The inaugural event will take place October 19-21, 2026. The three-day tournament will feature nine men’s and nine women’s golf teams with three rounds of stroke play at the new Halbert National in Granbury, Texas. Ģ����ý will host the tournament with both the men’s and women’s teams competing annually in the field alongside some of the country’s top collegiate golf programs.

Early commitments on the women’s side include 2025 NCAA semifinalist University of Oregon in addition to Baylor University and Purdue University. Initial teams on the men’s side feature Southern Methodist University, University of Houston and Texas A&M University.

Located 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth on 170 acres along Lake Granbury, Halbert National is a private 18-hole golf course in Granbury, Texas, owned by medical biotech entrepreneur and founder of Caris Life Sciences David D. Halbert and designed by legendary golf designer Tom Fazio. Halbert, an Abilene native and Ģ����ý alumnus opened the 7,542-yard, par-72 course in 2025.

“Partnering with Golf Channel and competing at one of Texas’ most remarkable courses gives us an incredible opportunity to showcase college golf at its highest level. We’re proud to launch an event that we believe will grow into one of the sport’s premier traditions,” said Zack Lassiter, Ģ����ý vice president for athletics. “This tournament highlights the national profile of Ģ����ý, the excellence of our student-athletes and the power of collaboration with our partners at Halbert National. It’s a celebration of what’s possible when vision and commitment come together, and we’re excited to see it become a signature moment on the college golf calendar.”

Golf Channel will present live coverage of all three rounds of the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate from October 19-21.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Ģ����ý and HNS Sports Group to present the inaugural Abilene Christian Intercollegiate at Halbert National live on Golf Channel in 2026,” said Glenn Grimshaw, Golf Channel vice presidnet for programming and partnerships. “Golf Channel has introduced viewers to future PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour stars through our comprehensive college golf coverage for more than a decade. We’re proud to add the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate to our robust college golf portfolio as we continue to showcase the stars of the future.”

The event will honor the late Johnny Perkins, a Granbury native and standout wide receiver at Abilene Christian from 1974-76, where he became the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards and earned All-American honors. His record-setting career at Ģ����ý helped launch him to the NFL, where he was drafted by the New York Giants in 1977 and went on to play seven seasons. As a member of the Ģ����ý Sports Hall of Fame and the university’s All-Century Team, Perkins remains one of the most celebrated athletes in Wildcat history.

“I’m honored to host the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate at this premier golf course. The event unites the innovative spirit of Caris Life Sciences with my Ģ����ý heritage, all while celebrating my friend and Ģ����ý classmate, Johnny Perkins,” Halbert said. “I look forward to welcoming the Golf Channel and a national TV audience to experience competitive collegiate golf at Halbert National.”

HNS Sports Group, an Ohio-based event management LLC specializing in golf, will manage the Ģ����ý Intercollegiate.

For more information on the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate, please visit: . For the latest news and updates on social media, follow the Intercollegiate on Instagram at and on .

ABOUT ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Competing at the NCAA Division I level as a proud member of the Western Athletic Conference, Ģ����ý fields 17 varsity sports and has built a strong tradition of athletic and academic excellence. The Wildcats are known for championship performances, competitive spirit, and a commitment to developing student-athletes who excel in the classroom, in competition, and in life. The Wildcats boast 62 team national championships and 226 conference championships.

Abilene Christian serves a diverse student population of about 7,200 with world-class teaching in a Christ-centered community. Founded in 1906, this Carnegie Research 2 university is nationally recognized for undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research. Students choose from 90 baccalaureate majors that include more than 186 areas of study, 77 areas of study in master’s degree and specialist programs, and five doctoral programs. ���䱫’s mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

Learn more at or .

