Let it never be said that Texas Southern coach Cris Dishman doesn’t have high expectations when it comes to his football program.
The Tigers’ second-year coach wants an on-campus football stadium for a truly home-field advantage. He wants better fan support. But most of all, Dishman wants the reclamation project, otherwise known as the Texas Southern football program, which he took over, to be better, compete for SWAC West titles, SWAC Championships, and beyond.
It’s all a process, though.
And during this past weekend’s regular-season finale, Dishman put some real skin in the game when his team walked off the field at the Shell Energy (Soccer) Stadium with a 6-5 record after the 24-7 win over Alabama A&M. Now 6-5 may not sound like much, but the reality is, that was the first time since 2000 the Tigers ended the season on the plus-side in the wins and losses column, which was a huge achievement and sets the stage for future success.
As our elders used to say, you have to crawl before you can walk.
“It pushes us to next year,” Dishman said to the Defender after the win over the Bulldogs. “We have to come back even hungrier next year. We are 6-5, a 6-5 winning season. A couple of games here or there, we could be 8-3 or 7-4. It’s ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.’ We have to go and win the games we have to win.”
Dishman is right. The ending of this season could have been so much more. They are maybe one blown defensive call in the season-opening loss to rival Prairie View from being in the spot of the SWAC West champion Panthers, who are headed to face Jackson State in next week’s SWAC Championship Game. The team that started the season 0-3, meanwhile, finishes this season in second place in the division with a 5-3 record, while thinking about how just one play could have made this season spectacular.
However, sometimes you just can’t skip important steps, such as first learning how to be a winning program. You must learn how to overcome adversity like the Tigers faced without starting quarterback KJ Cooper and star running back Athean Renfro, who were both out with injuries for the season finale.
“I say it was (very) important in setting a foundation.With all the work that we put in, ending like this with a win pushes next year with the mentality we have to be better. We have the foundation set. We know what it takes to be better.”
Jordon Davis, TSU quarterback
Instead, redshirt freshman quarterback Jordon Davis stepped in admirably, completing 11 of 20 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown in a game where the offense wasn’t necessarily efficient but was timely. Lawrence Butler also had a big day in Renfro’s place, rushing 20 times for 101 yards and one touchdown.
The foundation for the future seems to be on solid ground.
“We’re growing. It’s still a growing process,” Dishman said. “We are under construction.”
More importantly, the program is moving further away from troubled days when it couldn’t seem to get off the mat following the scandal during the Johnnie Cole era, when the NCAA forced the school to vacate the 2010 SWAC Championship and Black college national championship campaign. The Tigers actually went 9-3 and 8-1 in conference play.
Before Dishman’s 5-6 finish in his first year last season, Clarence McKinney came close in 2022 with a 5-6 mark, and the same with Darrell Asberry in 2014. Other than that, it’s been a lot of mediocrity and losing for the program in Third Ward.
The last time the Tigers had an NCAA-recognized winning record, none of Dishman’s current players were even born. Senior defensive end Michael Atkins, who played his final game at Shell Energy Stadium, was thrilled to be a part of helping TSU produce its long-awaited winning season.
“Being a fifth-year senior …. It’s just a great feeling,” Atkins said. “I wouldn’t want to be a part of another group. Just blessed and grateful to be here and to achieve history.”
Ditto for Dishman, who brought his entire coaching staff to the postgame podium on Saturday. But Dishman wouldn’t be Dishman if he didn’t also address the sobering reality after just 1,800 fans bothered to show up in the 22,000-seat stadium.
“I feel great. It’s a long time coming, 20-something plus years,” Dishman said. “God put us all here for a reason, to be able to give this winning season to our fans.
“Now we have to get people in the stands. We have to get our students in the stands, we have to get people in the stands, and get people believing in this team.”
