Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – The Arkansas State Athletics Department announced it will celebrate three anniversaries associated with its football program’s rich history at a pair of home games during the Red Wolves’ 2026 season.
The 2026 campaign introduces a trio of combined anniversaries and reunions, including the 40th anniversary of the 1986 team’s Southland Conference championship and national runner-up season, the 35th anniversary of the Old Warriors Cookout and the 30th anniversary of the football program’s Ring of Honor creation.
A-State will recognize and honor the 1986 team at its 6 p.m. home game versus Kennesaw State on Sept. 26. The Old Warriors, made up of former A-State football players and supported by the Arkansas State Letterwinners Club, will also hold their 35th consecutive pregame cookout in Dustin White Realty Tailgate City the same day.
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During the Red Wolves’ 2 p.m. game versus ULM on Nov. 7, A-State will pay homage to its Ring of Honor, established in 1996 and symbolizing the greatness of the football program through the induction of the school’s finest players and coaches.
Led by head coach Larry Lacewell, the 1986 team’s historic season saw it post a 12-2-1 overall record, including a flawless 8-0 mark at home, and a Southland Conference (SLC) championship. The squad, then competing at the NCAA I-AA level, charged to the National Championship game, outscoring playoff opponents Sam Houston, Delaware, and Eastern Kentucky by a combined 127-31.
This team boasted 12 All-Americans and 12 First Team All-Southland Conference selections, three NFL Draft picks and another six who signed free-agent agreements with an NFL franchise. Additionally, 10 players and two coaches from the squad were later inducted into A-State’s Hall of Honor and 11 were part of the program’s All-Centennial Team announced in 2014.
The Old Warriors Foundation was founded by former A-State football great Tommy Walker, a Hall of Honor and All-Centennial Team member, and continues to have a lasting impact on the program through not only its annual cookout, but also it’s critical role in the football program’s presentation of the annual Larry Lacewell MVP and Gary Withrow Awards.
The first cookout was held on Sept. 21, 1991, and now averages over 100 former football players, coaches, trainers and managers, who are joined by their families inside the premier tailgating area outside Centennial Bank Stadium. Along with Walker, former players Steve Hales, Butch Snider, Randy Barnhill, Mike Gleghorn and other volunteers have continued to make the cookout possible over the last 35 years.
All former players and staff associated with the A-State football program are welcome to attend, and fans are invited to stop by the cookout to visit with the group. More information about this event can be obtained by contacting Walker through the Old Warriors Facebook page (Old Warriors, Inc.).
The late Calvin Harrell was the Ring of Honor’s first inductee in 1996, and since that time A-State has placed the names of 14 additional former players and coaches on the façade of the west side of Centennial Bank Stadium.
This exclusive group of all-time A-State greats also includes Bill Bergey (1997), Bill Templeton (1997), Harry Larche (1998), J.A. “Ike” Tomlinson (1998), Bill Davidson (1999), Bennie Ellender (2000), Frank Farella (2001), Larry Lacewell (2001), Maurice Carthon (2002), Bill Phillips (2003), Terry Gwin (2006), Ray Brown (2007), Tim Langford (2007) and Jerry Muckensturm (2020).
These combined anniversaries will not only honor the greatness that helped build the A-State football program, but also give alumni and fans a chance to reconnect with these former standouts while cheering on the 2026 roster.
Fans are encouraged to click here or call the A-State Ticket Office at 870-972-2781 to secure their 2026 season tickets today and be part of these three historic anniversary and reunion celebrations.
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