1976 Texas A&I Javelinas football team

1976 Texas A&I Javelinas football
NAIA Division I national champion LSC champion
Champion Bowl, W 26–0 vs. Central Arkansas
Conference	Lone Star Conference
Record	13–0 (7–0 LSC)
Head coach	Gil Steinke (23rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Fred Jonas (10th season)
Captains	Leonard Avery Larry McFarland Richard Ritchie
Home stadium	Javelina Stadium

1976 Lone Star Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Texas A&I $^	7	–	0	–	0			13	–	0	–	0
No. 6 Abilene Christian	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
East Texas State	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	1
Southwest Texas State	4	–	3	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Angelo State	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Sam Houston State	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	5	–	1
Howard Payne	1	–	5	–	1			1	–	8	–	1
Stephen F. Austin	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	1
$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

The 1976 Texas A&I Javelinas football team was an American football team that represented the Texas College of Arts and Industries (now known as Texas A&M University–Kingsville) as a member of the Lone Star Conference during the 1976 NAIA Division I football season. In its 23rd year under head coach Gil Steinke, the team compiled a perfect 13–0 record (7–0 against conference opponents), won the Lone Star Conference championship, and defeated Central Arkansas in the Champion Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.^[1]

The team played its home games at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas.

Schedule

Prior to the beginning of the regular season, Texas A&I and Henderson State were selected to make a three week summer exhibition tour of Europe to introduce American football to fans in Austria, France and Germany. They would be the first college football teams to ever play games overseas. The Javelinas would go on to win all five games: 17-8 in Berlin, 21-7 in Vienna, 20-6 in Mannheim, 17-15 in Nuremberg and 21-13 in Paris.^[2]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	at Texas Southern*	Astrodome Houston, TX	W 36–20		[3]
September 11	Slippery Rock*	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 58–7
September 18	at Hawaii*	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI	W 56–21	22,708
September 25	Abilene Christian	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 38–10
October 2	at Stephen F. Austin	Nacogdoches, TX	W 77–7
October 9	at East Texas State	Commerce, TX	W 37–0
October 16	Western New Mexico*	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 63–2
October 23	at Angelo State	San Angelo, TX	W 20–10
November 6	Sam Houston State	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 41–10	16,000	[4]
November 13	Howard Payne	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	W 40–0
November 20	at Southwest Texas State	Evans Field San Marcos, TX	W 44–6		[5]
December 4	Western State (CO)	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX (NAIA Division I semifinal)	W 57–14	10,001	[6]
December 11	Central Arkansas	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX (Champion Bowl)	W 26–0	9,562	[7]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelina Football 2015 Media Guide". Texas A&M University-Kingsville. 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
2. "Homecoming Reunion Rekindles Memories Of 1976 European Tour". Texas A&M - Kingsville Athletics. October 20, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
3. Emil Tagliabue (September 5, 1976). "No. 27 comes easy as Javs rip TSU". Corpus Christi Caller. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Ritchie hits 3rd 1,000; Javs shell Sam Houston". The Brownsville Herald. November 7, 1976. Retrieved February 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Playoff-bound Javs slug Bobcats". The Corpus Christi Caller. November 21, 1976. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Emil Tagliabue (December 5, 1976). "A&I rolls to NAIA finals, 57-14: Javs post 38th straight victory". Corpus Christi Caller. pp. 1C, 6C – via Newspapers.com.
7. Emil Tagliabue (December 12, 1976). "Javelinas bad news to Bears, 26-0". Corpus Christi Caller. pp. 1D, 7D – via Newspapers.com.