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After the first six games of the 1972 grid season, the Aggie football team at Texas AM University had a miserable 1-5 record, having managed their sole wins against the hapless Wichita State Shockers whose team had been gutted by an air plane crash last fall. Through the first six games of this season, Aggie head coach Gene Stallings had used three ‘Quarterbacks — Lex James, had been earmarked last year for the starting slot this fall; sophomore Mark Green, and another sophomore. Apparently forgotten was Joe MacKing of Mineola, a senior veterinary medicine major who had gone to AM on a football scholarship after a great deal of success as Yellow Jacket quar terback. It turned out that Green was best suited to the tailback spot, which was up for grabs because of injuries, and that neither James nor his substitute could move the team. In fact, the Aggies were hurting badly as they lost their first two South west Conference games, first to Texas Tech and then to Texas Christian. Then Stallings (and some “in side sources” accredit the move to a threatened “revolt” by the Squad’s seniors) threw Joe Mac into the breach, after alumni mutterings about a new coach at Aggieland began to be heard over the state. So what did the Mineola ex do? Just directed the Aggies to upset victories over once-mighty Arkansas, Baylor, Rice and SMU — and suddenly the Aggies are facing the league - leading Texas Longhorns with a chance actually to play in a post-season bowl. Arkansas is assured of a spot in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, against Tennessee, should Texas whip AM. But if the Aggies win over arch-rival Texas on Thanksgiving Day, the Arkansas team will take the conference championship and the host slot in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day. What makes it so nice for Joe Mac and his fellow team mates is that, should they upset Texas, they'll not only have a winning (6-5) season, but they've been promised Arkansas’ spot in the Liberty Bowl! Another Minedla ex and for mer racket gridder, John (Bub ba) Kelley of Houston, used the large marquee in front of his business to proclaim “Joe Mac King for the Heisman Trophy” just before the AM-Rice foot ball game in Houston. A three-column picture of Bubba and the sign was in the Nov. 13 edition of the Houston Post — and that's the only way Joe Mac saw the sign, since he was on the wrong side of the bus to see it when the team bus went past on its way to the stadium for the game. But Mineola friends of Joe Mac have made sure that his mother, Mrs. Lila King, got a copy of the paper. Mrs. King and her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Wilford Mayse of Quitman, will be at College Station on Thanks giving Day, 1971, to see Joe Mac finish his last regular season game as a collegian — and hopefully to earn a shot at a final, career-ending game in the ‘71 Liberty Bowl.
Newspaper Details
Mineola Monitor
Mineola, Texas, US
Wed, Nov 24, 1971
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Lue O.
USA 17 Sep 2025
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