Spring comes once a year, but three East Texas State University coaches would like to make it a year-round season. They are Wayne "Boley" Crawford, Delmer Brown and William Crabtree, who directed the Lions to three Lone Star Conference titles, in golf, track and tennis.
They added to this a national golf championship and a second place in the national tennis tournament. It was the Lions' most profitable season in many years.
As hosts for the 1965 LSC meet, the Lions proved to be rude. As Coach Crawford's golfers teed off at Commerce's Sand Hills course, All-American Craig Metz and teammates Mike O'Brien, Russell Fowler and Dennis Ewing started the Lion team to a 14-stroke lead on opening day.
Meanwhile, Coach Crabtree's netters, undefeated in 16 matches, swept first, second, and third-round competition. Unbeaten in 15 matches, Wayne Hirst played to victories in the second and third rounds. Brother Jerry did the same. East Texas' major casualty was Mickey Martin who was upset by Bob Curry of Texas A&I. Martin entered the tournament with the school's best record of 51 wins in 52 matches.
Track preliminaries were all East Texas', as the Lions qualified 13 men. The first four places in the 440-yard dash went to Lions Basil Clark, Roger Kirkwood, Ronnie McNeill and Morris Kyser
The second day, at Sand Hills, Metz's final round of 68 gave the Lions a 20- stroke victory over second-place Southwest Texas State for the golf championship. Sam Houston was third.
In tennis, the Hirst brothers combined to beat a strong doubles team from A&I, 13-11, 6-2 for the title. Team points gave the Lions 60 and A&I, in second place, 42.
At nightfall, the action turned to Memorial Stadium and track finals. Weightman Russell Polhemus grunted to a new conference record of 57 ft., 8 in., downing his old 54-5 mark. Polhemus received the Oscar Strahan award as the meet's outstanding field man, and East Texas tied with SWT for the all-sports trophy.
Kyser ran to his second straight 440 victory in 47.7 seconds, and Kirkwood, in the 880, gave the Lions two more blue ribbons. The remaining two first places came in the 440- and mile-relays. Clark, Bridges Ballowe, McNeill and Lasater ran a 41.8 in the one-lap race for first. In team totals, the Lions earned 62 points with SWT in second with 39.
On June 8, the tennis and golf teams went north to national meets. At Rockford, Ill., Metz captured his second medalist award and led the Lions to a last-hole victory over Eastern New Mexico. Metz fired a six-under par 282 for 72 holes and combined with O'Brien, Ewing and Jake Mosser for East Texas' first national golf championship. The victory margin was one stroke.
Coach Crabtree's tennis team won a well-earned second place at Kansas City. The Hirst brothers gathered points against a strong lineup. Wayne, seeded 7th, upset 3rd-seeded Eric Baer of Whitman of Washington, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the semifinals. He lost to Pan American's Detlev Nitsche, 6-1, 6-2. Jerry lost in the fourth round to Baer, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3. Martin was beaten in the third round.
In what tournament officials called the best match in five years, Wayne and Jerry Hirst fell to George Kon and Lornie Luhle of Pan American, 7-5, 7-9, 8-6 in the semi-finals. Pan American took the championship with 29 points and East Texas won second with 15 points.