ABOUT GOLF CHANNEL’S COLLEGE GOLF COVERAGE
Golf Channel is the television home for college golf, currently providing live coverage of 11 college golf championships throughout the spring and fall seasons. Golf Channel deploys its comprehensive portfolio of news, digital and social media coverage year-round in covering collegiate golf, including season preview shows, signing day specials, regional and national qualifying coverage, serving as the exclusive media partner of PGA TOUR University and exclusive annual coverage for the Haskins and ANNIKA Awards Presented by Stifel.

Following its announcement in 2013 as the exclusive television provider of the NCAA Golf Championships, Golf Channel has provided live coverage of the men’s NCAA Championships since 2014 and the women’s NCAA Championships since 2015, which are hosted at the same venue in consecutive weeks at Omni La Costa, San Diego, Calif. Golf Channel also annually televises the three-day East Lake Cup at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia; the Western Intercollegiate Presented by Titleist, one of the longest-running college tournaments in the U.S. taking place at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Califfornia; the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by Principal Financial at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, S.C.; the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship; the Jackson T. Stephens Cup; the NB3 Match Play at Twin Warriors; the St Andrews Links Collegiate and the Folds of Honor Collegiate at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Jennifer Kupcho, Rose Zhang and Maria Fassi are just a few of the professional golfers who appeared on Golf Channel while competing in college.

ABOUT CARIS LIFE SCIENCES
Caris Life Sciences is a leading, patient-centric, next-generation AI TechBio company and precision medicine pioneer that is actively developing and commercializing innovative solutions to transform healthcare. Through comprehensive molecular profiling (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing) and the application of advanced AI and machine learning algorithms at scale, Caris has created the large-scale, multimodal clinico-genomic database and computing capability needed to analyze and further unravel the molecular complexity of disease. This convergence of next-generation sequencing, AI and machine learning technologies, and high-performance computing provides a di erentiated platform to develop the latest generation of advanced precision medicine diagnostic solutions for early detection, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development.

Caris was founded with a vision to realize the potential of precision medicine in order to improve the human condition. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris has offices in Phoenix, New York, Cambridge (MA), Tokyo, Japan and Basel, Switzerland. Caris or its distributor partners provide services in the U.S. and other international markets.

ABOUT HNS SPORTS GROUP
HNS Sports Group is well positioned to assist companies that find value in the golf industry and build and execute comprehensive golf branding or sponsorship strategies. E ectively understanding the golf marketplace today is a significant challenge, and the HNS Sports Group team possesses over 125 years of collective experience that is applied to lead companies in their e orts to maximize value from golf sponsorship and event participation. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit .

MEDIA CONTACT
Ashley J. Grimmer
Communications Manager, HNS Sports Group
agrimmer@hnssports.com
(513) 349-3389

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Ģ����ý’s Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark has been named the Best Sports and Entertainment Construction Project in Texas and Louisiana for 2025 by .

The $17.5 million renovation, completed over a nine-month period in 2024-25 by , transformed the home of Wildcat baseball with chairback seating, an open-air pavilion roof, a new press box, artificial turf, LED lighting and upgraded player development facilities. The project was designed to elevate the fan experience and athlete performance while strengthening ���䱫’s role as a top-tier NCAA Division I program.��

“Every aspect of the design was carefully considered to meet the needs of fans and players, creating a modern venue that will benefit the Ģ����ý community for years to come,” said Kevin Campbell (’00), ���䱫’s senior vice president for operations.

Zack Lassiter, vice president for athletics, and head baseball coach Rick McCarty worked closely with the architecture firm with a goal to create the best mid-major baseball facility in the country.��

“Not only will this facility improve the fan experience, but it will be a place where our student-athletes can grow spiritually, academically and athletically,” Lassiter said.

The recognition also reflects the talent of Ģ����ý students and recent graduates. Sam Carter (’23) and Katelyn Graham (’23), now engineers with Linbeck, contributed to the project, along with senior engineering major Jonathan Lochrie, who served as an intern. Linbeck is a member of the advisory board for ���䱫’s engineering program.��

“It’s exciting to see our work recognized at this level,” Lochrie said. “We’re proud to represent Ģ����ý and hope to continue building projects that make an impact.”

