A long climb back up
MSU’s football history full of ups and downs
Zach Duncan | The Wichitan

Excellence. Tradition. Prestige. These words are often shed light on a college football team’s history. The history of most universities is often full of past championships and shortcomings, resembling a book with countless chapters written and countless more forthcoming. Midwestern State University, however, does not follow this typical outline. In fact, it seems like MSU’s book has been written by many agitated authors who gave up rather than completing their task. While many current students could rattle off dates and championships of big-time schools like Texas and Texas A&M, how many MSU students know our football history? “When I came to MSU, I heard a lot about how our tradition wasn’t as proud and long as other schools, but I valued and cherished my football experience there,” Scott Ponder, an offensive lineman who played from ’92 to ’94, said. Football at Midwestern State has had a past. In fact, you could say it has had two or three. In Dr. Everett Kindig’s “Midwestern State University: The Better Part of A Century,” he wrote that back in 1924, two years after Wichita Falls Junior College had opened, Coach C.P. Mosley rounded up students to play local high-school teams like Electra and small colleges like Cisco and Oklahoma Christian. Even with only four players with past football experience, they recorded their first win against Devol American Legion, 14-0, en route to a .500 record. By 1929, however, football was headed down the drain. A 9-24-7 record, coupled with a failure to play high-school games, ended not only football, but also all sports at Wichita Falls Junior College. And so proclaimed The Wichitan, “A school without football is like a typewriter without keys.” So from 1929 to 1945, there was nothing. Well, there was a little something. According to Kindig, starting in 1930, the freshmen and sophomores, at what was now called Hardin Junior College played their annual football game for bragging rights. The games were very competitive and seemed to somewhat quench the school’s thirst for football. Even this traditional game couldn’t withstand the rigors World War II caused, and Kindig notedthat the game was never played after that. In December ’45, the school’s trustees thought maybe they needed a typewriter with keys after all and gave football another chance. Kindig wrote that the university named Thurman “Tugboat” Jones, who had led Wichita Falls High School to two district championships, head coach. The team, after a 7-2 record in the Texas Junior College Conference in ’46, joined the Texas Athletic Conference in ’47 and tied for first place with a 7-3 mark. If Midwestern State ever had a monumental year in football, it would have been in 1949, Kindig wrote. That year, after leaving the Lone Star Conference because it wanted to go “big time,” the team went 10-1 and was ranked No. 1 among small-college teams in the United States. It even beat schools like North Texas and Houston. The team slowly became mediocre after that, and with fewer people attending the games, lack of money became a crucial hindrance. Even with the Indians pulling off the “upset of the decade” in 1954, a 14-7 win over Arizona State, the football program began another slow demise, Kindig wrote. With football draining almost two-thirds of the sports budget and losing almost $86,000, President Travis White and his trustees put an end to football after the ’57 season. According to Kindig, White later recounted, “I suppose the most miserable decision made by me had to be the demise of football.” So football was gone. The basketball and soccer teams were flourishing, and other sports like baseball and tennis had taken shape. But, by the late ‘80s, the school was missing something. “Enrollment wasn’t well, and the population base was declining, so we needed to make a geographical outreach,” former MSU President Dr. Louis J. Rodriguez said. “Football could be that outreach.” “I had to give lots of talks to civic organizations and raise more than $80,000 for uniforms,” Rodriguez said, who served as school president from 1981 to 2000. “I was at the front of the mountain.” Besides, school spirit needed a boost and, “Homecoming without football just didn’t seem like homecoming,” Rodriguez said. The Faculty Senate and Administrative Council, after passing the proposal, recommended to the Board of Regents that football should be brought back as a non-scholarship sport. Although there were primarily financially and academically concerns, the Regents agreed football would come back to Midwestern State in 1988. Faculty had mixed reactions with the decision to bring football back. Dr. Tom Hoffman, who served as the Chairman of the Faculty Senate at the time, said, “At any campus, 5 to 8 percent of the faculty thinks athletics is overemphasized. I think it’s an intricate part of a school. Great universities have had both strong academics and athletics because one supports the other.” Enrollment increased by 500 in the fall of 1988. Not only did students come to play football, but also people who wanted to join the marching band and cheerlead came as well. “The decision tended to increase enrollments in other fields, and after two years, the football program had paid for itself,” Hoffman said. “Nobody knew anybody,” Teddy Martynuik, who played outside linebacker from ’88 to ’92, said about the ’88 team. “It was pretty amazing and more intimidating than if you were entering an already-existing program. But it was a new program filled with a lot of people who wanted to win.” At the first game that year, more than 100 players suited up against Howard Payne. Thirteen thousand people, the most ever to see a non-scholarship game at the time, came out to see the Indians win 23-7. “There was electricity in the air during the game, and then of all things, we won,” Rodriguez said. Kindig wrote the team went 4-6 that season, but more importantly, football was back at Midwestern State. In 1994, the Board of Regents deemed football worthy of scholarships, and 35 were handed out. All MSU athletics joined the NCAA in 1997 as a Division II school, giving even more exposure for the football team. Midwestern State, after producing mediocre seasons for most of the ‘90s, has finally had success on the football field. The team, which before the 2000 season had had only one winning season since ’88, has gone 14-8 in the last two years under third-year coach, Linwood Ferguson. With 17 returning starters, the Indians won the Lone Star Conference North with a 4-1 divisional record this year. Standout players Bryan Gilmore and Dominic Rhodes, who play for the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts, respectively, have also put MSU on the college football map. “We have produced some good players, and I think we have more on the way,” said a smiling Rodriguez, who still attends most of the games. “I think before it’s all said and done, MSU will be a powerhouse in the Lone Star Conference.” “Football at MSU gave me an opportunity to get a quality college education,” Martynuik said. “It was a great way to play college sports.” The newest book has barely begun, and yet it is farther along than previous drafts. This time, the book is written by rather excellent authors who have no plans off letting it end prematurely. And as the book is written, football’s prestige and tradition at MSU can only hope to grow.

