Mike and Leslie Appling

Mike and Leslie Appling provided lead gifts to create the Coach Hal McAfee Memorial Scholarship Endowment. Hal McAfee was an American football coach. He served as head coach at Tarleton State University from 1988 to 1992. McAfee compiled a 36-18 overall record, including an 11-1 season in 1990, the first-ever undefeated regular season in school history.

McAfee was an All-Southwest Conference linbacker at the University of Arkansas. He helped the Razorbacks to a 31-10 win over Georgia in the 1976 Cotton Bowl Classic, earning him the game’s Defensive Most Valuable Player award. McAfee would eventually be named to the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Heroes for the 1970s and the Houston Chronicle All-Time Cotton Bowl Classic team.

He started his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at his alma mater before moving on to the high school level. He became defensive coordinator at the high school in Marlin, Texas, before moving on to his first head coaching job at Harmony Grove High School in Camden, Arkansas.

Returning to college foot ball in 1986, McAfee was hired as defensive coordinator by Bill Pringle at Tarleton State University. The Texans won consecutive Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (TIAA) championships in 1986 and 1986, finishing seasons 9-1-1 and 9-3, respectively.

In 1988, McAfee succeeded Pringle as head coach at Tarleton State University and spent the next five years leading the team. TSU won two TIAA championships (1989 & 1990) and made it to the NAIA II National Quarterfinals twice (1989 & 1990) in those five years.

While at Tarleton Coach McAfee has a large influence on many players and made academics a focus of his program.