Football | 11/14/2015 11:00:00 AM
2005 Oral History Part VIII: Aftermath The day after Northern Iowa had beaten Texas State, Appalachian State (now a fellow member of the Sun Belt Conference with the Bobcats) defeated Furman to secure its berth in the National Championship Game in Chattanooga. Appalachian State would win that game 21-16, the first of three straight I-AA/FCS National Championships for the Mountaineers.
"I recall before playing Northern Iowa thinking about who we would potentially meet in the title game, and it would have been kismet had we gotten to play Appalachian State who we played the year before in Boone. We only lost that game by a touchdown and this year we were a hell of a lot better."
- Randy Moshier
Instead of its wishes of a rematch, the Bobcats spent the following week reflecting on exactly what the program had accomplished. Almost universally, every player, coach and fan agreed that the perception of Texas State football had changed forever.
"The culture changed after that season and I felt like the program was about to run the Southland. Some of the younger guys I had been on scout team with when I first transferred were very good players."
- Dameon Williams
"(For me), the 2005 season was a look into the future. (I felt) Texas State could be a consistent winner. The support started coming back around and the expectations began to increase. We expected to compete for the Southland title every year. Totally different (expectations) than when I played."
- Travis Bush
"The perception of Texas State changed because people knew we didn't suck anymore."
- Nate Langford
"I felt we put Texas State on the map."
- David Simmons
For a majority of the team's 29 seniors their playing days were over. For a select few there was more football to be played. Both Barrick Nealy and Fred Evans played in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii that year in an attempt to showcase their skills and boost their chances of playing in the NFL. That April, Evans was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 7
th round of the NFL Draft while Nealy went undrafted. Texas State's star quarterback signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in May but was released two months later. Markee White would also get a shot at the NFL and played in the pre-season for the St. Louis Rams the following summer before he too was released. Evans would go on to play eight seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins and Vikings while Nealy hung around in the Canadian Football League for a few seasons before hanging up the cleats for good in 2010. White is still actively playing in the Arena Football League and has won a pair of Arena Bowl Championships and has 83 career touchdown catches in six AFL seasons.
Meanwhile there was still football to be played in San Marcos and despite the loss of so much talent and experience, the expectations were high for Texas State going into the 2006 season. Ultimately, the personnel losses were too great for the '06 Bobcats to overcome as the team stumbled to a 5-6 finish.
"Losing all that experience, especially at quarterback, we knew it would be a rebuilding year for us. But, we still expected to win every game, and compete for SLC title. We had chances, but the inexperience in close games is what got us beat at times."
- Travis Bush
Shortly after the end of the 2006 season, Coach Bailiff accepted the Head Coaching job at Rice University (where he remains today) and took most of his staff with him. Brad Wright was promoted from the position of Associate Head Coach to Head Coach at Texas State and Coach Bush was also retained and promoted to the co-offensive coordinator. After a difficult inaugural season in 2007 which saw the Bobcats finish 4-7, Texas State caught lightning in a bottle the following year and won their second Southland Conference title, doing so by again beating rival Sam Houston State in overtime. Four years later, Bobcat Stadium doubled in size and the program brought back
Dennis Franchione as head coach to guide the Bobcats into the FBS era which opened with a 30-13 win over the University of Houston. Ask anyone prior to kickoff against Delta State in the 2005 opener, and none of that seemed possible.
"That 2005 football team had a hand in where the program is now and I'm very proud for Texas State."
- David Bailiff
"I love it. I fully support it. The program has grown tremendously. The '05 season was the starting point for the growth of the program. Coach Bailiff instilled a sense of school and team pride during his time there that was not present before. I think with the success of that season, it kicked started the traditions and showed the school that we had a good football program. The 2008 team built on that and I'm just salivating waiting for the first championship at the FBS level."
- Dameon Williams
"The football program has changed a lot in the past 10 years. For me it has changed my life for the better. I would like to think that the 2005 season started the movement and excitement for all of it. Going back to games and seeing the new additions to the stadium is unbelievable. It makes me feel proud to be a Bobcat and what we did."
