# 1980 East Texas State Lions football team

The 1980 East Texas State Lions football team represented East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC) during the 1980 NAIA Division I football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Ernest Hawkins, the Lions compiled an overall record of 8–3–1 with a mark of 4–2–1 in conference play, placing fourth in the LSC. Two of the conference's members competed at the NCAA Division II level, while the rest remained in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Despite Southwest Texas State, an NCAA Division II member, winning the conference title, the NAIA division title was shared by East Texas State and Angelo State. The Lions advanced to the NAIA Division I Football National Championship playoffs, where they beat Central Arkansas in the quarterfinals before falling to Elon, the eventual national champion, in the semifinals.
East Texas State began the season 6–0 before dropping consecutive games to Southwest Texas State and Texas A&I. The Lions finished third in the NAIA poll. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 13 | 2:00 pm | at Cameron* | | Cameron StadiumLawton, OK | W 35–20 | |
| September 20 | 6:00 pm | Southern Arkansas* | | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | W 21–14 | |
| September 27 | 5:00 pm | at Central State (OK)* | | Wantland StadiumEdmond, OK | W 33–7 | |
| October 11 | 6:00 pm | at Sam Houston State | | Pritchett FieldHuntsville, TX | W 41–7 | |
| October 18 | 2:00 pm | Howard Payne | | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | W 28–14 | |
| October 25 | 2:00 pm | at Abilene Christian | | Shotwell StadiumAbilene, TX | W 24–14 | |
| November 1 | 2:00 pm | No. 2 Southwest Texas State | No. 9 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | L 26–37 | 5,500 |
| November 8 | 2:00 pm | No. 7 Texas A&I | No. 10 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (rivalry) | L 7–14 | |
| November 15 | 6:00 pm | at Stephen F. Austin | No. 8 | Lumberjack StadiumNacogdoches, TX | W 44–7 | |
| November 22 | 2:00 pm | No. 6 Angelo State | No. 7 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX | T 13–13 | |
| December 6 | 2:00 pm | at No. 1 Central Arkansas* | No. 8 | Estes StadiumConway, AR (NAIA Division I Quarterfinal) | W 27–21 | |
| December 13 | 3:00 pm | No. 2 Elon* | No. 6 | Memorial StadiumCommerce, TX (NAIA Division I Semifinal) | L 6–14 | 2,578 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from NAIA Division I Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Postseason awards
### All-Americans

* Wade Wilson, Quarterback, Consensus First Team
* Danny Kirk, Linebacker, Second Team

### LSC superlatives

* Wade Wilson, Outstanding Back of the Year

### All-Lone Star Conference
#### LSC First Team

* Danny Kirk, Linebacker
* Cary Noiel, Running Back
* Curtis Ray, Defensive Line
* Ron Trammell, Wide Receiver
* Wade Wilson, Quarterback

#### LSC Second Team

* Jimmy Buster, Defensive Lineman
* Blake Cooper, Center
* Anthony Freeman, Defensive Back
* David Midolo, Tackle
* Randy Smith, Receiver

### LSC Honorable Mention

* Vic Combs, Tight End
* Dennis Hagen, Guard
* David Lowe, Defensive End
* Bishop Spencer, Tackle