Football | 11/10/2015 1:50:00 PM
This weekend, Texas State Athletics is honoring the 10 year anniversary of the 2005 Bobcat Football team during halftime of Texas State's home game vs Georgia State at Bobcat Stadium. The 2005 team was a catalyst towards the program's ascension to the FBS and that season is widely regarded as the Bobcats' most successful during their time in the FCS. The following is the story of that team and that historic season as told by players, coaches and staff of the Bobcat Football program.
2005 Oral History Part I: Prologue Sellout crowds. Football played in December. Postseason games. National exposure on ESPN. Up until 2005, those were things that had alluded the Texas State football program during its I-AA (now known as FCS) history, not what most Bobcat supporters had in mind after a dominant run in Division II, which included back-to-back national championships in 1981 and 1982. The late, great Jim Wacker won 42 games in four seasons at Southwest Texas State and just two years after his departure, the program made the jump to Division I-AA football, winning seven games in its first I-AA season. What followed were four straight losing seasons before the hiring of
Dennis Franchione who had back-to-back winning seasons in 1990 and 1991. After Franchione left to become the head coach at New Mexico, the 'Cats had just one winning season between 1992 and 2003. From 42 wins in a four-season window (an average of 10.5 wins) to 57 in 12 seasons (4.4 win average), there wasn't much to get excited about when it came to Bobcat Football. But that was about to change.
The following is an "Oral History" chronicling that change, and, specifically, the 2005 Texas State football season. I had the honor of covering that team in what was then my third season in the broadcast booth. I, like those who were on the field or who watched from the stands (and on TV), hold that season in high regard. This story will be told by the ones who lived it, everything from training camp to the euphoria of the program's first ever Southland Conference Championship, to the three memorable playoff games played at Bobcat Stadium. Let's begin.
By the end of the 2003 season, Texas State had suffered its 10
th losing season in 11 years with its conference record standing at 19-51 (.271) during that time. The Bobcats were on their third coach since 1992, but one season of Manny Matsakis had been enough. On January 28, 2004, Texas State President Denise Trauth dismissed both Matsakis and Athletic Director Greg LaFleur, citing concerns well beyond on-the-field performance.
"(While) the alleged violations, when taken each by themselves, are not of a large magnitude, the number of reports over a short period of time is troubling. These reports and our concerns over the management of the football program call for this action…This has not been a pleasant day in the history of Texas State athletics, but I believe we needed to make these changes so that the athletics program can reach the potential that I believe it has. With a new coach and new leadership along with new cooperation among the athletics staff, the university administration, students and Bobcat boosters, I am confident we will have an athletics program that is exciting and one that will reach new heights."
- Denise Trauth
Texas State University President (2002-present)
Courtesy: Texas State University press release, January 28, 2004
Two of the biggest public figures a university has is its athletic director and head football coach and now Texas State was scrambling to fill both positions. Time was of the essence with National Signing Day a week away and because of that, the position of head football coach became top priority. Familiarity with the school, the program and the recruiting base would play a huge role in the school's hire. It didn't take long for David Bailiff to become the top candidate.
"He was our number one choice during the whole process. There were some negotiations, but he was the number one choice the whole time. That fact never wavered, not even once. And now we can all just cherish the fact that we were able to bring him back home."
- Tony Brubaker
Texas State Sports Information Director (1989-2004)
Courtesy: TCU 360, February 10, 2004
Bailiff's resume stood out just as big as his stature. He played for SWT from 1977-1980 and was a member of the Bobcats' first outright Lone Star Conference championship in 17 years in 1980 (Wacker's first year as head coach). He had two prior coaching stints with SWT, from 1988-91 (the final two seasons coming under
Dennis Franchione), and, after following Franchione to New Mexico, Bailiff returned to San Marcos to serve as defensive coordinator for the Bobcats from 1997-2000. After three years as an assistant under Gary Patterson at TCU (a stretch which saw the Horned Frogs win 27 games), Bailiff was back at Texas State. He returned to a new name, a bigger office, and, as the program's third head coach in as many years. There was a lot of work to do.
"It was one of the most gratifying things in my life, to go back to the university I graduated from. A place I loved then and continued to love and support. I remember the press conference with President Trauth and just how exciting it was then. It was a great time to come and lead this great university…It was a tough job (the program) had gone through a lot with all of the changes it had gone through. It was a program that needed to be cleaned up."
- David Bailiff
Texas State Head Football Coach (2004-06)
2005 Honors: AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year, third in voting for Eddie Robinson Award (Top I-AA Coach)
The staff Bailiff pieced together was Bobcat-heavy; three of his assistants were former SWT players. The message was clear: Bailiff wanted those who worked with him to be just as passionate about Bobcat Football as him.
"The pieces were starting to fall into place from the administration and they just needed the right guy to come in there and get it over the hump. Coach Bailiff was the perfect coach for the job. He coached me under Bob DeBesse's staff and I worked with Coach Bailiff for three years at TCU. He's always gotten the most out of his players everywhere he's been. He's someone I've always looked up to, I've always learned from, and he's still a great mentor for me to this day."