In 2024, the Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center received second place in the ENR regional awards, but this year’s honor marks the first time for an Ģ����ý facility to win the category.

Learn more about ���䱫’s Department of Engineering and Physics.

— Wendy Kilmer
Aug. 22, 2025

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Following a year of significant renovation, the baseball venue at Ģ����ý now bears a new name to match the upgraded facility. Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark honors former Ģ����ý baseball players Joe Bullock (’80) and Robert Bullock (’81), the only brothers to each earn regional postseason honors while playing for the Wildcats in the same season.

Joe was a sophomore catcher, designated hitter and pitcher who hit .330 while leading his team in home runs and RBIs in 1978, and was named first-team All-NAIA District IV in 1979 as a junior catcher and designated hitter after leading Ģ����ý in hits, doubles, home runs and RBIs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, co-founded the Bullock Hartley CPA firm in 1994, and died in 2021 at age 62 following an illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is survived by his wife, Emily Bullock, and two children, Tyler Bullock and Taren (Bullock ’09) Lowe.��

Robert was named honorable mention All-NAIA District IV as a sophomore outfielder in 1979 when he hit .299 with 23 RBIs. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and in 1989, became an owner/partner of a senior housing company currently known as Sagora Senior Living Inc. He is married to Melanie (Evans ’82) Bullock, and they have two children, Brenna (Bullock ’07) Blacklock and Calee Wilson.

Joe and Robert are also brothers to April (Bullock ’89) Anthony, chair of ���䱫’s Board of Trustees.

“This naming honors two accomplished former Wildcat student-athletes, but more than that, it honors two people of character and purpose,” said Dr. Phil Schubert (’91), Ģ����ý president. “I’m grateful for both of these men and their remarkable legacy of faith and leadership.”

Crutcher Scott Field at Bullock Brothers Ballpark replaces the previous venue built in 1991 – the playing surface of the new ballpark retains the Crutcher Scott Field name in tribute to former longtime trustee and prominent Abilene businessman A.C. “Crutcher” Scott (’24).

Renovations to the ballpark began in May 2024 and include chairback seats, an open-air pavilion roof along the first-base line, a new press box, new artificial turf and LED illumination for Crutcher Scott Field, outdoor gathering spaces, and enhanced player development facilities.

“Our goal at Ģ����ý is to create an environment where our student-athletes can grow in their faith, reach their potential in the classroom and compete for championships,” said Zack Lassiter, vice president for athletics. “I believe these facility enhancements will be a game changer for our baseball program, and I’m so grateful for the unparalleled generosity of the Ģ����ý community.”

Newly named spaces in Bullock Brothers Ballpark include:

• Wessel Family Player Development Center, honoring Rick (’81) and Debbie (Rains ’79) Wessel, as well as their children and grandchildren: daughter Jenny (Wessel ’04) Haskin, husband Travis Haskin (’05) and their children, Holden and Harper; and their son, Jared Wessel (’09), wife Erin (Knight ’08) Wessel, and their children, Rhett and Reagan.
• Mabee Courtyard, recognizing the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation.
• Autrey Family Pavilion, honoring the Autrey family – Larry (’18 MBA) and Tiffany, and sons Landon (’21) and Chandler.
• McCaleb and Miller Team Room, recognizing two former Wildcat teammates who were instrumental in bringing baseball back to campus in 1991: Dr. Gary McCaleb (’64), vice president emeritus of the university, and C. Todd Miller (’62), former longtime trustee and Dallas businessman.
• Bourland Family Classroom, honoring the Bourland family – Bart and Amanda, son Lane (’19) and wife Preslee (Hererra ’21), and daughters Peyton (’21) and Logan (’24).

