The McMurry War Hawks football team represents McMurry University in college football in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division III level. The War Hawks are members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), fielding its team in the SCAC since 2024. The War Hawks play their home games at Wilford Moore Stadium in Abilene, Texas. The team was known as the McMurry Indians until 2011.[2]
| McMurry War Hawks football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1923 |
| Athletic director | Larry Dockery |
| Head coach | Jordan Neal 6th season, 14–34 (.292) |
| Stadium | Wilford Moore Stadium (capacity: 3,550) |
| Year built | 1937 |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Abilene, Texas |
| Conference | SCAC |
| All-time record | 393–525–32 (.431) |
| Bowl record | 2–1 (.667) |
| Playoff appearances | 1–1 (NCAA D-III playoffs) 0–1 (NAIA D-II playoffs) |
| Conference titles | 2 TIAA* (1980, 1983) 5 Texas Conference (1947–1949, 1953, 1955) 1 TIAA (1927) |
| Colors | Maroon and black[1] |
| Website | mcmurrysports.com |
Their head coach is Jordan Neal, who took over the position for the 2019 season.
Conference affiliations
edit- Independent (1923–1925)
- Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1926–1932)
- Texas Conference (1933–1942)
- No team (1943–1945)
- Texas Conference (1946–1955)
- Independent (1956–1964)
- Lone Star Conference (1965–1972)
- Independent (1973–1975)
- Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association* (1976–1995)
- American Southwest Conference (1996–2011)
- NCAA Division II independent (2012–2013)
- Lone Star Conference (2014)
- American Southwest Conference (2015–2023)
- Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (2024–present)[3]
List of head coaches
editKey
edit| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] | ||||
Coaches
edit| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randolph M. Medley | 1923–1938 | 139 | 61 | 58 | 20 | 0.511 | 38 | 23 | 8 | 0.609 |
| 2 | Dale Morrison | 1939–1941 | 26 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 0.250 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 0.214 |
| 3 | Jim Conger | 1942 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 |
| 4 | Vernon Hilliard | 1946 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0.500 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 |
| 5 | Wilford Moore | 1947–1954 | 83 | 49 | 29 | 5 | 0.620 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 0.662 |
| 6 | Douglas Cox | 1955 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0.800 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 7 | Tommy Ellis | 1956–1959 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Grant Teaff | 1960–1965 | 60 | 23 | 35 | 2 | 0.400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 9 | Buddy Fornes | 1966–1972 | 70 | 27 | 42 | 1 | 0.393 | 16 | 30 | 0 | 0.348 |
| 10 | Don Newson | 1973–1975 | 29 | 11 | 18 | 0 | 0.379 | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Spud Aldridge | 1976–1981 | 63 | 36 | 27 | 0 | 0.571 | 26 | 18 | 0 | 0.591 |
| 12 | Rodney Murphy | 1982–1983 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 0.421 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0.429 |
| 13 | Don Birmingham | 1984–1985 | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0.200 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0.250 |
| 14 | Cliff Odenwald | 1986–1987 | 20 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0.400 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0.333 |
| 15 | Mark Cox | 1988–1990 | 30 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 0.133 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0.154 |
| 16 | Joe George | 1991–1994 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 0.462 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0.350 |
| 17 | Steve Keenum | 1995–2004 | 98 | 36 | 62 | 0 | 0.367 | 26 | 50 | 0 | 0.342 |
| 18 | Joe Crousen | 2005–2006 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0.400 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0.353 |
| 19 | Donny Gray | 2007–2008 | 20 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0.100 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0.063 |
| 20 | Hal Mumme[7] | 2009–2012 | 43 | 27 | 16 | 0 | 0.628 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 0.625 |
| 21 | Mason Miller | 2013 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0.273 | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | Lance Hinson[8] | 2014–2018 | 49 | 14 | 35 | 0 | 0.286 | 7 | 24 | 0 | 0.226 |
| 23 | Jordan Neal[9] | 2019–present | 44 | 11 | 33 | 0 | 0.250 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 0.194 |
Year-by-year results
edit| National champions | Conference champions | Bowl game berth | Playoff berth |
| Season | Year | Head coach | Association | Division | Conference | Record | Postseason | Final ranking | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | |||||||||||||
| Win | Loss | Tie | Finish | Win | Loss | Tie | ||||||||
| McMurry Indians | ||||||||||||||
| 1923 | 1923 | Randolph M. Medley | NCAA | — | Independent | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1924 | 1924 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1925 | 1925 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1926 | 1926 | TIAA | 1 | 9 | 0 | 6th | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1927 | 1927 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1st | 3 | 0 | 2 | — | — | ||||
| 1928 | 1928 | 6 | 3 | 0 | T–2nd | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1929 | 1929 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1930 | 1930 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5th | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1931 | 1931 | 2 | 6 | 0 | T–3rd (Western) | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1932 | 1932 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4th | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1933 | 1933 | Texas Conference | 4 | 4 | 2 | T–3rd | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1934 | 1934 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4tth | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | ||||