- Travis Bush
Texas State Assistant Coach (2004-09)
Bobcat Wide Receiver (1995-99)
"You look back, and it was a fabulous coaching staff. We were all young and energetic. It was a blast, (everything) just worked. There was a lot of chemistry on that staff."
- David Bailiff
Five weeks after Bailiff was hired, Larry Teis was promoted from the position of Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs to Director of Athletics for Texas State on March 11, 2004. The paths for Dr. Teis and Coach Bailiff had some similarities. Each had worked at TCU and New Mexico (at nearly the same times) prior to coming to Texas State, and this was the both the first head coaching position for Bailiff and the first athletic director position for Teis.
"We want to make this department something we can all be proud of. We want to regain the support of our community, our alumni and our donors. That's critical."
- Dr. Larry TeisTexas State Director of Athletics (2004-Present)Courtesy: San Antonio Express-News, March 11, 2004
The leadership for Texas State's long-awaited return to football prominence was finally in place. Twenty years of a lot of heartache was about to be cured in less than 20 months.
2005 Oral History Part II: A Program Learning To Win While the 2004 season ultimately ended up being a losing campaign for the Bobcats, there was a different feeling about the way that season turned out than previous 4- and 5-win seasons. Convincing wins over McNeese State (a 54-27 rout, the program's first win against the Cowboys in seven seasons and, at the time, the largest margin of victory ever over MSU) and Nicholls State, coupled with competitive showings against Baylor, Appalachian State (a rising I-AA powerhouse) and Florida Atlantic (playing in its first season as a I-A independent) gave Texas State hope. The Bobcats even had an outside shot at a conference title going into the season finale but came up short against eventual I-AA semifinalist Sam Houston State.
"I think we competed reasonably well in 2004. You saw we had (quite) an assembly of athletes and it didn't look like it had to be a three-year rebuilding process. I remember being in Coach Bailiff's office after the 2004 season and we had a post-mortem about that year. I think then a lot of us knew what we had on our hands if we handled it right."
- Randy Moshier
Texas State Tight End (2002-05)
2005 Stats/Honors: 4 catches, 41 yards (Moshier was a blocking TE), JC Kellam Award (Most Outstanding TXST senior player), SLC-Honorable Mention
"Working through my third offense in 2004, we pieced together a team and gained some confidence going into the 2005 season. Coach Bailiff did a great job in gaining the interest of the student body and supporters and it was starting to show at the games."
- Thomas Kereztury
Texas State Offensive Lineman (2001-05)
2005 Stats/Honors: SLC-1st Team, 2nd Team All-American
"We knew we needed just a little bit more, to get a little bit bigger, faster stronger … We just needed one more offseason in Coach Bailiff's system to get over that hump"
- David Simmons
Texas State Linebacker (2001-05)
2005 Stats/Honors: 70 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 INT, SLC-1st Team
"The '04 season was one where we were getting all of the right guys where they needed to be … One of the first things we did was move Fred Evans from the offensive line to defense after our initial spring practice. That was a year of transition but one that was really rewarding as well, (particularly) watching Barrick Nealy grow and develop."
- David Bailiff
With a full year working the recruiting trail and a bevy of seniors, 29 of them, returning for the 2005 season, the expectations of something special were there, the previous season's 5-6 finish be damned.
I could just look around practice and see how many talented players we had. Being a I-AA team it seemed odd that we had so many elite players. I figured that we would be pretty good.
- Nate Langford
Texas State Defensive End (2004-07)
2005 Stats/Honors: 34 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 Sacks
"The expectations were extremely high going into 2005. We had a large number of seniors, we had great talent, and we felt the schedule was set up good early to gain some confidence and momentum."
- Travis Bush
"It was amazing. I was a wide-eyed freshman coming in and all I wanted to do was help. It was remarkable how they took me under their wing and told me exactly what to do and how to do it. It was like I had 29 older brothers that I never had before."
- Morris Crosby
Texas State Wide Receiver/Kick Returner/Cornerback (2005-08)
2005 Stats/Honors: 13 catches, 102 yards, 11.9 yds/punt return, TXST Outstanding Freshman of the Year
"In training camp that year you could just tell there was an attitude about the team that told me there was a bunch of young men hungry to do something special."
- David Bailiff
"The summer before the 2005 football season was probably the best showing of guys working out and getting ready for the season. When we started training camp I can remember getting with a group of seniors and we told ourselves that we would do whatever it takes to be successful that season. For whatever reason everything was starting to click."
- Thomas Kereztury
"I think we all knew that we wanted to win the conference championship. I don't know that we necessarily had anything as lofty as a national championship on our minds."
- Randy Moshier
"Going into the '05 season I want to say that expectations were high, but you're talking to someone that saw years of average to below average football. I felt we could be pretty good but had no idea the ride we were about to go on."