A grand opening of the ballpark will take place April 12 when the Wildcats host Utah Tech in a at 3:05 p.m.��

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Visitation is planned for 5:30 p.m., Nov. 18, and a funeral service at 2 p.m., Nov. 19, both at Peacock (Texas) First Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Aspermont (Texas) Cemetery.

Godfrey was born Sept. 21, 1944, near Aspermont, Texas; married high school classmate Barbara Smith in 1962; and graduated from Ģ����ý with a B.S.Ed. degree in history education in 1968 and an M.Ed. degree in 1977 from Sul Ross State University.

He grew up on farms in Swenson and Peacock, Texas, and led nearby Aspermont High School basketball teams to state tournament berths in 1961 and 1962. In 1962 he tied the state’s Conference B single-game playoff scoring record of 43 points, and set the three-game mark of 93 points.

Godfrey still ranks 11th in Wildcat history in career scoring, finishing with 1,467 points (1964-68). He is eighth in single-season scoring (571 points in 1967-68) and tied for second for most field goals scored in a game (17 on Feb. 2, 1968).

Moody Coliseum’s opening game versus Arkansas State on Feb. 27, 1968, was also billed as John Ray Godfrey Night in honor of the last home game of his brilliant years at Ģ����ý. He rose to the occasion in the 96-93 overtime win. His 41 points that night – the second time to reach that mark in two seasons – stood as an Ģ����ý men’s arena record for 23 years.

“John Ray was a phenomenal basketball player, and he still would be today. If all Ģ����ý players were available, and I got first pick while choosing sides for a game, I would without hesitation pick No. 14. He was a gifted basketball player with track and field speed; in fact, he originally came to Ģ����ý for track and field, then he competed as a senior in track after his basketball collegiate career ended,” said��Garner Roberts (’70), former Wildcat longtime sports information director and a member of ���䱫’s Sports Hall of Fame.

“He was equally effective as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent. In today’s terminology, he’s a GOAT,” Roberts said. “One of my prized possessions is a program from that first game in Moody, autographed by John Ray after he scored 41 points to lead the Wildcats to the Southland Conference championship – ���䱫’s third in four years.��He was carried off the court that night on the shoulders of celebrating students in a jam-packed coliseum. When was the last time you saw that at an Ģ����ý game?”

Godfrey led the Wildcats of head coach��Dee Nutt (’50)��to the NCAA College Division national tournament his sophomore year (1965-66), where they lost��to a University of North Dakota team on which future NBA coaching icon Phil Jackson played.

He��was named league MVP in 1967-78 after averaging 23.8 points per game, and three times was an All-Southland unanimous selection. He was the first Ģ����ý men’s basketball player to be named first-team All-American from Associated Press. He also earned All-American recognition from United Press International and the U.S. Basketball Coaches Association.

In 1968 following his senior season, Godfrey was selected in the 14th round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and the third round of the ABA Draft by the Houston Mavericks. He was one of 48 collegians invited to the U.S. Olympic team trials, including Houston forward-center Elvin Hayes, LSU guard Pete Maravich, Kansas guard Jo Jo White, Louisville forward-center Wes Unseld and Niagara guard Calvin Murphy.

“He was an exceptional all-around player,” said��Tommy Morris (’55), a former Wildcat basketball standout and member of ���䱫’s Sports Hall of Fame. “He was a prolific scorer who could drive to the basket, shoot, dribble behind his back, play defense – a Pete Maravich type of player for us.”

Godfrey was inducted in 1989 to the Ģ����ý Sports Hall of Fame��and in 2011 to the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame. He wore jersey numbers 14 at home and 15 on the road, but his 14 is the only men’s basketball number to be retired by Abilene Christian (2018).

