1980 NSU Football Team (2025) - Northeastern State Athletics Hall of Fame

Northeastern State Athletics Hall of Fame

1980 NSU Football Team

Class
Induction

2025
Sport(s)

Football

The 1980 Northeastern State football team was one of the top forces in the nation, with three shutouts, and had a then-NAIA playoff record of seven interceptions in the playoff quarterfinals. Head Coach George Elliott led Northeastern State to their first NAIA postseason berth since 1958 and reached its Championship game, finishing the season with an 11-2 overall record. Northeastern State claimed a share of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (OIC) title, beat a then No. 2 ranked Angelo State team in the quarterfinals in a 10-3 result, and shut out Nebraska-Kearney in a 14-0 triumph in the national semifinals. Elliott earned OIC and NAIA District Coach of the Year, with the team garnering six NAIA All-District picks, eight OIC selections, and one All-American honor at wide receiver.

John Higginbotham and Jerry Wichert Interview

Recorded prior to the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May, 9, 2026

1980 NSU Football Team
Ronnie Adkins	Rick Agert	Ira Albright	Gary Bean	Mike Bradford	Brett Branch
Jon Boyd	R.K. Bullock	Adam Bullard	Stan Carlis	Rick Cherry	Fred Clark
David Dodd	Scott Edwards	Ben Elliott	Keith Fletcher	Tim Fouch	James Frarzier
Arthur Garcia	Bill Gilstrap	Mike Gore	Ed Graff	Paul Greenberg	David Hale
Brian Henderson	Danny Henrie	Travis Hill	Joey Hines	John Higginbotham	Tim Holt
Larry Keese	Brett Littlefield	Vincent Lewis	John Lyons	Ervin McDonald	Dan Neeley
Bill Nowlin	Ricky Page	Lynn Patillo	J.C. Pearson	Adam Reese	Ken Rivas
Mainard Roberts	Brady Robbins	Ron Scott	Sam Shelby	Eugene Simmons	Bobby Smith
Henry Stahl	Gary Tanner	David Tennison	Bobby Thompson	Jimmy Tygart	John Turner
Randy Underwood	Mark Veatch	Lewis Walkingstick	Arthur Washington	Harmon Welsh	Jerry White
Kerry Whitten	Mark Willis	Coach Gerald Benn	Coach Tom Eckert	Coach George Elliott	Coach Ron Jones
Coach Mark Ross	Ken Scott (manager)

1980 Football Schedule
Overall    11-2  .846
Conference 4-1  .800
Home       6-1
Away       5-1

Date           Time   At     Opponent                Location           Tournament   Result 
Sep 13 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Langston                Tahlequah                       W 14-7 
Sep 20 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Arkansas Tech           Tahlequah                       W 42-33
Sep 27 (Sat)   TBD    Away   Missouri State          Springfield, Mo.                W 25-7 
Oct 4 (Sat)    TBD    Away   Harding                 Searcy, Ark.                    W 28-7 
Oct 11 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Cameron                 Tahlequah                       W 20-17
Oct 18 (Sat)   TBD    Away   Evangel                 Springfield, Mo.                W 29-28
Oct 25 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Southwestern Oklahoma   Tahlequah                       L 17-21
Nov 1 (Sat)    TBD    Away   Northwestern Oklahoma   Alva, Okla.                     W 3-0  
Nov 8 (Sat)    TBD    Away   East Central            Ada, Okla.                      W 31-29
Nov 15 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Southeastern Oklahoma   Tahlequah                       W 28-0 
Dec 6 (Sat)    TBD    Home   Angelo State            Tahlequah                       W 10-3 
Dec 13 (Sat)   TBD    Home   Nebraska-Kearney        Tahlequah                       W 14-0 
Dec 20 (Sat)   TBD    Away   Elon                    Elon, N.C.                      L 10-17

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