se to del�ver

“the best that �s �n us” as Carthel’s golden

harvest.

The savior farmerThe

sa

pund

seasons grown by W

declare

“the best that

harvest.

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 143

Butch Lauffer’s success with the WT women’s team ultimately eclipsed his early start with the men’s team. the men

have been no slouches e�ther. In add�t�on to hon�ng a str�ng

of all-lsC talent, lauffer mentored davey arnaud, Wt’s first

all-amer�can after post�ng th�rteen goals and three ass�sts

�n 2001. arnaud left Wt for the pro ranks and made the

Kansas C�ty W�zards as a str�ker, and eventually earned a spot

on the u.s. nat�onal team. But the women have won the

lsC regular season or tournament t�tle s�x of the last eleven

years, �nclud�ng three �n a row.

Soccer Success Stories


t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 145

Along the way, Lauffer has orchestrated a string of firsts:· First women’s soccer camp in Trinidad. · Formalization of zoned-style play that Lauffer called

“innovation based on survival.” · One of the first to take an intercollegiate team abroad

for preseason practice in Ireland and Germany. · First to start bringing in sports psychologists to work

with players. “We didn’t always have the best players, so we had to be better prepared,” Lauffer said.

· First college team in Texas to scrimmage MLS teams.


not the first choice . . . or the secondAlmost sixty years after the storied success of WT’s 1940s teams, men’s basketball coach Rick Cooper inserted a hard-driving, speed-dependent offense and a relentless man-to-man defense to emerge as the most successful coach in WT history. And it almost didn’t happen.

“I was not the first cho�ce; I don’t th�nk I was even the second

cho�ce,” Cooper remembered. “We rolled the d�ce and took a chance.”

he was the th�rd cho�ce, and coach�ng a few m�les south of Canyon

at Wayland un�vers�ty �n Pla�nv�ew. Wt athlet�c d�rector M�ke Chandler

offered h�m the job. the Wt athlet�c budget was suspect, wh�ch m�ght

have contr�buted to the two earl�er false starts. nonetheless, Cooper

“rolled the d�ce.”

recru�t�ng started late, leav�ng Cooper w�th l�ttle t�me to ponder the

s�gn�ficance of be�ng someth�ng other than the “first p�ck.”

“I was just worr�ed s�ck about try�ng to w�n ball games,” he recalled.

Beg�nn�ng w�th h�s �naugural season and �nto the 2000s, Cooper’s

teams have muscled, passed, and spr�nted the�r way �nto lsC prom�-

nence w�th s�x nCaa reg�onal tournament berths �n h�s fifteen years �n

both the Wt f�eldhouse and the new $13 m�ll�on Wt events Center that

opened �n January of 2002.

Wt hasn’t had a los�ng season s�nce Cooper took over the re�ns

�n 1993. Wt �ntroduced �ts new mentor w�th fifteen stra�ght w�ns �n

that season. he was also the first Wt coach to lead a team to the

d�v�s�on II el�te e�ght (1998), and h�s teams have made ten postseason

appearances.

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 147

“We want our players to produce their best when

the best is required.”


In stark contrast to his fiery court presence, Cooper is philosophical about his contribution to fifteen succes-sive winning seasons. “We want our players to produce the�r best

when the best �s requ�red.”

Perhaps some of Cooper’s success revolves around h�s w�ll-

�ngness to act as WtaMu salesman to prospects who d�p

the�r toes �nto the texas Panhandle on recru�t�ng v�s�ts.

unl�ke the exchange between legendary uCla coach John

Wooden and 1970s Wt coach ron ekker acknowledg�ng the

d�fficult�es of recru�t�ng �nto rural texas, Cooper has cooked

up w�nn�ng seasons w�th a healthy m�x of local and more

d�stant recru�ts, �nclud�ng one �n h�s own household.

Cooper enl�sted h�s own son, tyler, to play for h�m

through the 2007 season.

“It’s been the t�me of my l�fe. It’s forced me to look

at �t �n a d�fferent l�ght. It’s made me a better coach,”

he expla�ned.

for more typ�cal recru�ts, Cooper bel�eves just gett�ng

them on campus �s half the battle, and �f he can get

them to the Wt pres�dent, the deal’s almost sealed.

Wt pres�dent russell long, who served �n the top post

dur�ng much of Cooper’s career, �ns�sted on meet�ng

every recru�t.

“The campus sells itself, and if it’s important to the president, it’s important to the campus,” Cooper said.

s w�ll-

salesman to prospects who d�p

s�ts.

coach John

ng the

exas, Cooper has cooked

x of local and more

m

fe. It’s forced me to look

ght. It’s made me a better coach,”

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 149


B r i s t e r S o a r s t o T o p w i t h L a d y B u f f s

She’s humble and unassuming, but she aims high and scores.

the lady Buffs certa�nly have a r�ch basketball

trad�t�on, and em�ly Br�ster �s tak�ng them to new

he�ghts. after just her th�rd season at Wt, she has earned

her place �n the pantheon of Wt greats l�ke Vanessa

Wells, teresa t�nner, Pat Mcdonald, natasha taylor,

latr�c�a spencer, Brand� Green, Celeste stevenson, and

Ke�sha Moore.