His career of more than 35 years in West Texas public schools included roles as a high school teacher and administrator.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Olin Godfrey and Ina Mae Godfrey; his daughter, Kelly Godfrey Jeffrey; a sister, Jimmy Dale Godfrey Teel; and a brother, Syl “Buddy” Godfrey. Among survivors are Barbara, his wife of 62 years; a son, Kirby Godfrey; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

— Ron Hadfield
Nov. 18, 2024

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The never-say-die Ģ����ý Wildcats did it again Saturday night, and this time, it resulted in the football program’s first NCAA Division I conference championship and berth in the FCS playoffs.

The 14th-ranked Wildcats and 13th-ranked Tarleton State Texans battled for 60 minutes in a game worthy of a conference championship. Fortunately, the Wildcats walked out of Memorial Stadium with a 35-31 win, the United Athletic Conference championship and a berth in the FCS playoffs.

The Wildcats trailed 31-28 with just 1:48 left in the game, but they were not deterred. They did what they’ve done all season: put together a clutch drive when they needed it most. Staring at the end of their dream of a conference championship and a berth in the FCS playoffs, the Wildcats came up with the program’s biggest touchdown drive of its Division I era (since 2013), moving 75 yards in 12 plays and taking up just 1:29.

Aside from stopping the clock three times with clock-killing spikes, Maverick McIvor completed nine of nine passes for 75 yards, including a 24-yard pass to J.J. Henry down to the 1-yard line. On second down, after McIvor killed the clock, he found Sam Hicks in the front of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

Tarleton State got the ball back with 19 seconds left and moved to the Ģ����ý 39-yard line before calling timeout with six seconds left to play. On the game’s final play, Tarleton State quarterback Victor Gabalis heaved the ball deep into the north end zone toward a trio of Texan receivers. But Ģ����ý defensive back Izaiah Kelley knocked it down, setting off a wild on-field celebration by the Wildcats, and a huge contingent of Wildcat fans assembled in the north end zone stands.

Ģ����ý (8-3 overall and 7-1 in the UAC) will close the regular season next Saturday at Stephen F. Austin in a non-conference game. On Sunday, Nov. 24, the Wildcats will learn of their playoff fate. A win next Saturday would give the Wildcats nine wins, which could lead to a home playoff game.

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Ģ����ý vice president for athletics Zack Lassiter has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, replacing former WAC commissioner Brian Thornton, who announced he was leaving the conference on Oct. 10.

Lassiter will serve out the remaining four years of Thorton’s five-year term, which expires in 2029, on the 12-person committee.

“It is with great humility and enthusiasm that I accept the professional opportunity of a lifetime,” said Lassiter. “I believe the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of the greatest events in all of sports. I’ve been involved with March Madness in many different capacities over the last two decades, but to serve in this role is incredibly exciting. I want to thank NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt and everyone else involved in the nomination process. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and put in the work necessary to continue to make this championship special for everyone.”

Lassiter has previously worked as a team administrator for programs who have made the NCAA Tournament, and as a tournament manager in Salt Lake City when he was at the University of Utah. He has also served on the NCAA Soccer Selection Committee and an NCAA committee focused on marketing women’s basketball.

The appointment does not bring any competitive advantage for the Wildcats, but Lassiter believes it is a big positive for Ģ����ý.

“One of the things athletics can do is to bring more attention nationally to the university,” he said. “To have someone from our university represented on this committee is pretty significant. If they’re familiar with Ģ����ý, what a great extension. If they’re not familiar, this is a great opportunity for me to share who we are and what we’re about.To do that on the biggest stage of college sports is something you can’t pay for. I’m excited to carry the Ģ����ý flag everywhere I go.”

The current committee members include commissioners from the Sun Belt, West Coast Conference and Big Sky, and athletic directors from North Carolina, Minnesota, Alabama, Georgetown, Samford, Temple, Manhattan and Oklahoma State. UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham serves as the committee chairperson.

“Zack’s role as a member of the selection committee presents a tremendous opportunity for Ģ����ý to take a leadership role in one of the most significant events in college sports,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, Ģ����ý president. “Zack is an innovative, passionate and principled leader, and he will represent Ģ����ý and the WAC well in this capacity.”

