40 years ago on this night (1986): the last game in the history of Wichita State football. It was a 52-6 loss at #5-ranked Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempa, Arizona. The head coach of the Shockers, Ron Chismar had been an assistant coach at Arizona State under head coach Darryl Rogers before coming to Wichita State. Attendance was 65,333 -- the smallest crowd of the season for the Sun Devils. With the win, Arizona State improved to 9-0-1. The Sun Devils would finish the season ranked #4 in the nation, after defeating 4th-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
As for the game vs. Wichita State, Arizona State coach John Cooper said, "It was almost like a practice atmosphere."
After the game, coach Chismar said, "Our kids gave a maximum effort. We controlled the ball well in the first half. We're just a few steps away from being a good football team."
The Wichita State defense held Arizona State quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst to 1-for-9 passing to begin the game, but the Sun Devils got it going after that.
Wichita State's only score came on a nine-yard touchdown run by running back David Smith with 3:09 remaining in the first quarter, capping off a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive. At that point, the Shockers had outgained the Sun Devils in total yardage 88-34. Kicker Brad Fleeman from Kapaun-Mt. Carmel high school in Wichita had been 22-for-22 on extra points for the season, but he missed this one wide left, making the score 7-6 Arizona State, and leaving Smith's touchdown as the final points scored in Shocker football history.
The Shockers would finish the season with a record of 3-8, losing its last five games after a 3-3 start.
Two-and-a-half weeks later, Wichita State announced it was discontinuing its football program. See less
