| Coaching Jobs: | Wyoming (1975-76), Texas (1977-86), Purdue (1987-90) |
| Important Notes: | Served as a high school assistant coach at Port Arthur (TX) and as head coach at Edinburg, TX (19-9-1) and Lubbock, TX High (7-3) before being hired to join the Texas staff for the 1966 season...at Texas, Akers coached running backs, defensive backs and then was co-offensive coordinator prior to accepting the head coaching job at Wyoming for the 1975 season...took Wyoming to the Fiesta Bowl in 1976...AFCA Regional Coach of the Year at Wyoming in 1976 & Texas in 1977...took Texas to nine bowl games (consecutive years) in ten years...in his first year at Texas he claimed the SWC Championship and only a Cotton Bowl loss to No. 5 Notre Dame denied him a National Championship...finished the season ranked #9 in 1978...finished the season ranked #12 in 1979...upset #3 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and finished the season ranked #2 in 1981...finished the season ranked #17 in 1982...won the SWC Championship and finished the season ranked #5 in 1983...would have won the national championship in 1983 if not for an upset loss to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl...lost to Iowa (55-17) in the Freedom Bowl in 1984...had ten or more wins three times at Texas...coached one Heisman Trophy winner (Earl Campbell), two Lombardi Trophy winners (Kenneth Sims and Tony Degrate) and an Outland Trophy honoree (Brad Shearer) as well as 48 All-SWC players at Texas...accepted the head coaching job and the challenge of rebuilding a struggling Purdue program in 1987. |
| Records: | Career record of 108-75-3 (.581) in 16 years...10-13 in two seasons at Wyoming...86-31-2 in ten seasons at Texas...12-31-1 in four seasons at Purdue. |
| Arkansas Notes: | A native of Arkansas...lettered in 1958 & 1959...graduate assistant coach at UA in 1960...elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1984...inducted into the UA Letterman's Association Hall of Honor in 1999. |
| Links: | Yearly college coaching records |
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Fan Memories: Razorback fans share their memories of former Hog greats. Send us an email and include your name if you want it listed. Or it can be anonymous. |
Coach Akers gave me my first big break in coaching. After being injured my junior year playing football at Arkansas Tech Univ. I started coaching in High School at Russellville High. After my second year of coaching I graduated and Coach Akers gave me a graduate assistant job at Purdue Univ. I have tried to model a lot of what he taught me in my coaching style. The chance that he took on me will never be forgotten. Thanks Coach.
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