���䱫’s men’s and women’s basketball programs have achieved national success since the move to Division I athletics. In 2019, both squads won the Southland Conference and made their respective NCAA Tournaments. Two years later the men’s team scored the biggest victory in the history of Wildcats athletics by taking down three-seeded Texas in the first round, 53-52.

Since joining ���䱫’s department of athletics in November 2021, Lassiter has led Ģ����ý and its student-athletes to grow spiritually, achieve academic excellence and compete for championships.

The Wildcats have won two WAC championships and received three WAC Coach of the Year honors in Lassiter’s tenure.

Since his arrival, total athletics revenue has increased by 33%. Lassiter also successfully led a campaign to renovate Crutcher Scott Field, which attracted more than $16 million in gifts for the project. The renovations are ongoing and are scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2025.

Ģ����ý student-athletes also set a new department record GPA of 3.37 in both the fall and spring semesters during the 2023-24 academic year.

— Evan Nemec
Oct. 23, 2024

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Ģ����ý is #10 in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25, released on Monday, following��

Central Arkansas became the highest-ranked team beaten by Ģ����ý during the program’s Division I era, which began in 2013. The Wildcats last beat a top 5 team when they were a Division II program in 2009, when No. 8 Ģ����ý took down No. 2 Northwest Missouri State in the season opener at Shotwell Stadium.

Head coach����said last Saturday’s win against Central Arkansas has the potential to propel the entire program to a new level.

“I think we’re at a point in our program where we expect to win,” he said. “In my first year, we hoped to win, and things would go well. (Saturday night’s game) could be a signature win if we continue to improve as a football team. You win a game like this, and suddenly, confidence can go through the roof. The difference with this team –��and I mean no disrespect to Central Arkansas –��is our kids expected to win (Saturday).”

���䱫’s first-ever home win over UCA also snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Bears.

It took 11 years for Ģ����ý to be nationally ranked in Division I football. The Wildcats made their first appearance at #25 following an overtime loss at Texas Tech, and a conference-opening win against West Georgia. Ģ����ý moved up into the top 20 the following week and reached #16 heading into the highly anticipated UCA game.

Ģ����ý is also ranked #12 in this week’s FCS Coaches poll.

The Wildcats are 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the United Athletic Conference. This is also the first time in Division I history that Ģ����ý has won its first three conference games.

Up next, Ģ����ý travels to play North Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. The Wildcats return home the following week for a Homecoming match-up with Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.

Tickets are expected to go fast for the Homecoming game.��.

— Evan Nemec
Oct. 7, 2024

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has insisted the 2024 season will be a special one in his third year at the helm. In their first chance to prove their coach right, the Wildcats .

The Wildcats went into Jones AT&T Stadium as considerable underdogs against Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference but gave the Red Raiders all they wanted in a 52-51 overtime loss. Ģ����ý – which tied the game with seven seconds left in regulation on a 21-yard field goal by – fell behind 52-45 on the opening drive of overtime but came right back and scored on a 1-yard run by to cut the Tech lead to 52-51.

Patterson went for the win instead of the tie, but Jayden Cofield tripped up Ģ����ý quarterback as he tried to scramble out of the pocket on the 2-point conversion play.��

McIvor was terrific in his return to Tech, where he originally signed out of San Angelo Central High School. He completed 36 of 51 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns. The performance earned him the .

He also became just the third player in Ģ����ý history to pile up 500 passing yards in a single game, tying Mitchell Gale (’13) for the second highest total. Ģ����ý Sports Network color commentator Jim Reese (’76) holds the school record with 564 yards in a 1976 game against Angelo State. Gale threw for 506 yards during a 2011 Division II playoff match-up with Washburn. McIvor is the first quarterback to throw for more than 500 yards against an NCAA Division I opponent.