- Bill Culhane
Texas State Radio Broadcaster (1994-Present)
Bailiff was and is a defensive minded coach, and upon his arrival to San Marcos, he and his staff worked vigorously on turning around a unit that had given up an average of 34.8 points in 2003. In 2004 that number dipped nearly 10 points to 25.9 points a game. Another year in Coach Bailiff's system and with several veterans returning on defense in 2005, Texas State's 4-2-5 unit, led by a pair of talented defensive tackles, was prepared for a breakout season.
"With Fred Evans and Travis Upshaw, we had two anchors up front, so good luck trying to run the ball."
- David Simmons
Texas State's defense surrendered just 20.3 points per game in 2005, holding an opponent to seven points or less four times in the team's 14 games. And Simmons was right: good luck running the ball. Even against two triple-option, run-heavy offenses in Nicholls State and Georgia Southern, Texas State gave up just 136 yards per game on the ground. Take out those two games, the average plummets to 97.3 rushing yards per game.
However, the offense is (understandably) what most remember from the 2005 season. Barrick Nealy was entering his senior season. The offensive line featured Kereztury and another soon-to-be First-Team All-Southland Conference lineman: Luke Horder. Running backs Douglas "Smokey" Sherman, Colorado transfer Daniel Jolly, the Morris Brothers and Nick Session (a combined 1,473 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2005) and a receiving corps led by Markee White (now a six-year veteran of the Arena Football League) provided Nealy with all the firepower he needed. Throw in a special teams unit featuring punter Cory Elof and placekicker Stan Jones (both named First-Team All-Conference in 2005), and the pieces were in place. But it didn't all come together right away.
GAME 1: Delta State @ Texas State (September 3, 2005)
While this marked the season (and home) opener for the Bobcats, the Division II Statesmen already had a game under their belt, taking down second-ranked (D-II) Pittsburg State the week before. For one integral member of the Bobcats though, there was more on his mind than football heading into the season opener.
My mom actually had a heart attack about a week before the first game. She wasn't able to make it, so to start the season with that on my mind was pretty tough. But she made it out ok.
- David Simmons
Texas State jumped out to a 15-0 lead, but Delta State proved to be pesky. The Statesmen, despite finishing with just 205 yards of offense (and -18 yards rushing), managed to come back and tie the game at 25-25 late in the third quarter. A 14-penalty day accounting for 147 yards didn't help matters for the favored Bobcats.
"The coaches turned up the heat and expectations (after that game). We ran a lot after practice for all of the penalties."
- Nate Langford
Delta State had a brief window to take the lead, blocking a Texas State punt just before the end of the third quarter but ended up missing a field goal on its ensuing possession. The Bobcats finally took the lead for good on a 1-yard touchdown run by Nealy, a score set up by a 34-yard pass to Dameon Williams on 3
rd-and-21.
"We threw a crossing route deep over the middle and it was caught by this little guy named Dameon Williams who up until that point had been kind of an average player in practice. I only remembered him (prior to the game) because he got yelled at a lot."
- Randy Moshier
"We had a very loaded wide receiver group with KR Carpenter, Tyrone Scott and Markee White, all returning as vets. I was expecting to go out and play a few games, have some fun with it being it my last year. I remember it being muggy, wet and hot that day … It was my first actual college football game."
- Dameon Williams
Texas State Wide Receiver/Kick Returner (2005)
2005 Stats/Honors: 25 catches, 451 yards, 5 TDs, 26.8 yards/kick return, SLC-Honorable Mention
The Bobcats finally put the Statesmen, a team that finished 7-4 in 2005, away by eating up the final 2:48 of the clock courtesy of a pair of runs (of 22 and 16 yards) from Nick Session. Texas State won by a final of 32-25. The win certainly beat the alternative, but there wasn't exactly a lot of chest bumping after the game.
"I remember that game being a dogfight, and their quarterback was a lot better than we hoped he'd be."
- David Bailiff
(Scott Eyster was Delta State's QB that game and completed 19 of 31 passes for 223 yards, 2 TD and 0 INTs)
"First ball games are always sloppy … Those guys hadn't (yet) learned how to win. We had some guys step up towards the end of that ballgame and it was then that you could see the confidence start to build in those guys. They realized that they could put their foot down and take over a game and that would prove to come true later in the season."
- Travis Bush
"We look back and see a 'W', but a lot of people don't know how precarious that situation was, how close we were to losing that game and ultimately how that could set the tone for the rest of the season. I think we realized we were going to have to fight in every game from then on."
- Randy Moshier
"Usually the first game you have some answers to some questions but I remember coming out of that game thinking now we have more questions. I was glad for the win but I didn't walk out of that stadium thinking this was a National Semifinalist team."
- Bill Culhane
Little did any of us know that 14 weeks later the Bobcats would be on the door stop of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Up next in our 2005 Oral History Series: An Encouraging Defeat
