The West Texas A&M Buffaloes, also known as the WTAMU Buffaloes or WT Buffaloes, and formerly West Texas State Buffaloes and WTSU Buffaloes, are the athletic teams that represent West Texas A&M University, located in Canyon, Texas, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Buffaloes, colloquially known as the Buffs (men) and Lady Buffs (women), compete as members of the Lone Star Conference for all 14 varsity sports.
West Texas A&M was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association from 1941 to 1961. The football team won a conference championship in 1950. The Buffs were members of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1972 to 1985.
Varsity sports
Men's sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Track & Field
Women's sports Basketball Cross Country Golf Soccer Softball Track & Field Volleyball
National championships
Team Women's volleyball NCAA Division II 1990 North Dakota State 3–0 1991 Portland State 3–0 1997 Barry 3–2 2022 Concordia-St Paul 3–1 Softball NCAA Division II 2014 Valdosta State 3–2 2021 Biola 0–5 / 7–4 / 4–1 Women's Outdoor Track & Field NCAA Division II 2017 Grand Valley State 64–44 2022 Grand Valley State 77–64 2026 Pittsburg State 64–63.2 Women's Indoor Track & Field NCAA Division II 2018 Western Colorado 53–40
Individual teams Football
The football team plays its home games at Bain–Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium, a newly built, on-campus stadium. Previously, WT played at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium. The Buffs play rival Eastern New Mexico University each fall for the Wagon Wheel trophy, and rival Midwestern State University for the Highway 287 Challenge Cup.
Sun Bowl champions 1949, 1962
Tangerine (Citrus Bowl) champions 1957
Pasadena Bowl champions 1967
Kanza Bowl champions 2009, 2011
NCAA DII playoffs National Semifinals: 2012
Basketball The Buff and Lady Buff basketball teams play in the First United Bank Center, a 5,800 seat multi-purpose arena in Canyon, Texas. It was built in 2002. It is the home of the Buffaloes basketball teams. The traditional rival is Eastern New Mexico University, but newer rivalries with Midwestern State University and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin have emerged in recent years. A strong tradition of basketball exists at West Texas A&M, dating back to the days of Maurice Cheeks and even as far back as the 1930s and 1940s. The 1954–55 season saw the Buffs make their only NCAA Division I tournament, though they would lose to eventual national champion San Francisco University. In 2018–19, WT had both the men's and women's teams host a regional tournament. Tom Brown 285–74 39–12 2014–present Josh Prock 83–47 4–6 2022–present Rick Cooper 391–193 28–25 1993–2013 Kristen Mattio 154–35 18–7 2016–2021 Jeff Morgan 17–10 0–0 1992 Mark Kellogg 62–6 14–2 2013–2015 Mark Adams 108–40 10–6 1987–1991 Krista Gerlich 168–53 19–9 2006–2012 Gary Moss 47–40 0–2 1984–1986 Bob Schneider 585–163 53–33 1981–2005 Ken Edwards 68–97 2–4 1978–1983 Gary Mooring 8–14 0–0 1980 Ron Ekker 65–70 3–1 1973–1977 Dennis Wailing 83–66 0–1 1967–1972 Jimmy Viramontes 38–53 0–0 1963–1966 Metz LaFollete 33–54 0–0 1959–1962 Borden Price 9–31 0–0 1957–1958 Gus Miller 197–137 7–8 1942–1956 Al Baggett 174–64 7–8 1934–1941 Carl York 7–12 0–0 1933 Sam Burton 192–40 3–3 1921–1932 Wayne McCorkle 8–2 0–0 1920 From the WTAMU Record Book:
Men's basketball postseason 2021 2018, 2021, 20241998, 2018, 2019, 2021, 20241998, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 20241994, 1998, 2001, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 2023, 20241955, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 1942, 1969, 1980Third Place: 1941 Second Round: 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1952 First Round: 1939, 19501990, 1991, 1994, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 2023 1991, 1994, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2018, 2019, 2020 2023, 20241998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2020, 2023, 2024 1942, 1943, 1952, 1955
Women's basketball postseason 1988, 2014 1988, 2014 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2009 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2025 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026 1985, 1986 1982 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2014 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2006 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 2022 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020
Volleyball The Lady Buff volleyball team is a four-time NCAA Division II champion, winning the title in 1990, 1991, 1997, and most recently in 2022. The Lady Buffs holding one of the best home winning records in any level of competitive volleyball, which currently sits at 523–83 (495–49 at the D2 level). The team plays its home matches at Britkare Court at the WTAMU Fieldhouse aka “The Box.”