 

From baseball to basketball
Lady Indians coach tells his story
Stephen C. Smith | The Wichitan

Louie Valencia | The Wichitan

Shannon Burks, head coach for the Lady Indians, uses both encouragment and discipline during practice to motivate his team to achieve their goals. During off-time, he can be found in his office being both coach and friend to his players.

Just how does a former college baseball player and coach from Lincoln, Arkansas become the head women’s basketball coach at a well-established NCAA Division II program like Midwestern State University? The best person to ask about that strange, but successful journey would be the person who traveled it, MSU women’s coach Shannon Burks who is embarking on third season with the Lady Indians. "It's quite an interesting story, I suppose," Burks said. "Yes, I am surprised at the path my career has taken." Burks was a baseball letterman at Evangel College where he graduated in 1986. Subsequently, he returned home to became the Lincoln High School’s baseball coach among other things. "I was assisting with both the men’s and women’s basketball programs as well," Burks said. "I had played basketball in high school and really enjoyed teaching and the strategic part of basketball. I was working with a wonderful coach and it sort of got in my blood." So much so that Burks took over the next season as head coach of both basketball teams. Recognizing the difficulty of his task, the school decided to add another coach to the staff. "I thought it was best to split the program to have a boys' coach and a girls' coach," Burks said. "It just so happened that the girls were a lot better than the guys at that school at that time so I took the girls' position and I've been doing it ever since." Following a district title and Coach of the Year honors in the 1990-91 season, Burks joined coach Joe Foley’s staff at Arkansas Tech in 1992 where he would spend seven seasons under the tutelage of the legendary coach. "He's an outstanding basketball coach, there's no question about that," Burks said. "His team is the winningest NCAA Div. II program in history and that kind of speaks for itself." During his time on the bench with the Foley and Golden Suns, they compiled a 185-33 record and Burks feels Foley had a significant impact on his career. "He’s had a great influence on me in how to go about things," Burks said. "Not only offensively and defensively, but also how to deal with the other business aspects of the job, the public, and the media as well." Burks learned his lessons well and following a 13-13 finish in his first campaign in 1998-99 at MSU, he and the Lady Indians surged forward last season and asserted themselves as a Lone Star Conference title contender. Coming off a 23-7 overall record and a 10-2 mark in LSC play, Burks is not only wary of the teams on the schedule, but also the demands that come with occupying the role of the hunted instead of the hunted. "Well, I think the expectations of the community and the university in general are pretty high for this team," Burks said. "We have several returning players from last year's team and some talented newcomers, so our expectations are quite a bit different than they were a year ago." With returning senior starters Kathy Tran, Lindy Lombard, Rosiland Lawrence, and Katrina Jordan, Burks feels he has a good experience base to lead his team. "Those four returnees from last year have been through the battles," Burks said. "Those kids know what it takes to win close basketball games and do it night in and night out. I think what's special about this team is that on any particular night any one of four or five people can win one for you." As the preseason favorites to win the LSC North division, the Lady Indians will need every bit of that senior leadership to continue their current upswing and also navigate their way through a difficult schedule. "It's extremely tough,there’s some very good basketball being played in the LSC, not only this year, but year in and year out," Burks said. "It's one of the better Div. II conferences in the country. It's one of those conferences where you better be prepared to play every night or somebody's going to send you home with a loss." Even with all the new pressures and challenges to come, the former baseball coach who now leads the Lady Indians is quite happy with where his long and winding road has taken him. "It's been a wonderful experience for me, the university and the administration here has just been tremendous," Burks said. "The community has really started to take an interest in the women's basketball program here and that's very exciting for me."

