On Dec. 12, 1964, Lamar and Northern Iowa met in a football game that determined the NCAA’s College Division Midwest Regional champion. The game was called the Pecan Bowl and it was played in Abilene. The schools at the time were known as Lamar State College of Technology and State College of Iowa.

Lamar was the Southland Conference champion that year.

SCI won 19-17 in the only meeting between the two schools — that is until this coming Saturday, when Lamar and UNI meet at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs.

This was a United Press International article accessed recently from New York Times digital archives:

IOWA TEAM TOPS LAMAR TECH, 19‐17; Schultz Paces State College Eleven in Pecan Bowl
ABILENE, Tex., Dec. 12 (UPI)—Randy Schultz scored two touchdowns today to lead the State College of Iowa Panthers to a 19-17 victory over Lamar (Tex.) Tech in the Pecan Bowl.

The victory gave the Iowans the midwest region National Collegiate small college championship.

Schultz, the second‐ranking rusher among N. C. A. A. small colleges this season, gained 160 yards, 60 more than the Lamar Tech team.

Lamar Tech started the scoring in the first period, taking over on the Iowa 29 after a fourth‐down fake punt and run had failed.

The Panther line stalled the drive and Mike Allman kicked a 27-yard field goal with 9:42 left in the period. The Panthers came back on a 76-yard drive, scoring on a 30-yard pass from Richard Oliphant to Del Hammond. The Iowans made it 13—3 at half‐time with Schultz plunging over from the 3 to cap a 43-yard drive.

State College of Iowa ……7 6 6 0 — 19

Lamar Tech ………..3 0 7 7 — 17

Lamar—FG, Allman, 27.

Iowa—Hammond, 30, pass from Oliphant (Sickles, kick).

Iowa—Schultz, 3, run (kick failed).

Lamar—Dealy, 80, pass from Prim (Allman, kick).

Iowa—Schultz, 1, run (kick failed).

Lamar—Casey, 11, pass from Prim (Allman, kick).

Attendance—7,500.