Terry Gamble 0–0 2025–present Brittany Harry 26–5 2024 Kendra Potts 124–24 2019–2023 Jason Skoch 298–95 2009–2018 Tony Graystone 315–61 1999–2008 Debbie Hendricks 159–47 1993–1998 Jim Giacomazzi 66–13 1991–1992 Kim Hudson 127–25 1987–1990 Carmen Pennick 65–104 1983–1986 Gary Abramson 22–2 1982 Bobbie Cox 38–50–2 1980–1981
1990, 1991, 1997, 2022 2009, 2023 1992 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009 2013, 2022, 2023 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 2002, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2022 2023 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 19961997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022 2023, 2024 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 20242012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 2011, 2013, 2014, 2022, 2023, 20241997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
Cross country
The Buffaloes and the Lady Buffs are one of the few Division II institutions that has an on campus cross country course, known as "The Range."
The Buffaloes have won the Missouri Valley Conference Championship in 1977, and 1979, and the Lone Star Conference Championship in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The men have had individual champions in the MVC in 1977 (Joseph Kemei), 1978 (Johnson Bett), 1979 (Johnson Bett), and 1985 (Carlos Ybarra) and in the LSC in 2013 (Dylan Doss), 2015 (Geoffrey Kipchumba), 2016 (Geoffrey Kipchumba), and 2017 (Owen Hind). The men have qualified for the national championships every year since 2013, and had a program best 11th-place finish in 2014. The Buffaloes have had 3 NCAA DII All-Americans, Geoffrey Kipchumba(2015,2016), Owen Hind (2017), and Briggs Wittlake (2018). Ezekiel Kipchichir won the 2019 South Central Region meet.
The Lady Buffs have won the Lone Star Conference Championship in 2012 and 2013. The women have had individual champions in 2012 and 2014.
Track & Field West Texas A&M Women's Outdoor Track & Field won the 2017 and 2022 National Championships defeating Grand Valley State each time in three day events. The Women's Indoor Track & Field team won the 2018 National Championship.
Baseball Cory Hall 31–21 2025–present Matt Vanderburg 505–288 2009–2024 Mark Jones 180–290 2000–2008 Todd Howey 148–115 1995–1999 Mike Marshall 8–48 1994
2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 2016, 2017, 2019 2014, 2018, 2021
Softball The West Texas A&M Lady Buffs softball team won the National Championship in 2014 defeating Valdosta State. in 2021, the Lady Buffs won their second title, defeating Biola University 2 games to 1.
Michael Mook 242-61 2020–present Candace Abrams 72–28 2018–2019 Kevin Blackowski 467–236 2006–2017
2014, 2021 2014, 2016, 2021, 2026 2011, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2023, 2025, 2026 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2024 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024, 2026 2010
Notable alumni
Maurice Cheeks - Hall of Fame NBA basketball player and coach Joe Fortenberry — winner of the first tournament of Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics Qua Grant - basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League"Qua Grant," gobuffsgo. Mercury Morris - former NFL running back for the Miami Dolphins David Tameilau — plays rugby for the United States national rugby union team Duane Thomas - former NFL running back for the Dallas Cowboys
In addition to the above, the football program produced several alumni who went on to notable careers in professional wrestling: Tully Blanchard – member of the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Four Horsemen stable Bobby Duncum Sr. Manny Fernandez Dory Funk Jr. – member of the WWE Hall of Fame Terry Funk – brother of Dory Jr. and also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame; also a pioneer of the hardcore style Frank Goodish, better known as Bruiser Brody – one of the industry's most famous brawlers Stan Hansen – member of the WWE Hall of Fame Virgil Runnels, better known as Dusty Rhodes – member of the WWE Hall of Fame (also played baseball for the then-West Texas State) Merced Solis, better known as Tito Santana – member of the WWE Hall of Fame
References
External links