Winter 2012 - Austin College Magazine

Along Grand Avenue
Once in a Lifetime
Members of the 1981 team attending the
Kangaroos’ opening game and serving as
honorary coaches were, left to right, Sam
Boatman, All-American Rory Dukes, Bill
Magers, Russ Roden, David Adams, TIAA
Defensive Player of the Year and
defensive back Chris Luper, Rex Baker,
David Simmons, Don Parnell, Jim Curry,
All-American Ed Holt, Tim Kay, John
Henderson, Greg Cason, Mark Richards,
All-American quarterback and TIAA
Offensive Player of the Year Larry
Shillings, David Norman, and All-
American Stuart Oliphint.
Members of the Austin College 1981 NAIA National
Championship football team came to campus in
September 2011 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
team’s historic season, capturing the only national title
in Kangaroo athletics. The football program reached
new heights in 1981 when, after trailing Concordia
University of Minnesota 24-21, the Kangaroos managed
to tie the score for a share of the NAIA title and a lifetime
of bragging rights on an 11-1-1 season.
Some of the facts—like All-American Gene Branum’s
57-yard field goal that tied the game—need no
elaboration, but between the team’s induction in to the
College’s Athletic Hall of Honor at the Legends
celebration in July and the recognition day in
September, plenty of stories were told and retold of
larger-than-life memories for this groups of champions.
12 | Austin College Magazine Winter 2012