West Texas A&M Buffaloes

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West Texas A&M Buffaloes
Logo
UniversityWest Texas A&M University
ConferenceLSC (primary)
NCAADivision II
Athletic directorMichael McBroom
LocationCanyon, Texas
Varsity teams14 (7 men's, 7 women's)
Football stadiumBain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium
Basketball arenaFirst United Bank Center
Baseball stadiumWilder Park
Softball stadiumSchaeffer Park
Soccer stadiumThe Pitch
Other venuesWTAMU Fieldhouse
NicknameBuffaloes/Buffs (men)
Lady Buffs (women)
ColorsMaroon and white[1]
   
Websitegobuffsgo.com
Team NCAA championships
9

The West Texas A&M Buffaloes, also known as the WTAMU Buffaloes or WT Buffaloes, and formerly West Texas State Buffaloes and WTSU Buffaloes, are the athletic teams that represent West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, Texas, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Buffaloes, colloquially known as the Buffs (men) and Lady Buffs (women), compete as members of the Lone Star Conference for all 14 varsity sports.

West Texas A&M was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1941 to 1961. The football team won a conference championship in 1950. The Buffs were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1972 to 1985.

Varsity sports[edit]

The Lady Buffs women's volleyball team in action against the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions in 2013
The Lady Buffs women's basketball team in action against Texas A&M–Commerce in 2014
The Lady Buffs softball team in action against Texas A&M–Commerce in 2016

National championships[edit]

Team[edit]

Sport Association Division Year Opponent/Runner-up Score/Points
Women's volleyball NCAA Division II 1990 North Dakota State 3–0
1991 Portland State 3–0
1997 Barry 3–2
2022 Concordia-St Paul 3–1
Softball NCAA Division II 2014 Valdosta State 3-2
2021 Biola 0-5 / 7-4 / 4-1
Outdoor Track & Field NCAA Division II 2017 Grand Valley State 64-44
2022 Grand Velley State 77-64
Indoor Track & Field NCAA Division II 2018 Western State 53-40

Individual teams[edit]

Football[edit]

The football team plays its home games at Bain-Schaffer Buffalo Stadium, a newly built, on-campus stadium. Previously, WT played at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. The Buffs play rival Eastern New Mexico University each fall for the Wagon Wheel trophy, and rival Midwestern State University for the Highway 287 Challenge Cup.

Sun Bowl Champions[edit]

1949, 1962

Tangerine (Citrus Bowl) Champions[edit]

1957

Pasadena Bowl Champions[edit]

1967

Kanza Bowl Champions[edit]

2009, 2011

NCAA DII Playoffs[edit]

National Semifinals: 2012

Basketball[edit]

The Buff and Lady Buff basketball teams play in the First United Bank Center, a 5,800 seat multi-purpose arena in Canyon, Texas. It was built in 2002. It is the home of the Buffaloes basketball teams. The traditional rival is Eastern New Mexico University, but newer rivalries with Midwestern State University and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin have emerged in recent years. A strong tradition of basketball exists at West Texas A&M, dating back to the days of Maurice Cheeks and even as far back as the 1930s and 1940s. The 1954–55 season saw the Buffs make the NCAA tournament, though they would lose to eventual national champion San Francisco University. In 2018–2019, WT became the first school in NCAA history to have both the men's and women's teams host a regional tournament.

Men's Head Coach Overall Record Postseason Record Tenure Women's Head Coach Overall Record Postseason Record Tenure
Tom Brown 266-60 39-10 2014–Present Josh Prock 65-35 3-4 2022–Present
Rick Cooper 391-193 28-25 1993-2013 Kristen Mattio 154-35 18-7 2016–2021
Jeff Morgan 17-10 0-0 1992 Mark Kellogg 62-6 14-2 2013-2015
Mark Adams 108-40 10-6 1987-1991 Krista Gerlich 168-53 19-9 2006-2012
Gary Moss 47-40 0-2 1984-1986 Bob Schneider 585-163 53-33 1981-2005
Ken Edwards 68-97 2-4 1978-1983 Gary Mooring 8-14 0-0 1980
Ron Ekker 65-70 3-1 1973-1977
Dennis Wailing 83-66 0-1 1967-1972
Jimmy Viramontes 38-53 0-0 1963-1966
Metz LaFollete 33-54 0-0 1959-1962
Borden Price 9-31 0-0 1957-1958
Gus Miller 197-137 7-8 1942-1956
Al Baggett 174-64 7-8 1934-1941
Carl York 7-12 0-0 1933
Sam Burton 192-40 3-3 1921-1932
Wayne McCorkle 8-2 0-0 1920

From WTAMU Record Book[2]

Men's Basketball Postseason[edit]

