Football 5/22/2020 12:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Friday Features: UCO Football Part I

The DII Era

EDMOND – To tell the story of the University of Central Oklahoma football program cannot be done in one Friday Feature so we are breaking it down into a series. Up first, the DII Era.

Central Oklahoma made the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 1988 and what followed was anything but the typical transition from one level to the next. UCO, with nearly 120 years of history on the gridiron, has never had a more successful decade the 1990s. The Bronchos put together a 73-34-1 record from 1990 to 1999.

Joe Aska helped. The Putnam City native transferred to Central before his junior season (1993) and immediately became one of the all-time greats. He racked up just over 300 yards that season, but his senior season remains the best single season rushing performance in school history. Aska piled up 1,629 yards on 278 carries and scored 15 touchdowns. His 312 yards against Langston September 24, 1994 remains the most in any game by any Broncho ever. Aska went on to play in the NFL and is a member of the UCO Athletics Hall of Fame.

Central earned its first trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1996 following an 8-2 regular season campaign. The Bronchos beat Chadron State in Edmond in the first round of the playoffs in what can be remembered as one of the most fantastic finishes in school history.

Alton Lusk scored a 38-yard touchdown reception with 1:11 left in the game on a pass he caught after two Chadron State defenders tipped the ball around the 20-yard line. Lusk finally made the catch and sped home for the go-ahead score. UCO 23, Chadron State 21.

Central won its first of three consecutive Lone Star Conference North Division titles in 1997 but the 9-2 Bronchos narrowly missed the playoffs.

The 1998 season could have its own Friday Feature with no debate. The Bronchos went 13-0* that season. And wow does that asterisk stand out.

UCO had a couple of close victories – 3-0 at Northwestern Oklahoma State and 14-13 in overtime at home against East Central. But the Bronchos had a handful of drubbings too – 38-9 over Kingsville, 30-0 over Abilene Christian, 31-3 over Harding, 48-7 over Ouachita Baptist.

The Bronchos finished the regular season 11-0 and 9-0 in LSC games to earn its second division title and first outright conference championship in the Lone Star Conference. The Bronchos played Chadron State in Edmond again in the first round of the playoffs and again escaped with a two-point victory. CSU missed a 52-yard field goal in the final minute. Central 21, Chadron 19.

Then in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals, Central hosted Texas A&M Kingsville. The Bronchos already had a 38-9 win over the Javelinas in Edmond earlier in the season. The rematch was much closer.

Following a 21-21 tie through four quarters, Kingsville opened overtime with a field goal to go up by three. The Bronchos didn't score on their possession and their season ended there.

Now the asterisk. Kingsville later forfeited the game for using numerous ineligible players. UCO, which didn't have a chance to continue through the playoffs, finished the season 13-0 – the most wins in a single season in school history.

UCO won another conference title in 1999, finishing the regular season 8-2 with a 6-2 record in the Lone Star. The Bronchos also made the playoffs for the third time in four years in 1999, but lost in the first round.

Gary Howard, who took over the program in 1977, and orchestrated the transition to Division II and led the Bronchos through that great stretch in 1990s, wrapped up his brilliant coaching career in 2002. He finished with a career record of 162-105-6, owning the record for most coaching wins at UCO. His 90 wins in Division II would still rank third all time.

Major renovations to Wantland Stadium have also occured since the Bronchos joined NCAA Division II. Artificial turf and new lighting were added in 2003, while a three-level press box that includes club seating and new stands on both sides of the field were installed in 2005. The playing turf was upgraded in 2012 and an updated, state-of-the-art videoboard was added in the summer of 2014. The Sports Performance Center, utilized by the entire athletic department, was built in 2018. The football team is housed there with coaching offices, a locker room, strength and conditioning and athletic training.

The Bronchos won four more Lone Star Conference North Division titles after Howard's departure.

With Chuck Langston at the helm, the Bronchos went 9-3 in 2003 to make a return trip to the NCAA DII Playoffs. UCO beat Colorado Mesa thanks to a monumental red-zone stand with 1:07 to play in the fourth quarter and won 20-15. The Bronchos lost in the quarterfinals the following week.

UCO won another conference title in 2004, going 8-2 overall and 7-2 in league play. Langston won his third conference title in 2007. Tracy Holland took over in 2008 and also won a LSC North Division title that year.

Central hired former Broncho steady hand Nick Bobeck in January of 2012 and he still leads the Bronchos today. Bobeck has 43 victory notches on his belt. He led UCO to back-to-back winning seasons in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2017 and 2018. The Bronchos went to bowl games in all four seasons and won three of those postseason contests. Bobeck also has claim to coaching over four dozen school record holders in just the past eight seasons.

EXTRA POINTS …
Central Oklahoma has claim to 640 all-time wins, the fourth-most in NCAA Division II history.
Central has had over 200 All-Conference selections since moving to Division II in 1998.
UCO also has over 80 All-Region selections and almost 100 All-American selections in the DII Era.
Six UCO Athletic Hall of Famers played football for the Bronchos in Division II (Joe Aska, Claude Davis, John Fitzgerald, Johnnie Jones, Johnny Luter, and Keith Traylor).
Single season records for passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose, solo tackles, and tackles for a loss have all happened in the DII Era. The NAIA folks still hold records for total tackles and sacks in a single season.
The most points ever scored at Wantland Stadium (since 1965) happened in the DII Era. Central posted 82 against Northeastern State just this past season.

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