1972 East Texas State Lions football team

The 1972 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University in the 1972 NAIA Division I football season. They were led by head coach Ernest Hawkins, who was in his ninth season at East Texas State. The Lions played their home games at Memorial Stadium and were members of the Lone Star Conference. The Lions won the Lone Star Conference, the NAIA District IV, and the NAIA Division I National Championship.

Heading into the 1972 season, the Lions were picked to finish fourth in the conference, and started out the season with 14–12 loss to rival Abilene Christian, but then racked up six straight wins to climb into the national polls. Then The Lions were upset by, dropping them out of the top five in the rankings. The Lions finished the season with wins over and. When the final national rankings came out, the Lions were ranked fourth in the nation and invited to the NAIA Division I playoffs. In the semifinal round the Lions faced the top-ranked team in the nation, the of Oklahoma. The Lions routed Central State, 54–0 in the earning them a spot in Champion Bowl against the second-ranked. The title game was determined to be played in Commerce. On a bitterly cold December day in front of a packed Memorial Stadium, Hawkins's Lions defeated Carson–Newman, 21–18, to claim the national title. Among the players on the team were future National Football League (NFL) players Will Cureton, Harvey Martin, Autry Beamon, Aundra Thompson, and Tim Collier. The Lions were named the National Team of the Year and Hawkins was named both Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year.

Awards

 * NAIA Coach of the Year: Ernest Hawkins

All-Americans

 * Harvey Martin, First Team Defensive Line
 * Kenneth Parks, First Team, Running Back
 * Curtis Wester, First Team, Offensive Line
 * Autry Beamon, Second Team, Defensive Back
 * Denver Crawley, Honorable Mention, Offensive Tackle
 * Dudley Slice, Honorable Mention, Receiver
 * Ricky Earle, Honorable Mention, Safety

LSC Superlatives

 * Coach of The Year: Ernest Hawkins
 * Outstanding Lineman: Curts Wester
 * Outstanding Back: Kenneth Parks

LSC First Team

 * Autry Beamon, Safety
 * Denver Crowley, Offensive Line
 * Will Cureton, Quarterback
 * Ricky Earle, Safety
 * Harvey Martin, Defensive End
 * Kenneth Parks, Running Back
 * Dudley Slice, Receiver
 * Doug Walker, Linebacker
 * Curtis Wester, Offensive Line

LSC Second Team

 * Calvin Harris, Tight End
 * LeRoy Johnson, Linebacker

LSC Honorable Mention

 * Kenneth Brown, Offensive tackle
 * Nelson Robinson, Fullback
 * James Talbot, Linebacker
 * Jim Talley, Center
 * Jackie Woods, Offensive Guard