The 1976 team was my freshman year and arguably the best team in Tech history. What was not arguable is how close we came to playing for a national championship in those days.
In Sloan’s second season, and with a guy named Bill Parcells as the DC, Tech started the season unranked. We upset a ranked Colorado team, 24-7, in the opener.
It may have been the Southwest Conference opener at A&M, but QB Tommy Duniven was injured and Rodney Allison came off the bench to throw three TD passes in a 28-16 win.
Tech eventually got to 8-0 that included a thrilling 31-28 win over Texas in Darrell Royal’s final season and No. 5 in the country. A big showdown with Houston loomed for the SWC title in Lubbock. It was the Coogs first year in the conference. Tech played poorly and looked hopelessly out of it by the odd score of 27-5 early in the 4th quarter.
But an Allison rally cut the deficit to 27-19. Tech was on the UH 10 in the last minute when Allison threw a pick in the end zone. Tech finished the regular season at 10-1.
Long before the days of the playoffs, had Tech won or tied (no OT then), they would have played Heisman winner Tony Dorsett and undefeated Pitt in the Cotton Bowl for the national title.
Sloan was a good offensive mind and known for his quirky sense of humor, but he won with Jim Carlen players. Sloan was a TERRIBLE recruiter. His wife didn’t like Lubbock and he nor his staff didn’t like recruiting. It showed as that would set the stage from 1979-1984 as some of the lowest days in Tech history,
Parcells was cut out for the NFL. I heard stories that he absolutely hated recruiting. If there was a defensive player they were supposed to see in the Dallas area, he and a defensive assistant would fly to Love Field. Parcells went to a Love Firld bar. The assistant took a rental, visited the kid at home and returned to Love Field and they flew back to Lubbock.
Sloan stayed just three seasons. He left after the 1977 season to become head coach at Ole Miss. He was about a .500 coach and later got into athletic administration and never coached again.
But he almost led Tech to a national championship.
