1964 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team

The 1964 Prairie View A&M Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Prairie View A&M University in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1964 NCAA College Division football season. In their 16th season under head coach Billy Nicks, the Panthers compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the SWAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 303 to 110.[1]

1964 Prairie View A&M Panthers football
Black college national champion SWAC champion
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 2
1964 record	9–0 (7–0 SWAC)
Head coach	Billy Nicks (16th season)

1964 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 AP / #8 UPI Prairie View A&M $		7	–	0					9	–	0
Grambling		6	–	1					9	–	2
Jackson State		4	–	3					6	–	4
Alcorn A&M		3	–	4					5	–	5
Arkansas AM&N		3	–	4					5	–	5
Texas Southern		3	–	4					5	–	5
Southern		2	–	5					4	–	6
Wiley		0	–	7					2	–	7
$ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll

The Pittsburgh Courier selected Prairie View as the 1964 black college football national champion with a rating of 25.71, ahead of second-place Grambling with a 24.14 rating and third-place Florida A&M with a 23.29 rating.[2] Prairie View was also ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press 1964 small college poll and No. 8 in the final United Press International poll.

At the end of the 1964 season, the Pittsburgh Courier selected Prairie View's Billy Nicks as the national Coach of the Year and quarterback Jimmy Kearney as the Back of the Year.[3] Another key player was end Otis Taylor who later played 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	at Lackland Air Force Base		San Antonio, TX	W 27–16
September 19	at Jackson State		Jackson, MS	W 36–13
October 3	Grambling		Blackshear Stadium Prairie View, TX	W 22–14		[4]
October 10	at Texas Southern	No. 4	Houston, TX	W 16–13
October 19	at Wiley	No. 5	Dallas, TX (State Fair Football Classic)	W 39–13	5,000	[5]
October 24	Arkansas AM&N	No. 3	Blackshear Stadium Prairie View, TX	W 31–13		[6]
November 9	at Bishop	No. 2	Dallas, TX	W 28–14
November 14	Alcorn A&M	No. 4	Blackshear Stadium Prairie View, TX	W 44–0	10,000	[7][8]
November 21	Southern	No. 2	Blackshear Stadium Prairie View, TX	W 60–14		[9]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Prairie View A&M Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
2. "Nicksmen Clinch Honors for '64". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 28, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Nicks Is Coach of Year: Courier Selectees To Be Hailed Dec. 18". The Pittsburgh Courier. December 5, 1964. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Kearney Passes Pr. View Past Grambling, 22 to 14". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 10, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Prairie View Clobbers Wiley Gridders by 39-13". The Shreveport Times. October 21, 1964. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Prairie View Rolls Past Ark. Lions, 31-13: Cats Win 2 Within a Week". The Pittsburgh Courier. October 31, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "P.V. Socks Alcorn In Easy Style". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 21, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Homecoming ad". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 14, 1964. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Prairie View Nails Down Second Straight National Title: Panthers Finish Perfect Season By Clobbering Southern". The Pittsburgh Courier. November 28, 1964. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.