| 1935 | 1935 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1936 | 1936 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3rd | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1937 | 1937 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1938 | 1938 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 9th | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1939 | 1939 | Dale Morrison | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8th | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1940 | 1940 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7th | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1941 | 1941 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5th | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | ||||
| 1942 | 1942 | Jim Conger | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4th | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| No team from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. | ||||||||||||||
| 1946 | 1946 | Vernon Hilliard | NCAA | — | Texas Conference | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3rd | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — |
| 1947 | 1947 | Wilford Moore | 7 | 3 | 1 | T–1st | 4 | 1 | 0 | L Boys' Ranch Bowl | — | |||
| 1948 | 1948 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1st | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1949 | 1949 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1st | 4 | 0 | 1 | W Oleander Bowl | — | ||||
| 1950 | 1950 | 4 | 5 | 0 | T–3rd | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1951 | 1951 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4th | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1952 | 1952 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2nd | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1953 | 1953 | 8 | 1 | 1 | T–1st | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1954 | 1954 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2nd | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1955 | 1955 | Douglas Cox | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1st | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1956 | 1956 | Tommy Ellis | NAIA | — | Independent | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1957 | 1957 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1958 | 1958 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1959 | 1959 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | ||||||||
| 1960 | 1960 | Grant Teaff | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | |||||||
| 1961 | 1961 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1962 | 1962 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1963 | 1963 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1964 | 1964 | 1 | 8 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1965 | 1965 | LSC | 4 | 5 | 1 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1966 | 1966 | Buddy Fornes | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8th | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | — | |||
| 1967 | 1967 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–3rd | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1968 | 1968 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1969 | 1969 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8th | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1970 | 1970 | Division I | 5 | 6 | 0 | T–5th | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1971 | 1971 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–8th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1972 | 1972 | 3 | 6 | 0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1973 | 1973 | Don Newson | ? | Independent | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||||
| 1974 | 1974 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1975 | 1975 | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1976 | 1976 | Spud Aldridge | Division II | TIAA* | 3 | 8 | 0 | T–3rd | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |
| 1977 | 1977 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3rd | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1978 | 1978 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1979 | 1979 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2nd | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1980 | 1980 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1st | 9 | 1 | 0 | L NAIA Division II Quarterfinal | 8 | ||||
| 1981 | 1981 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4th | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1982 | 1982 | Rodney Murphy | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4th | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1983 | 1983 | 6 | 3 | 0 | T–1st | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1984 | 1984 | Don Birmingham | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3rd | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1985 | 1985 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4th | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1986 | 1986 | Cliff Odenwald | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–2nd | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1987 | 1987 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3rd | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | ||||
| 1988 | 1988 | Mark Cox | 1 | 9 | 0 | 6th | 1 | 9 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1989 | 1989 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–5th | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1990 | 1990 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7th | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1991 | 1991 | Joe George | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6th | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1992 | 1992 | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–3rd | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1993 | 1993 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 18 | ||||
