Colby Carthel

Colby Don Carthel (born August 29, 1976) is an American college football coach and former player.

The Lions won the Lone Star Conference championship for the 21st time in school history, the first time since the 1990 season.

The Lions were left out of the NCAA playoffs, but were invited back to the postseason, which resulted in a 72–21 win over East Central University in the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl, the win was the first postseason win for the program since a 1991 win over Grand Valley State in the 1991 NCAA first round of the playoffs to finish the season 9–3.

He attended Friona High School in Friona, Texas, where he captained the football team and led them to a district championship during the 1994 season.

He also went to the State Track & Field Championships for his high school, placing fourth in the discus throw.

He graduated from Friona High School in 1995.

Carthel played college football at Angelo State University.

Carthel then guided the Lions to their second straight conference championship with an undefeated conference record, and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 1995, where they lost to the Ferris State Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs, finishing 8–4 overall ranked #20 in the nation.

He started at linebacker for the Rams during his senior season in 1999 and helped lead them to a Lone Star Conference title.

He was a four-year letterman and starter for the Angelo State, as well as a three-time Academic All-Conference winner.

He graduated in 2000 with a degree in biology.

Upon graduation from Angelo State in 2000, Carthel began his coaching career as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Abilene Christian University, where he remained until 2006.

Prior to his time as head coach, he was the defensive coordinator under his father, Don Carthel, at West Texas A&M University, from 2006 to 2012.

Carthel played football at Angelo State University, where he was an all-conference linebacker.

Carthel was born in Floydada, Texas, and was reared in West Texas.

In 2006 his father, Don Carthel, named him the defensive coordinator on his staff at West Texas A&M University.

Former Auburn University quarterback Tyrik Rollison, who had been considered the best high school quarterback in Texas in the class of 2010, transferred to Texas A&M-Commerce and was one of many JUCO and Division I players from the Dallas/Fort Worth and Northeast Texas area that transferred to A&M-Commerce to play for the Lions.

Carthel and the Lions started his first season by opening with a home win again Sul Ross State University 51–6.

The next week in front of 20,000 LSC fans at AT&T Stadium, Carthel's Lions upset the 22nd ranked Delta State.

The next week Carthel the Lions faced off with his former team, West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.

The Lions stunned the crowd by jumping out to a 14–7 lead, but were bested by a prolific Buffalo team 68–28, and then dropped a 30–24 decision to Midwestern State the next week in Commerce.

After a 2–2 start, the Lions rolled out 4 straight wins defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State 31–29, Texas A&M-Kingsville 41–28, McMurry 65–43, and arch-rival Tarleton State 22–20.

The Lions rounded out the season by dropping a close loss to the Angelo State Rams 25–20, bouncing back against Division I Houston Baptist Huskies 55–21, and ending the season with a last second 42–35 loss to Eastern New Mexico.

Carthel served as the head football coach at Texas A&M University–Commerce from 2013 to 2018, leading the 2017 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team to a NCAA Division II Football Championship title.

In 2013, Carthel was hired as the 19th head football coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

The program was coming off of two back-to-back 1–9 seasons, the worst two-year stretch in school history.

Carthel quickly established a new culture in Commerce that saw 50 of the 85 players leave the program.

Carthel and his staff quickly plugged in the missing parts with mainly Junior College transfers and Division I transfers to quickly rebuild the program.

Despite the late season loss, the Lions were invited to the 2013 LiveUnited Texarkana Bowl to finish the season 7–5 overall and fifth in the conference.

Carthel's 2014 A&M–Commerce squad led the nation in points per game with an average of 54.1, and yards per game with an average of 535.4.

They opened the season with a record-breaking performance against East Texas Baptist in which they scored 98 points and amassed 986 total yards of offense and 13 touchdowns.

The win gained the Lions national exposure as it was reported on ESPN's SportsCenter that same night.

The next day, head coach Colby Carthel was interviewed by ESPN's Linda Cohn in regards to the win.

In that win the Lions set national and conference records for points scored, yards gained, and total offense in a game.

The Lions also defeated A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State, West Texas A&M, Angelo State, and Tarleton State a second time in the conference playoffs.

The lone losses were to the Division I Stephen F. Austin State Lumberjacks, Midwestern State, and to Angelo State in a conference finals rematch.

The 2014 team saw Ricky Collins, Vernon Johnson, and Charles Tuaau be called to the NFL.

Prior to the start of the 2015 season the Lions were picked second to finish behind Angelo State.

The Lions started out with a win against Adams State followed by a loss to a top ten Delta State team in a last second thriller.

He is the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, a position he has held since December 2018.