Formative years (1915–1919) Founding East Texas Normal College president William Leonidas Mayo was initially hostile to football, objecting largely on the grounds that the sport was too violent and dangerous; he threatened that he would "kick the first football that is brought on this campus off, and the man who brings it". Nonetheless, the president's son, Marion Mayo, quietly organized a team that practiced off campus with the support of his mother. For the 1916 season, the school employed its first head coach, former
Texas A&M player Johnny Garrity, and recruited De Loss Parsons and Frank Rubarth to play for the football team; the result was a winning season, with a record of 4–3. The football team also received President Mayo's formal approval during the 1916 season, and became officially accepted as an on-campus extracurricular activity. The 1917 team, the first to represent the newly renamed East Texas State Normal College, played only two games; both were shutout losses to schools from
Greenville, Texas, Burleson College and Wesley College, respectively. In 1918, the school did not play any games at all due to President Randolph B. Binnion's decision to suspend the football program during American participation in World War I. In 1919, the first year that the team competed as the "Lions", it returned to the gridiron with a winning record of 4–1–1.
TIAA and early LSC years (1920–1942) After competing largely without success in the
Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) in the 1920s, East Texas State and its football program became a charter member of the
Lone Star Conference (LSC) in 1931. The team competed against conference opponents that included
North Texas State,
Southwest Texas State,
Sam Houston State, and
Stephen F. Austin under the direction of head coach John Wesley Rollins, who had played an instrumental role in organizing the LSC. The 1934 team, which achieved a
perfect record and only allowed six points all season, is generally regarded as one of the greatest in the school's history. halfback Johnny Garrison became the first East Texas State athlete in any sport to claim a national honor when he was named an honorable mention Little All-American selection. In 1946, the football team finished the season with a 5–2–2 record under the direction of head coach
Bob Berry, good enough for second place in the LSC, although it was mired in mediocrity until 1949. In 1951, new coach
Milburn "Catfish" Smith began a sudden resurgence of the program that was aided by the outbreak of the
Korean War and two related factors: the fact that the school was the only LSC member with an
ROTC program and a rule that allowed
junior college transfers who were enrolled in ROTC programs to play intercollegiate athletics for three additional years instead of the usual two.
Hawkins years (1964–1985) In 1964,
Ernest Hawkins succeeded Sikes as head coach, and would be in charge of the program until his retirement in 1985; in their 22 years under Hawkins, the Lions won the LSC or finished as runners-up eight times. After the university
integrated in 1964, African American athletes quickly became prominent players on East Texas State teams, with star running backs Curtis Guyton and "King" Arthur James leading the way in the mid to late 1960s. By the time he completed his college career in 1969, James had won
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American honors twice and compiled 4,285 yards rushing, more than any other running back in the history of Texas college football to that point; he would later become the first Lion football player to have his number retired. The 1960s concluded with two more conference championships, one won outright in 1966 and the other shared with
Texas A&I in 1969. The 1972 team, a two-loss LSC champion In 1983, the Lions won their 20th LSC championship, which they shared with Southwest Texas State.
Vowell years (1986–1998) Eddie Vowell took over as the team's head coach after Hawkins' retirement in 1985. Vowell's Lions won one LSC Championship in 1990 and finished second 4 times, posted 6 winning seasons and went to the
NCAA Division II playoffs.
Brister years (1999–2003) In 1999, former
Stephen F. Austin State University offensive coordinator Eddie Brister was hired to succeed Vowell. In Brister's final season, the Lions posted a 1–10 record, the worst in school history, and went winless in conference play for the first time in program history. Brister resigned at the end of the 2003 season. Carthel started his tenure with a 7–5 season that included wins over two ranked Division II teams, a win over Division I Houston Baptist, and an appearance in the
Live United Texarkana Bowl, the first post season appearance since 1995 for the Lion program. The next season, the Lions posted a 9–3 record winning the LSC Championship for the first time in 23 years, and winning 9 games, including a season-opening win over
East Texas Baptist University by the score of 98–20. The Lions were once again invited to the postseason by routing former LSC foe
East Central University 72–21 in the
C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl. The 2015 Lions repeated as conference champions and returned to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time in 20 years where they bowed out in the first round to the
Ferris State Bulldogs. In the 2016 season the Lions reached new heights under Carthel as they finished their regular season 9–1, with their lone loss coming by a single point, 26–25, at home against then-7th-ranked
Midwestern State. Another trip to the postseason produced the program's first playoff win since 1991, over
Colorado-Mesa, but the team would again bow out before the title game as they fell on the road to top-seeded
Grand Valley State. The 2017 season would see another great performance for the Lions, as once again their lone loss was on the road against highly ranked Midwestern State. This season, however, their postseason fortunes would improve as a road matchup against the top-seeded
Central Washington Wildcats saw the Lions trailing 28–7 at halftime, but a ferocious comeback would produce a 34–31 double-overtime win and TAMC's first opportunity to advance past the second round of the playoffs in school history. In the quarterfinals, Carthel's squad would face off against another top team on the road in
Minnesota State and pull off another surprising victory. This moved them into a quarterfinal matchup against a low-ranked program in
Harding, who also knocked off the top seed in their division on their way through the bracket. A comfortable 31–17 victory gave the Lions their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship. In December 2018, Carthel was named as the head coach of Stephen F. Austin State University.
