COMMERCE – East Texas A&M University men's basketball team celebrates a special moment of its history on Saturday, February 15, as the Lions are celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the 1955 Men's Basketball NAIA National Championship with a member of the team, Glynn Stevens '58, expected to be in attendance.
 
The 1954-54 Lion men's basketball team went 29-5 and won the first ever National Championship across any sport in school history. The Lions' 29 wins that season continues to be the program record for most wins in a season.
 
In the National Championship game, the Lions rolled 71-54 over Southeastern Oklahoma State in Kansas City to bring the NAIA National Championship back to Commerce.
 
Stevens appeared in 22 games during the 1954-55 season and had this to say about one of the greatest teams in Lion Athletics history, "We had a really great team for that time and everyone played hard. We had to pass at least 6-7 times before we could take a shot."
 
The Lions were coached by Hall of Famer Bob Rogers and included Lion Hall of Famers Jim Miller, Clarence Lynch, Shelby Metcalf, and Jerry Matthews.
 
Stevens went on to say, "I want to thank the university for offering me and my teammates a scholarship that allowed us to play basketball while having the chance to earn our degrees."
 
Following their Lion careers, four members of the 1954-55 team went on to be coaches, including Stevens, who coached at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas. He now resides in Oklahoma, which is where six of the 10 members of the team hailed from.
 
On February 15, during the Lions' game against Lamar, Stevens will serve as an honorary captain and be honored during the game. "Coming back to Commerce and recognized is truly an honor and I am honored to be the only surviving member coming back to celebrate my teammates and coaches."
 
The game against Lamar is also Alumni Appreciation Day for the Lions. All alums of East Texas State, Texas A&M-Commerce, and East Texas A&M can receive discounted tickets to the game by contacting LionTickets@tamuc.edu.
 
Tickets for the game on the 15^th can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.