MARSHALL, Texas – Ten years has passed since the finest season in East Texas Baptist University football took place. On Saturday, October 5th, the 2003 team will be honored with a banquet and recognition at the football game.
“It such an honor to have this 2003 team back on campus with us,” says head coach Joshua Eargle. “They are living history that this program needs and great examples of what it takes to win a championship.”
A banquet will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday with the team being introduced at halftime of the football game vs. Texas Lutheran.
The 2003 team went 9-3 making the NCAA playoffs for the first time in program history. The team started off the season 5-1 with five straight wins after a season opening loss to NCAA Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State, 35-14. They started the five game winning streak with a 38-17 win over McMurry in Abilene followed by a three-point victory against Howard Payne, 24-21. They then shut out Austin College, 33-0, shellacked Sul Ross State, 66-10, and took a 24-point win over Texas Lutheran, 45-21.
The five-game winning streak was halted by Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, 20-14, but that did not stop a run to the end of the season on a three-game winning streak. ETBU took out Louisiana College, 30-3, slipped by Mary Hardin-Baylor, 28-21, and finished the regular season with a 45-6 win over Mississippi College.
With an 8-2 record, ETBU was selected for the NCAA playoffs. They opened up the post-season pulling out a big Texas upset over Trinity University, 42-41, advancing to the second round. The season came to an end when ETBU fell to Lycoming College, 13-7, in Pennsylvania.
There were several players that earned national awards in 2003. The list is below:
Greg Washington
- D3football.com All-American 2nd team
- All-ASC 1st team
Scott Verhalen
- D3football.com All-American 2nd team
- Football Gazette All-American 2nd team
- Hewlett-Packard/SID All-American 1st team
- Hula Bowl participant
- Grid Iron Classic participant
- NFL Scouting Combine
- Football Gazette All-Region 1st team
- Football Gazette Special Teams Player of the Year
- All-ASC 1st team
Littleton Dean
- Hewlett-Packard/SID All-American 2nd team
- Football Gazette All-Region 2nd team
- All-ASC 1st team
RoShawn Johnson
- Football Gazette All-Region 3rd team
- All-ASC 1st team
Brandon Easterly
- All-ASC 2nd team
- Aztec Bowl participant
Earl Morris
Jabori Jackson
Thomas Young-Davis
Damon Ausberry
Tyrone Robinson
Sean Struwe
Patrick Pickens
Micah Huckaby
Tory Barnes