| 1994 | 1994 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 5th | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1995 | 1995 | Steve Keenum | 1 | 9 | 0 | 5th | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1996 | 1996 | ASC | 3 | 7 | 0 | T–4th | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 1997 | 1997 | NCAA | Division III | 5 | 5 | 0 | T–3rd | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1998 | 1998 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | 1999 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2nd | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2000 | 2000 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2001 | 2001 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 10th | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2002 | 2002 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10th | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2003 | 2003 | 4 | 6 | 0 | T–5th | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | 2004 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–9th | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2005 | 2005 | Joe Crousen | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7th | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2006 | 2006 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 9th | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2007 | 2007 | Donny Gray | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–9th | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2008 | 2008 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 9th | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2009 | 2009 | Hal Mumme | 4 | 6 | 0 | 5th | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2010 | 2010 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–4th | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| McMurry War Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | 2011 | Hal Mumme | NCAA | Division III | ASC | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2nd | 7 | 1 | 0 | L NCAA Division III Second Round | 14 |
| 2012 | 2012 | Division II | Independent | 8 | 3 | 0 | W C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl | — | ||||||
| 2013 | 2013 | Mason Miller | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | |||||||
| 2014 | 2014 | Lance Hinson | LSC | 2 | 8 | 0 | 7th | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 2015 | 2015 | Division III | ASC | 4 | 6 | 0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 2016 | 2016 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5th | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2017 | 2017 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–7th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2018 | 2018 | 2 | 8 | 0 | T–7th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2019 | 2019 | Jordan Neal | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10th | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | |||
| 2020–21 | 2020 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4th (West) | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2021 | 2021 | 2 | 7 | 0 | T–8th | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2022 | 2022 | 1 | 9 | 0 | T–8th | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2023 | 2023 | 6 | 4 | 0 | T–3rd | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||||
| 2024 | 2024 | SCAC | — | — | ||||||||||
Wilford Moore Stadium
edit| Location | 1560 Ross Ave Abilene, TX 79605 |
|---|---|
| Owner | McMurry University |
| Operator | McMurry University |
| Capacity | 3,550 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Opened | 1937 |
| Tenants | |
| McMurry War Hawks (NCAA) (1937–1942, 1950–1959, 1974–present) | |
Wilford Moore Stadium is a football stadium in Abilene, Texas, with a seating capacity of 3,550. It is home to McMurry University War Hawks football team.[10] It is named after Wilford Moore who was the head football coach from 1947 to 1954 after being previously known as Indian Stadium.
The stadium initially had a capacity of 4,500 but has since been lowered to 3,550.[10]
Rivalries
editHardin–Simmons
editThe Hardin–Simmons–McMurry football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Hardin–Simmons Cowboys and McMurry War Hawks, with the rivalry referred to as the Crosstown Showdown, with both universities located approximately 10 minutes from each other in Abilene.[11] The winner is given the Wilford Moore Trophy, named after Wilford Moore, who was a player at Hardin–Simmons and a coach at McMurry. Moore is the only person to be inducted into the athletic halls of fame at both Hardin–Simmons University and McMurry University.[12] Following the 2023 meeting, Hardin–Simmons leads the all-time series 33–4.[13]
Sul Ross
editThe Battle of I-20 is the name given to the McMurry–Sul Ross football rivalry.[14] Going into the 2019 match-up McMurry led the all-time series 46–40–2;[15] the Lobos would win that year's game 21–7. As of the 2023 season, the two teams have met 93 times with McMurry leading the series 48–43–2. The future of the rivalry remains uncertain as Sul Ross joined the Lone Star Conference in 2024, which competes at the Division II level, while McMurry competes in the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.[16]
Notes
edit- ^ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.[4]
- ^ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
- ^ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[5]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[6]
References
edit- ^ "McM Logos". Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Wally the War Hawk". McMurry University Athletics. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "McMurry University Unifies Intercollegiate Athletics Joining Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in Fall 2024". McMurry University. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ "Ex-UK coach Mumme hired by Division III McMurry". Lexington Herald Leader. April 16, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Nemec, Evan (November 12, 2018). "McMurry, head football coach part ways after 5 years". KTXS. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Lilley, Quinton (December 6, 2018). "Cooper, Hardin-Simmons grad Jordan Neal hired as McMurry football coach". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b "Wilford Moore Stadium". McMurry University Athletics. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ Rosado, Carlos (October 17, 2024). "McMurry vs. 5th Ranked Hardin-Simmons: The Most Anticipated Crosstown Showdown Ever". Big Country Sports. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "Moore is only dual Hall-of-Famer for HSU and McMurry". Abilene Reporter-News.[dead link]
- ^ "Versus The Nation". Hardin-Simmons University. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "Sul Ross State Lobos Showcase Resilience in 93rd Battle of I-20 Rivalry Despite Loss to McMurry War Hawks". Big Bend Times. November 12, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ Hofeditz, Jordan (September 20, 2019). "McMurry football welcomes Sul Ross State in "Battle of I-20"". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ "McMurry University Unifies Intercollegiate Athletics Joining Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference in Fall 2024". McMurry University. Retrieved September 12, 2024.