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1975 Texas A&M Aggies football team

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1975 Texas A&M Aggies football
SWC co-champion
Liberty Bowl, L 0–20 vs. USC
ConferenceSouthwest Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 11
Record10–2 (6–1 SWC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTom Wilson (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorMelvin Robertson (4th season)
Home stadiumKyle Field
Seasons
← 1974
1976 →
1975 Southwest Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Arkansas + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 6 Texas + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 11 Texas A&M + 6 – 1 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Texas Tech 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Baylor 2 – 5 – 0 3 – 6 – 2
SMU 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Rice 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
TCU 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1975 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Emory Bellard, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, sharing the SWC title with Arkansas and Texas. Texas A&M was invited to the Liberty Bowl, where the Aggies lost to USC. The team was ranked second in the nation after ten games before losing its final two contests. Texas A&M played home games at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Season summary

[edit]

The 1975 Aggie football team started its season with ten wins. Its tenth victory came on the day after Thanksgiving Day (Friday, November 28, 1975) over the Texas Longhorns at Kyle Field before a national television audience (ABC). The Aggies were ranked second in the nation after the game against Texas, but starting quarterback Mike Jay suffered a back injury in the 20–10 win over the Longhorns. The next game came eight days later, a Saturday, December 6, matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks that had been rescheduled from its typical early November time frame per a request by ABC Sports. With Jay injured, Texas A&M backup quarterback David Shipman was called upon to play against Arkansas, who was ranked 18th in the nation. The Aggies were trailing 7–0 at halftime and lost by a final score of 31–6.

The Aggies, Razorbacks and Longhorns all finished 6-1 in SWC play. With each team going 1-1 vs. the other two, Arkansas was awarded the berth in the Cotton Bowl since it had gone the longest since its most recent appearance (1965 vs. 1967 for A&M and 1973 for Texas).

Before the loss at Arkansas, Texas A&M had appeared headed to Dallas for New Year's Day. Instead, the sixth-ranked team faced the unranked USC Trojans in the Liberty Bowl. USC, playing in a bowl other than the Rose Bowl for the first time, had been ranked in the top five teams nationally in early November, but they struggled late in the season and came into the bowl game with a 7–4 record.[1] The Aggies suffered a 20–0 loss and finished the season ranked #11. The 1975 Liberty Bowl was the final game for USC coach John McKay, as his success had earned him a job with the NFL expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[2]

The 1975 team was bolstered by the play of four-year starter and running back Bubba Bean, who became the first Aggie featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Bean was selected to play in that year's Senior Bowl, where he caught an 82-yard touchdown pass. He rushed for 944 yards on the season and scored a team-high 8 touchdowns.[3] Bean finished his college career with 2,846 yards rushing.[4] Bean was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the ninth pick in the first round of the 1976 NFL draft.[5]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 13Ole Miss*No. 8
W 7–047,021[6]
September 20at LSU*No. 11
W 39–869,445[7]
September 27Illinois*No. 8
  • Kyle Field
  • College Station, TX
ABCW 43–1345,524[8]
October 4at Kansas State*No. 6
W 10–037,100[9]
October 11at Texas TechNo. 6
W 38–952,254[10]
October 18at TCUNo. 5
W 14–634,210[11]
October 25BaylorNo. 5
  • Kyle Field
  • College Station, TX (rivalry)
W 19–1053,693[12]
November 8SMUNo. 4
  • Kyle Field
  • College Station, TX
W 36–349,809[13]
November 15at RiceNo. 3
W 33–1467,000[14]
November 28No. 5 TexasNo. 2
  • Kyle Field
  • College Station, TX (rivalry)
ABCW 20–1056,679[15]
December 6at No. 18 ArkansasNo. 2
ABCL 6–3152,000[16]
December 22vs. USC*No. 6
ABCL 0–2052,129[17]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

[edit]
1975 Texas A&M Aggies football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 44 Bubba Bean Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB Ed Simonini Sr
LB Garth Ten Napel
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ Boyles, Bob, Guido, Paul (2009). The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia. Skyhorse Publishing. p. 327. ISBN 1602396779.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Farmer, Sam (January 12, 2007). "He took the money and ran -- to Tampa". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "1975 Texas A&M Aggies Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  4. ^ "Bubba Bean '75, Football". Texas A&M Letterman's Association. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  5. ^ "Bubba Bean". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  6. ^ "Aggies blank scrappy Rebels, 7–0". The Marshall News Messenger. September 14, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Texas A&M overpowers LSU, 39–8". The Victoria Advocate. September 21, 1975. Retrieved October 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Texas A&M displays power in 43–13 win over Illini". The Odessa American. September 28, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Wildcats' upset bid falls short". Longview Morning Journal. October 5, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Aggies crush T-Tech, 38–9". Wichita Falls Times. October 12, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "TCU wasn't joking; A&M escapes with 14–6 scare". The Austin American-Statesman. October 19, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Aggies bump Bears". The Shreveport Times. October 26, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Texas A&M still unbeaten after mauling Mustangs". Omaha World-Herald. November 9, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Ag defense shines". Brownwood Bulletin. November 16, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Aggie defense shines in 20–10 win over Longhorns". The Post-Crescent. November 29, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Bull heroics help Porkers shock Aggies". Monroe Morning World. December 7, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "USC's Liberty punch makes McKay a winner in end". The Commercial Appeal. December 23, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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