Runner-up
2021
Final Four
2018, 2021, 2024
Elite Eight
1998, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
Sweet Sixteen
1998, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
Second Round
1994, 1998, 2001, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
2023, 2024
NCAA First Round
1955, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001
2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
NIT First Round
1942, 1969, 1980
NAIB Tournament
Third Place: 1941
Second Round: 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1952
First Round: 1939, 1950
LSC Tournament Champions
1990, 1991, 1994, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
2023
LSC Regular Season Champions
1991, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2018, 2019, 2020
2023, 2024
LSC Division Champions
1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2020, 2023, 2024
BIAA Regular Season Champions
1942, 1943, 1952, 1955

Women's Basketball Postseason[edit]

Runner Up
1988, 2014
Final Four
1988, 2014
Elite Eight
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2009
2014, 2015, 2017, 2022
Sweet Sixteen
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997
2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
Second Round
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996
1997, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
First Round
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996
1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
2019, 2022, 2023
WNIT First Round
1985, 1986
AIAW First Round
1982
LSC Tournament Champions
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2014
2015, 2018, 2019, 2022
LSC Regular Season Champions
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2006
2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
2022
LSC Division Champions
1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020

Volleyball[edit]

The Lady Buff volleyball team is a four-time NCAA Division II National Champion, winning the title in 1990, 1991, 1997, and most recently in 2022. The Lady Buffs holding one of the best home winning records in any level of competitive volleyball, which currently sits at 523-83 (495-49 at the D2 level).[citation needed] The team plays its home matches at Britkare Court at the WTAMU Fieldhouse aka “The Box.”

Coach Record Tenure
Brittany Harry 0-0 2024-Present
Kendra Potts 124-24 2019–2023
Jason Skoch 298-95 2009-2018
Tony Graystone 315-61 1999-2008
Debbie Hendricks 159-47 1993-1998
Jim Giacomazzi 66-13 1991-1992
Kim Hudson 127-25 1987-1990
Carmen Pennick 65-104 1983-1986
Gary Abramson 22-2 1982
Bobbie Cox 38-50-2 1980-1981
National Champions
1990, 1991, 1997, 2022
Runner-Up
2009, 2023
Third Place
1992
National Semi-Finals
1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009
2013, 2022, 2023
National Quarterfinals
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002
2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023
Regional Finals
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000
2002, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2022
2023
Regional Semi-Finals
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008
2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022
2023
Post-Season Appearances
1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
LSC Tournament Champions
2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023
LSC Regular Season Champions
1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000
2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
2011, 2013, 2014, 2022, 2023
LSC South Champions
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006

Cross Country[edit]

The Buffaloes and the Lady Buffs are one of the few Division II institutions that has an on campus cross country course, known as "The Range."

The Buffaloes have won the Missouri Valley Conference Championship in 1977, and 1979, and the Lone Star Conference Championship in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The men have had individual champions in the MVC in 1977 (Joseph Kemei), 1978 (Johnson Bett), 1979 (Johnson Bett), and 1985 (Carlos Ybarra) and in the LSC in 2013 (Dylan Doss), 2015 (Geoffrey Kipchumba), 2016 (Geoffrey Kipchumba), and 2017 (Owen Hind). The men have qualified for the national championships every year since 2013, and had a program best 11th-place finish in 2014. The Buffaloes have had 3 NCAA DII All-Americans, Geoffrey Kipchumba(2015,2016), Owen Hind (2017), and Briggs Wittlake (2018). Ezekiel Kipchichir won the 2019 South Central Region meet.

The Lady Buffs have won the Lone Star Conference Championship in 2012 and 2013. The women have had individual champions in 2012 and 2014.

Indoor/ Outdoor Track[edit]

West Texas A&M Women's Outdoor Track & Field won the 2017 and 2022 National Championships defeating Grand Valley State each time in three day events. The Women's Indoor Track & Field team won the 2018 National Championship.

Baseball[edit]

Coach Record Tenure
Matt Vanderburg 501-276 2009–Present
Mark Jones 180-290 2000-2008
Todd Howey 148-115 1995-1999
Mike Marshall 8-48 1994
Regional Participant
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
LSC Tournament Champions
2016, 2017, 2019
LSC Regular Season Champions
2014, 2018, 2021

Softball[edit]

The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs softball team Won the National Championship in 2014 defeating Valdosta State. in 2021, the Lady Buffs won their second title, defeating Biola University 2 games to 1.

Coach Record Tenure
Michael Mook 168-48 2020–Present
Candace Abrams 72-28 2018–2019
Kevin Blackowski 467-236 2006-2017
National Champions
2014, 2021
College World Series
2014, 2016, 2021
Regional Champion
2011, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2023
Regional Participant
2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
2019, 2021, 2023
LSC Tournament Champions
2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021
LSC Tournament Appearances
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
LSC Regular Season Champions
2011, 2014, 2015, 2016
LSC South Division Champions
2010

Notable alumni[edit]

In addition to the above, the football program produced several alumni who went on to notable careers in professional wrestling:

References[edit]

  1. ^ "West Texas A&M University Graphic Standards". Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. ^ "2018-19 West Texas A&M Women's Basketball Record Book".

External links[edit]