On her way to becoming WT’s all-time leading scorer—with 2,106 points (beating Stevenson’s high mark of 1,993) and another season to go—Br�ster has been named

all-amer�can for the th�rd year �n a row and was named

lone star Conference south d�v�s�on Player of the year

for the th�rd stra�ght season as she helped to lead the

lady Buffs to a regular-season t�tle and the�r n�nth lsC

Champ�onsh�p and s�xteenth nCaa postseason appear-

ance �n 2008. f�tt�ngly, she was named the lsC tourna-

ment MVP after averag�ng 25.7 po�nts per game for the

lady Buffs �n postseason play.

W�th Br�ster at the guard pos�t�on and strong sup-

port�ng players l�ke Jam�e dre�l�ng, d�x�e Bell, and

Courtney lee, the lady Buffs cont�nue a trad�t�on of

greatness that started w�th allene stovall and flour-

�shed for twenty-five w�nn�ng seasons and mult�ple

champ�onsh�ps under Coach Bob schne�der.

fans and adm�rers can eas�ly t�ck off Br�ster’s �mpres-

s�ve tra�ts . . . and then keep t�ck�ng them off. the

five-foot-n�ne guard �s a great shooter, �s fast, pulls

off qu�ck, crafty passes for ass�sts, and �s constantly

gather�ng rebounds on both ends of the court. the

amar�llo nat�ve �s also an excellent student and has a

sunny but low-key personal�ty.

“she’s really got �t all,” says Ph�l Woodall, longt�me

play-by-play announcer w�th the Buffalo sports network.

“Just everyth�ng she does, she does a great job on.”

W�th all the attent�on focused on Br�ster dur�ng her

jun�or season, Woodall ma�nta�ned a “Br�ster Watch” to

alert the med�a to her many progress�ve m�lestones—

among them attempted field goals and three-po�nters

made.

When prepar�ng for her first season w�th the lady

Buffs, Coach Kr�sta Gerl�ch, herself a former star at

texas tech, commented on Br�ster’s all-around sk�lls

and leadersh�p presence: “She sets the bar in practice every day by her work ethic; then she lifts them up with praises when she is successful,” Gerl�ch says. “she �s truly a spec�al and

g�fted �nd�v�dual.”

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 151

as a freshman �n 2005–06, Br�ster averaged twenty-

one po�nts a game and won the lone star Conference

south d�v�s�on Player of the year award as well be�ng

named the lsC’s freshman of the year. In her second

year at Wt, Br�ster p�cked up a bagful of more awards

wh�le averag�ng twenty-three po�nts a game.

In 2008, Br�ster was major�ng �n b�l�ngual elemen-

tary educat�on and was exc�ted about work�ng w�th

ch�ldren �n the future. she cons�stently earned excellent

grades at Wt; �n 2006–07, she was named the lone star

south’s academ�c Player of the year and was named an

arthur ashe, Jr., sports scholar.

ear. In her second

cked up a bagful of more awards

nts a game.

l�ngual elemen

ted about work�ng w

stently earned excellent

n 2006–07, she was named the lone s

ear and was named an

ear. In her second

cked up a bagful of more awards

ngual elemen-

ng w�th

stently earned excellent

star

ear and was named an

tony Graystone, follow�ng �n the footsteps of K�m hudson and

debb�e hendr�cks, cont�nued as the th�rd generat�on of Wt volleyball

coaches to m�x local talent w�th the season�ng of targeted recru�ts

from across the un�ted states—and cont�nued the w�nn�ng ways

too. under Graystone’s stewardsh�p the Wt women have won nearly

85 percent of the�r games, and �n h�s n�nth year as coach, h�s teams

have more than 250 w�ns. He eclipsed Hendricks’s record of 160 wins to become WT’s all-time winningest coach, and his teams hit the one hundred-win mark faster than any team in NCAA history after only 106 matches, including a 34–4 record in 2007.

Volleyball


t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 153\

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 155

t h e 2 0 0 0 s \ 157

C o n C l u s I o n \ 159

as West texas a&M beg�ns �ts Centenn�al Celebrat�on, �t �s our pleasure to

br�ng you Buffalo Thunder, a celebrat�on of the first one hundred years of

athlet�c ach�evements at West texas. s�nce 1910, Wt has been home to �ncred-

�ble tr�umphs and—as �s the very nature of sport—d�sappo�nt�ng losses. each

has contr�buted to the r�ch h�story of Buffalo athlet�cs. Most �mportantly, our

teams have been a common bond for our alumn� and commun�ty to share a

pass�onate devot�on to the Buffs and lady Buffs.

Buffalo Thunder �s a tr�bute to all those who have competed for the Maroon

& Wh�te and �n the process prov�ded the people of our un�vers�ty and our

reg�on w�th countless memor�es and l�felong fr�endsh�ps. undoubtedly, the

book w�ll st�r memor�es and provoke conversat�on among you and your fam�ly

and fr�ends.

these pages h�ghl�ght only a few of the outstand�ng coaches and athletes who

have each played a role �n our h�story. those featured �n Buffalo Thunder would

agree that the�r accompl�shments were due �n large part to the�r teammates

and coaches. We hope th�s �s the first project of many that w�ll pay proper

tr�bute to the thousands of Buffs and lady Buffs who have come before us.

Wh�le Buffalo Thunder celebrates the first one hundred years of athlet�c accom-

pl�shments, the Buffs and lady Buffs of the next century w�ll no doubt prov�de

more thr�lls and memor�es for generat�ons to come. May you enjoy th�s work,

share �t w�th your fr�ends and cont�nue the charge of “on, on Buffaloes!”

Go Buffs!

M�chael McBroom

d�rector of athlet�cs

C o n C l u s I o n \ 161

Buffalo Thunder

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