 

Indians KO Aggies
Kathy Rodriguez | The Wichitan

Aaron Solomon | The Wichitan

Sam Daghlas (15) drives for a layup past a Cameron University defender Saturday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU won 58-49.

A 13-4 run late in the second half, capped off by two free throws from sophomore guard Marquette Wilkins in the final 35 seconds, helped the Indians to a 58-49 victory over Cameron University in front of a raucous home crowd Saturday night. The victory improves the Indians’ record to 8-8 overall and 1-1 in Lone Star Conference play. The first half was a slow one, as the two teams combined for just 44 points. Head coach Greg Giddings was not pleased with the team’s first half play. “I was not happy with the way we were playing,” he said. “We kept making too many mental mistakes. I just told them we had to make some adjustments.” Senior forward Byron Dixon got the Indians on th e board 34 seconds into the game, and MSU quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead. But not much action occurred after a steal and completed lay-up from Wilkins, and the teams entered the half knotted in a 22-all tie. “It was a real slow-down type game for us (in the first half),” Giddings said. “I didn’t expect it (low-scoring first half) at all.” The second half saw a bit more action, as the two teams exchanged the lead 11 times. But no points were scored until three minutes into the second half, when a lay-up by the Aggies gave them a 24-22 lead. After a lay-up from junior guard Sam Daghlas tied the game at 24, Cameron answered with a three-pointer from Alex Ihler. Two free throws and a lay-up from junior center Kris Sivertsen and two free throws from Wilkins gave the Indians a 30-29 lead, but Cameron quickly regained the lead on two free throws. The two teams would go through seven lead changes and share two ties the next 10 minutes. After a steal by Marcus Girtmon, the Aggies got a lay-up from Brian Colbert to give them a 45-44 lead with 3:41 remaining in the game. It would be Cameron’s last lead of the night, as Dixon nailed a free throw to begin MSU’s 13-4 run, and Wilkins knocked in a free throw to give the Indians the lead for good at 47-45. Giddings cited the play of Wilkins and Dixon as contributing factors to the Indians’ win. “Marquette made some big plays for us,” the coach said. “He got some good shots off and he bailed us out when we needed it. And Byron made some good plays for us, too.” Despite the team’s slow and rocky start, Giddings said he was satisfied with the outcome. “I was pleased with it,” he said. “It was a difficult game, and we didn’t play particularly well, but I’m glad we won.” Wilkins led all scorers with 21 points. Dixon added 11 points, while Sivertsen chipped in nine. Daghlas and Sivertsen each had eight rebounds to lead the team. For the game, the Indians shot 21 of 47 from the field for 45 percent, and shot 16 of 21 from the free throw line for 76 percent.