The football team as a whole is also earning national recognition, , signaling a strong start to their season and placing them just outside the official top 25 rankings.��

Ģ����ý’s schedule this season features a diverse set of opponents, including several teams that have either been ranked in the top 25 or received votes for inclusion. The Wildcats will face #7 Idaho at home on Sept. 21, followed by a matchup with #9 Central Arkansas on Oct. 5. Although Austin Peay did not make the top 25, it garnered 19 votes and will compete against Ģ����ý on Nov. 9. The final ranked opponent on the schedule is #20 Tarleton State, which the Wildcats will encounter in Stephenville on Nov. 16.

This week, the Wildcats are gearing up for a critical matchup against West Georgia in a United Athletic Conference game on Saturday, September 7, at Wildcat Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Buy tickets now at, or watch live on or listen live at.

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Opening Ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympics begin today at 12:30 p.m. CT and competition runs through Aug. 11.��

Cooper, head coach of his homeland’s track and field team, will be participating in his Ģ����ý-record fifth Summer Olympic Games – the third time as its coach following two appearances as a sprinter. In his spare time, he leads the Cooper Track Stars club for aspiring athletes in Conyers, Georgia, near his home in Atlanta.

Overall, he is one of 40 Olympians through the years from Abilene Christian, and only the second to coach an Olympic team. Bill McClure (’48), head Ģ����ý coach from 1963-72, was an assistant coach for the U.S. track and field team in Munich in 1972. Tom D. Smith III (’54), an American military hero who held world records in pistol shooting, competed for the U.S. in the 1964 Games in Tokyo. All other Wildcat Olympians were in track and field.

Cooper’s fourth Olympiad in Tokyo (2021) topped Wildcats Tim Bright (’83) and Delloreen Ennis (’99), who each competed in three Games. Bright was a decathlete for the U.S. in 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul), and a pole vaulter in 1992 (Barcelona). Ennis was one of the world’s top 100-meter hurdlers in 2000 (Sydney), 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing) for Jamaica.

Liberia was in the midst of a seven-year-long civil war when Cooper made his first Olympic team in 1996 as a sprinter in Atlanta. He returned in 2000 to represent Liberia in the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay in Sydney.

Born in Liberia, Cooper moved with his family in 1990 to Maryland, where he finished high school. He transferred to Ģ����ý from Central State University in Ohio to earn a bachelor’s degree, and added a Master of Public Health degree in 2014 from Walden University.��

He never lost a race during a standout first season (1997) as a Wildcat, winning six individual national indoor/outdoor titles and becoming the fourth-ranked U.S. collegian in the outdoor 100 meters. That year he helped Ģ����ý relay teams win two events at the Texas Relays, indoor and outdoor NCAA Division II national team championships, and he competed in three events at the IAAF World Championships.

The Liberian team in Paris includes eight athletes who qualified to appear in the women’s 100 and 200 meters, and 100 hurdles, and the men’s 100, 200 and 4×100 relay. At the African Championships in June, Liberia’s Ebony Morrison won the women’s 100 hurdles and Joseph Fahnbulleh won the men’s 100 and 200 meters.

“The goal is to advance to the finals in each participating event and fight to get on the podium and bring Mama Liberia its first Olympic medal,” Cooper told goteamliberia.com in a recent Olympian Spotlight Series interview. The nation first participated in the Summer Olympics in 1956, the year ���䱫’s Bobby Morrow (’58) won three gold medals for the U.S. in Melbourne.

Cooper said he advises his athletes, “Nothing is given to you on a silver platter. You have to work hard for everything. We now live in a society where a lot of young athletes think they can get these things overnight. … You first have to dream it and believe it and then put things in motion, and then work your way up the ladder because there will be obstacles, there will be barriers, but the name of the game is ‘Don’t quit.’

“Keep grinding because all those athletes that they see on the podium, I guarantee have a lot of ups and downs that people don’t see. They just see the finished product and they think, ‘Oh, I want to be that,’ ” Cooper said. “… Keep working hard and trusting the Lord because at the end of the day, you’re going to need his grace.”

