Arizona Western College - El Matador Yearbook (Yuma, AZ)

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The last three years at Arizona Western College have been frustrating ones for the football Mat- adors. This year, however, it was the Year of the Mat- ador in the national junior college football ranks as AWC collected the school's first national cham- pionship in any athletic endeavor. Before being invited to the Sunkist-El Toro Bowl, the NJCAA's national championship football game, Coach Ray Butcher's Matadors had to knock off nine rugged upset-minded opponents. The road to any national title is tough work and the Matadors started paving their way on Sept. 9th when they entertained Eastern Arizona College in the season opener. The Matadors never trailed in the contest even though Eastern never would say die. lt took a pair of touchdown jaunts by freshman running back Larry Bates to make the Gila Monsters succumb to a 20-8 verdict. The following Saturday it was a little easier for the Matadors as they slaughtered New Mexico Military Institute 47-14 in Roswell, N.M. Sophomore quarterback Dennis Coleman led the way in the lopsided victory by firing two touch- down strikes while running for another pair of TDs. Coleman hurled TD passes of 12-yards to Barry Munson and 20-ya rds to Don Byas. The Matadors then returned home the next week- end to face an extremely talented San Diego Mesa team-an outfit the Matadors had never beaten in the schooI's football history. AWC wasn't to be denied this time as sophomore running back Leonard Thompson scored on a one- yard run and a 30-yard pass from Coleman to pace Western to a 26-13 win. Numero uno xiikgyw. . ' WNW! Q4 Q 1,0 W WW WM 'Wax W

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Z iii x .-.Q --I After the San Diego Mesa victory the Matadors entered confer- e la the following Saturday when they journeyed to Thatcher enc p y to face Eastern Arizona College for the second time. lf there was a black mark during Western's march to the title this was it as the game was called with seven seconds remaining be- cause ofa brawl. Following the melee AWC offensive guard Bill Moody and cheer- leader Mona Mclrienzie were taken to a hospital for observation. Both were injured in the fight. E t rn led throughout the game. Late in the fourth quarter as e Western finally tookuthe lead as Thompson ran over from the seven to ive Western a 28-23 victory over the stubborn Gila Monsters. S Two of Western's scores in that game were set up by Reggie Pear- son's pass interceptions. N t eek it was an undefeated Mesa Community College team ex w the Matadors had to conquer. The chore was a difficult one but the ' ' ' t r oal Matadors accomplished the trick with the help of a last quar e g d b the AWC defensive unit line stan y . Western trailed 14-13 at halftime, but Cox scored on a eight-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Matadors a 19-14 win. The victory was preserved with 45 seconds left in the game when the Matador defensive unit held Mesa on a fourth and inches situa- tion on AWC's 10-yard line.