It's been more than 40 years since the Sul Ross State Lobos played in the now infamous triple overtime NAIA Division II playoff game against William Jewell College at Jackson Field in Alpine.

It came down to a matter of inches on Nov. 20, 1982, when the Lobos came up short on a two-point conversion that allowed William Jewell to win 44-43 and land in the national title match against Linfield.

The Lobos were ranked fourth in the final NAIA poll after winning the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association title.

Now, the story about the playoff contest and build up to the 1982 season is being told by producer Bo Wich in a four-part documentary.

Episode one is scheduled to be released Friday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. CST on srlobos.com, while three additional episodes will follow on Sept. 22, Oct. 13 and Nov. 3. 

"It's such an amazing story because it ends anticlimactically," said Wich. "This group of players decided to be good. They made this conscious decision to put the work in to be good and successful."

>> THE BUILD UP TO 1982:

Something good had been brewing in the Sul Ross State football program.

After finishing 4-6 in 1979, the Lobos got into the win column in 1980 by going 6-4. A year later, they turned a ripple in the water into a wave.

Sul Ross State went 9-1 in 1981 with its only loss suffered to Austin College, which went on to become the co-champion after tying Concordia-Moorhead in the NAIA Division II national championship.

Only the top eight teams in the nation made it to the postseason. The Lobos ended up splitting with Austin College in 1981.

Missing out on the playoffs, the Lobos made it their mission to get an opportunity to play in the postseason.

It had been 17 years prior since the 1965 program set the bar by making it to the first round of the NAIA playoffs after winning the Lone Star Conference title under former head coach David Slaughter.

The program had become the gold standard.

Quarterback Larry Hill and company wanted a taste of that same success.

"Most of us were under recruited. It wasn't a team of stars," Hill said. "It was just a bunch of mutts that banded together. Coach put us all in the right places and gave us a chance to be successful."

Head coach Joe George and staff were considered innovators of the game at the time.

George transitioned to head coach in 1979 and in four seasons he amassed a 19-11 record which helped Sul Ross State climb out of a hole and into the spotlight.

Assistant coach Bob Moran implemented the west coast style offense at Sul Ross State, which had derived from former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh.

The unorthodox offensive system fit the bill and the Lobos took the conference by storm.

"Offensively, we were doing some things that nobody had seen," Hill said. "It was pretty special. I was just one spoke in the wheel. It was a little bit of lightning in a bottle."

With the success came a lot of positive repercussions as the buzz surrounding the program helped make student life and the outlook of the town better.

It was more than just about winning football games. The enrollment during the 1982 season was 1,750 and from 1982-1984 the enrollment began to climb.

"Alpine is a very unique place. You're isolated from big cities," Hill said. "You've got to make your own entertainment. I think we helped do that.

"There were some crowds at games that year that I know they've never duplicated since. It created a vibe on campus."

>> THE BROTHERHOOD:

With winning comes the formation of strong unbreakable bonds between teammates.

That was one ingredient that led to the success of SRSU.

The Lobos had Maurice Stephens at running back, who was eventually inducted into the university's Hall of Honor in 2009 after setting eight school and conference records.

There was also free safety Wayne Thorp, a 1984 NAIA All-American, and fullback Andrew Hill, to name a few.

"You've got to be bonded to win, but then when you win you get more bonded," said Larry Hill. "It was just neat to see those friendships form through hard work and winning.

"I consider myself very fortunate to have been a part of it. That kind of brotherhood — I'm not sure you get that everywhere."

>> THE GAME:

William Jewell had made two straight appearances in the postseason in 1980 and 1981 while the Lobos had narrowly missed out in 1981 after finishing ninth in the national poll.

During the third overtime period, William Jewell scored on a 20-yard pass from Kelly Groom to Scott Martin.

The Lobos answered back with a touchdown on an eight-yard run by Andrew Hill. On the ensuing two-point conversion try, Stephens was stopped short on a run, inches away from the endzone.

Larry Hill threw for 415 yards while completing 31 of 55 passes with four touchdowns.

It's a memory that the players replay vividly in their mind, even 41 years later.

For Hill, who is now the head football coach at Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, Texas, it's something he will never forget.

Many of the players have the radio broadcast. Hill will even listen to it from time to time.

"I think about it every day. There's not a single day that goes by that I don't think about it a little bit," he said. "You don't go through an event like that and ever forget it."

>> INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS:

The Sul Ross State football program hasn't experienced success of this magnitude since 1982, which makes that season even more special since it hasn't been replicated.

"I'd love to see Sul Ross win again," Hill added. "They still talk about us all these years later but some of that's sad since they haven't been able to achieve that since.

"Maybe it can inspire Sul Ross. I want those players out there to know they are not any different than we were. It's doable."