Another Wildcat at work at the Paris Olympics is award-winning Associated Press journalist Doug Ferguson (’83), who will be covering golf competition on two courses of the Golf National venue, which annually hosts the French Open.

His busy work and travel schedule offered only a momentary break after covering the 152nd Open Championship last week at Royal Troon Golf Club in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Earlier this summer, Ferguson received the prestigious Memorial Golf Journalism Award at The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Previous winners are a who’s who of professionals from print and broadcast journalism history, including Jim Nantz, Frank Chirkinian, Jim McKay, Jim Murray, Dan Jenkins, Jack Whitaker and Grantland Rice.��

Ferguson received the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Gutenberg Award in 1999, and earned a Distinguished Alumni Citation from Ģ����ý in 2019, the same year he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Golf Association.

–�� Ron Hadfield
July 26, 2024

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Hollis Burl McCoy (’54)

Visitation will be at 12:30 p.m. March 22, 2024, at the , with the funeral at 2 p.m. and burial afterward at .��

McCoy was born Feb. 22, 1933, in Stith, Texas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a M.Ed. degree (1967), both from Ģ����ý. He married Georgia Jan Gibson (’58) on Aug. 11, 1958, in Bakersfield, California.��

He was a track and field standout for the Wildcats – posting top marks from 1952-54 in the 400 hurdles and 1951 in the 110 hurdles, and as a member of 4×200 (1953-54) and sprint medley (1952) relays, including winning performances at the Texas, Drake and Kansas Relays – and also played basketball at Abilene Christian.��

His career as a teacher, coach and mentor spanned 38 years at the high school and university levels.��

One of the longest-tenured head coaches in Wildcat history, McCoy compiled a 299-174 record in women’s basketball, with postseason appearances in eight of 16 seasons (1976-92), leading Ģ����ý to five Lone Star Conference championships. His best team (1980-81) reached the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals, finishing with a 31-7 record that included wins over Texas A&M, SMU, TCU and Hawaii. His teams won four straight LSC basketball titles from 1982-86 and a championship in his final season (1991-92).

McCoy was named LSC Coach of the Year in women’s basketball (1985 and 1986) and women’s track and field (1983).

“I tremendously enjoyed working with Burl,” said Ģ����ý trustee Cecil Eager (’71), who was the Wildcats’ director of athletics when McCoy wrapped up his coaching career. “He was an ah-shucks, country-as-cornbread guy, but so very smart. He figured what it took to win at whatever sport and whatever level, was a great recruiter and brought talented players to Ģ����ý who would fit in well.”

Among players McCoy coached were first-team All-Americans Bonnie (’81 Buchanan) Gray and Claudia Schleyer (’86), first-team Academic All-Americans Schleyer and Suzanne Johnson Fox (’90), and the first female student-athlete – Gray in 1991 – to be inducted into the Ģ����ý Sports Hall of Fame.��

McCoy was highly respected as someone dedicated to interjecting his faith and values into his work. “And he was diligent about creating a family atmosphere for his teams,” Eager said of the coach, who was inducted into the 2001-02 class of the Ģ����ý Sports Hall of Fame.

He was a beloved song leader at church and gospel meetings, and a longtime elder at Merkel Church of Christ. The McCoy Family Singers comprised Burl, Jan and their three children, and he and Jan were also members of a peer group that sang at more than 200 weddings.��

He was preceded in death by his parents, Hollis and Velma McCoy, and his brother, Gerald McCoy (’50).

Among survivors are Jan, his wife of 65 years; sons Brad McCoy and wife Debra (’83 Woodruff), and Michael McCoy (’89) and wife Jan (’91 Davis); daughter Amy (’83 McCoy) and husband Sid Walker; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

— Ron Hadfield
March 21, 2024

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