Bailiff years (2019–2022) at
Choctaw Stadium in 2021 On December 9, 2018, Texas A&M University-Commerce announced the hiring of former Rice University coach
David Bailiff as the new head coach of the A&M-Commerce football team, becoming the 20th head coach in the history of the program. Bailiff is a former lineman and team captain for Texas State University and an honorable mention to the Lone Star Conference's 1970's All-Decade team, who touted his connection with the LSC upon his hiring, saying: "I'm an old Lone Star Conference guy, and that's where my roots are in college football. It's great and exciting what coach Carthel built here, and it's the first job I've had where you've got to look at the blueprint and continue building the momentum on something great he's already got started." During his first season at the helm of A&M-Commerce, Bailiff's Lions would finish the season with a record of 11–3, while going 7–1 in Lone Star Conference play. A&M-Commerce was selected to the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, reaching the third round after defeats of
Tarleton State University and
Colorado School of Mines before falling by a score of 42–21 to
Minnesota State University, Mankato. Bailiff's first season was a promising one, with his 11 victories breaking the school record for wins in a Lion coach's first season. What would have been Bailiff's second season at A&M-Commerce was put on hold due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The Lone Star Conference Council of Presidents postponed all competition in the sports of football, soccer, volleyball and basketball to the spring of 2021, and in August 2020, the A&M-Commerce Department of Athletics opted to play no outside competitions during the 2020–21 academic year. The fall semester consisted of practice and strength and conditioning normally consistent with "spring ball," while the spring semester consisted of the normal fall practice schedule. This decision, however, did allow for current students to retain a year of athletic eligibility. The Lions played a full slate of games during the 2021 season, which included a neutral site contest against LSC foe
Midwestern State University at
Choctaw Stadium in
Arlington, Texas. The 2021 season saw a regression in the on-field play of the Lions, with the team finishing with a 7–4 overall record and a 5–2 mark in Lone Star Conference competition. This also broke the streak of five consecutive playoff appearances for the team. The biggest highlight of the 2021 squad was its defense, which ended the season ranked fifth in NCAA Division II in defensive points allowed per game with a mark of 13.7 and third in total defense with 214.9 yards allowed per game. Beginning with the 2022 season, the Lions moved up to NCAA Division I as a member of the Southland Conference, competing at the
Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. In their first game as a Division I school, the Lions defeated the Lincoln Oaklanders 52–7. Despite starting the season 5–2, including 3–0 in conference play, the Lions would lose their final four games, finishing their first Division I season at 5–6 overall and 3–3 in conference play. After the season, the Lions and Bailiff couldn't agree to a contract extension, and his contract expired on December 31, 2022.
Dolezel years (since 2023) On December 7, 2022, Texas A&M University-Commerce announced the hiring of former
Frisco Fighters head coach
Clint Dolezel as the 21st head coach of the A&M-Commerce football team. In Dolezel's first season at the helm, the Lions endured their worst season since 2012, going 1–9 overall and 1–5 in conference play. Their only victory was a 41–10 win over the
McNeese Cowboys. This marked the first time the Lions had back-to-back losing seasons since 2011–12. Dolezel's second season saw the Lions go 3-9 overall and 2-4 in conference play, marking the Lions' third consecutive losing season. This was the first time since 2010-12 that the Lions endured three straight losing seasons. ==Championships==