Ernest Hawkins (coach)
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
January 27, 1927 Lamesa, Texas |
| Alma mater | Texas Tech University (B.A, 1950), East Texas State (M.S., 1957) |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1949 | Texas Tech |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1950–1953 | Paris Junior College (assistant) |
| 1954–1956 | Paris Junior College |
| 1957–1963 | East Texas State (AHC) |
| 1964–1985 | East Texas State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 132–92–6 (college), 32–20–1 (junior college) |
| Bowls | 1–1 |
| Tournaments | 3–1 (NAIA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 NAIA Division I National (1972) 4 Lone Star (1966, 1969, 1972, 1983) |
|
Ernest Ray Hawkins (born January 23, 1927) is a retired American football coach, basketball coach, and athletic director. He served as head football coach at East Texas State University—now known as Texas A&M University–Commerce—from 1964 to 1985, compiling a 132–92–6 record. He is the winningest head coach in Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football history and led the program to the NAIA Football National Championship in 1972.
Hawkins was born and raised in the West Texas town of Lamesa, Texas and was a standout in football, basketball, and track and field at Lamesa High School.
After graduating High School in 1944 he enrolled at Texas Tech University. After enrolling, Hawkins joined the military and did not participate in athletics due to World War II. When the war ended, Hawkins returned to school in Lubbock where wartime rules allowed him to compete. A multi-sport athlete, he was a standout on the Tech basketball and track teams, and was the quarterback for the Texas Tech football team from 1947 to 1949. In three seasons as the Red Raiders starting quarterback, he led the Red Raiders to three Border Conference championships and appearances in the Raisin Bowl and Sun Bowl, and was all-conference in the 1948 season. Hawkins graduated from Texas Tech in 1950 at the top of his graduating class.
Hawkins and his wife Margaret moved from West Texas to Northeast Texas after he was given the job of head football coach and head basketball coach at Paris Junior College (PJC ) in Paris, Texas. Hawkins compiled a 32–20–1 record as the head Football coach and a 39–49 record in basketball. He was also named to the office of athletic director for PJC due to his success on the court and on the field and administrative abilities. While at PJC, Hawkins attended graduate school at East Texas State University (ETSU) in Commerce, Texas, 40 miles southwest of Paris where he graduated from ETSU with a master's degree in 1956.
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