 

Lady Indians fought, but lost to Aggies 80-72
Kathy Rodriguez | The Wichitan

The Lady Indians had three players scoring in double figures, but it was not enough, as they suffered an 80-72 double overtime loss to the Cameron University Lady Aggies at home, Saturday night. The loss drops the Lady Indians to a 12-4 record overall and 1-1 in Lone Star Conference play. The loss also snaps the Lady Indians’ 13-game home winning streak. "It was disappointing, obviously," Coach Shannon Burkshe said. "It was a great game, fun to be involved in, but we came up on the short end of it. We just have to learn a little from our mistakes." The Lady Indians grabbed an early 9-4 lead on a pair of baskets from senior guard Lindy Lombard. After a lay-up from senior guard Rosalind Lawrence, Cameron responded with a two-pointer to bring the score to within 11-6. After a pair of baskets gave the Lady Indians their largest lead of the night at nine, Cameron brought the score to within two at 15-13. MSU had leads of 17-13, 19-16, and 21-18 when a lay-up from Cameron’s Kimberle Woods brought the score to within 21-20. Cameron’s Brittany Patterson gave the Lady Aggies the lead back at 22-21. Lombard answered with two free throws to give the Lady Indians the lead at 23-22 with just over three minutes remaining in the half. Two baskets and a free throw from Cameron gave the Lady Aggies their 27-23 halftime lead. Burks said he wanted the team to make corrections on both sides of the ball. "We needed to make corrections, both offensively and defensively," he said. "We were stationary, and we had some spacing problems on the court." The Lady Aggies dominated the second half, never relinquishing the lead. The Lady Indians would trim the Lady Aggies’ lead to within one four times, but each time Cameron would have an answer, getting a two-point basket each time the Lady Indians came within striking distance. The Lady Aggies had four leads of eight points in the second half. The last eight-point lead came with just over two minutes remaining, when senior post Katrina Jordan knocked in a basket to bring the score to within six at 55-49. Lombard tipped in a lay-up to bring the Lady Indians closer to the lead and Lawrence nailed a three-point basket to bring MSU to within one. After a free throw from Cameron increased the Lady Aggies’ lead to two at 56-54, Lawrence nailed two free throws with 13 seconds remaining in the half to send the game into the first overtime. "It (Lawrence’s play) was very gutsy," he said. "Being that we were eight points down with two minutes (left in the game), we needed it." The first overtime saw the Lady Indians score almost immediately, as Lombard iced two free throws after being fouled just after tip-off, giving MSU a 58-56 lead. Neither team got more points until 2:19 into the first overtime, when Cameron’s Rachel Bacon nailed two free throws tied the game again at 58-58. A free throw from Lawrence gave the Lady Indians a 59-58 lead with 2:28 remaining. The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes, the final basket coming from Lawrence. After a free throw from Cameron knotted the score at 63, Lombard missed a chance to win the game for the Lady Indians with a failed two-pointer, sending the game into a second overtime. The Lady Indians dominated the first 1:30 of the second overtime, but a three-point basket from Cameron gave the Lady Aggies the lead for good. The Lady Aggies put the game away in the final 18 seconds, nailing four free throws. Despite the loss, Burks felt the team gave their best effort. "We were in position to win a couple times," he said. "It wasn’t perfect, but they (players) made some big plays. Over the last two years, they’ve made some big plays and we just need to improve on that." Lombard led all scorers with 23 points, and Lawrence added 16. Jordan led the team in rebounds with 11, while senior forward Kathy Tran pulled down five. For the game, the Lady Indians 30 shot of 71 from the field for 42 percent. The team shot 10 of 18 from the free throw line for 56 percent. The Lady Indians travel to Durant, Okla., tomorrow to take on Southeastern Oklahoma. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

 

Runner begins marathon countdown
Sara Burns | For The Wichitan

As an avid runner, I’ve often thought about running a marathon. I recently met someone who is training for one right now, and she inspired me to quit looking for excuses not to do it. So I bought her suggested training book for beginners and have begun my 14-week journey of training for the Oklahoma City Marathon. I’ve told a few friends about my endeavor. Some have called me crazy, while others have sarcastically said it sounds like fun. Right now nobody seems to be taking me seriously, and I’m sure they think I won’t go through with it. In response, to let everyone know this isn’t a joke or some exercise program that will falter about three weeks from now, I am going to give updates of my progress each week in The Wichitan. So prepare to see my progress reports every Wednesday to the end of April. I have never taken on such a task in my life as to run 26.2 miles — that’s a few miles more than running to Henrietta. I figure if I have to tell the entire school about my running each week, then I will surely have to go through with this. And if anyone would like to join me – as I am training alone – please do, because I think this will be a great experience.