- Thomas Kereztury
"2005 got the ball rolling with the success of the program and changing the image. I'm proud that Texas State is now playing FBS football."
- Nate Langford
"The expectations and perception changed. The support and the resources began to grow. The pieces started to come (together) to make the next move the FBS. I don't believe that would have happened when it did without the '05 season."
- Travis Bush
"I think after that season, the athletic administration and the president's office all saw what a galvanized university community can look like when they come together on a Saturday and how magical it can be when it's done properly."
- Randy Moshier
"We got a lot more support (after the 2005 season) and I think it shows now. I think it's one of the biggest factors why we're FBS now."
- David Simmons
"We can talk about that 2005 season being the springboard to Texas State becoming an FBS program. I have no problem saying that."
- Bill Culhane
"I'm certainly impressed with the improvements in facilities and to see images of a full stadium with the north side now enclosed is pretty cool."
- Ron Mears
"I've been back to watch a few games and to see the stadium the way it looks now, I think to myself 'that's the house that the '05 team built.'"
- Morris Crosby
Life after football has been good for the members of the 2005 Texas State football team. Dameon Williams is currently working in hospital administration in Houston. Nate Langford is the co-defensive coordinator at Seguin High School and has been teaching for the last six years. Thomas Kereztury is also in coaching, at MacArthur High School in San Antonio (Bailiff's alma mater). Randy Moshier is an investment banker at Frost Brank. David Simmons works as a survey technician at LCRA and Morris Crosby, one of the few Bobcats to be a member on both the '05 and '08 Southland Conference Championship teams, is a program coordinator for an addiction center in Dallas. Coach Bush is currently an intern coach with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, Ron Mears is an Assistant Athletic Director (Communications) at the University of Memphis and as many of you know, Bill Culhane is still working in the booth with me every Saturday in the fall.
"Life after football has been great. I am married with a 3 year old daughter. Of course everyone has their struggles in life, but the values that were instilled in me during my time in the program have helped me get to the point that I am in my life. Not being afraid of hard work, doing the little things correctly, and having a sense of mental toughness, has shaped me to the man I am today. I thank the coaches and my teammates for that. I will always bleed maroon and gold."
- Dameon Williams
"Life after Texas State football has been a blessing. My close friends are all guys I played ball with on the '05 season. I'm coaching football and loving every minute of it. I can't play it anymore so might as well do the next best thing. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to use the game of football to help shape young men's lives."
- Nate Langford
"You know, the road has been paved with a lot of blood, sweat and tears by guys who wore the maroon and gold over the years. I think it's neat to see it all come to fruition and remain something we can remain proud of going forward."
- Randy Moshier
"Life moved pretty fast. That May I was invited to training camp with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL but I was eventually was released and came back to San Marcos to get my degree. It was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
- David Simmons
"Being there at Texas State helped me grow to become the man that I am today. Going from a freshman on that '05 team to a captain on that '08 team helped me realize what hard work is and what being a brother is. I wouldn't be in the places that I am now without that."
- Morris Crosby
I would like to close this Oral History series by first thanking the players and coaches who made themselves available to me. There was a lot to cover from that '05 season and each one of them took the time to either talk me through it over the phone or respond (in detail) through e-mail. Thank you as well to Bill and Ron for doing the same despite their busy schedules. I would also like to thank the Texas State Athletic Department for giving me the greenlight on this project. The story of the 2005 season is one that I felt needed to be told and by those that lived through it all. I personally owe a lot to that season as well. I was just a student at the time and was trying to find my niche in broadcasting while also working on getting a degree (I graduated the following spring). I learned a lot about how to cover a football team that season and don't know where I would be today if not for the lessons I received (some of them very hard). As a proud Bobcat alum and broadcaster for Texas State still today, I will always look back at the 2005 season with fond memories.
Finally, thank you to the fans for your continued support of Bobcat Football and Texas State athletics as a whole. Those of you that were in those stands and stormed the field helped make the 2005 season what it was. Here's to even bigger moments for future seasons of Bobcat Football. It can't be done without you.
Eat 'Em Up.
Brant Freeman
