1973 Arizona Wildcats football team
| 1973 Arizona Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
WAC co-champion | |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Record | 8–3 (6–1 WAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | John Mackovic (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Larry Smith (1st season) |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Arizona Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Arizona State + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona + | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Jim Young in his first year, the Wildcats shared the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with rival Arizona State, with ASU winning the head-to-head matchup to clinch the conference’s bowl bid and Arizona was left out of the postseason as a result.
Young was brought in by Arizona to replace Bob Weber, who was fired after the 1972 season. The Wildcats believed that Young would rebuild the team and to return them to their winning ways.[1]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8 | at Colorado State | W 31–0 | 17,217 | [2] | |||
| September 15 | at Wyoming | W 21–7 | 19,718 | [3] | |||
| September 22 | Indiana* | W 26–10 | 38,643 | [4] | |||
| October 6 | at Iowa* | W 23–20 | 40,365 | [5] | |||
| October 13 | New Mexico |
| W 22–14 | 39,582 | [6] | ||
| October 20 | Texas Tech* | No. 19 |
| L 17–31 | 40,172 | [7] | |
| October 27 | Utah |
| ABC | W 42–21 | 34,219 | [8] | |
| November 3 | at UTEP | W 35–18 | 6,940 | [9] | |||
| November 10 | at BYU | W 24–10 | 19,597 | [10] | |||
| November 17 | Air Force* | No. 19 |
| L 26–27 | 39,733 | [11] | |
| November 24 | at No. 13 Arizona State | L 19–55 | 51,383 | [12] | |||
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Roster
[edit]- Bill Adamson, mg
- Dennis Anderson, s
- Mike Battles, s
- Theo Bell, wr
- Jay Bledsoe, og
- Wally Brumfield, de
- Mike Dawson, dt
- Obra Erby, lb
- Charlie Gorham, k
- Glen Gresham, lb
- Rich Hall, dt
- Willie Hamilton, rb
- Keith Hartwig, wr
- Allyn Haynes, og
- Bruce Hill, qb
- Mitch Hoopes, p
- Dan Howard, te
- Leon Lawrence, db
- Rex Naumetz, de
- Brian Murray, ot
- Mark Neal, wr
- Jim O'Connor, ot
- Vince Phason, cb
- Ransom Terrell, lb
- Jim Upchurch, rb
- Bruce Walker, dt
- Roussell Williams, cb
- Bob Windisch, c
Staff
[edit]- Head coach: Jim Young
- Offensive coaches: Bill Belknap, Bob Bockrath, John Mackovic, Willie Peete
- Defensive coaches: Mike Hankwitz, Sharkey Price (DL), Tom Reed, Larry Smith[15]
Statistics
[edit]Passing
[edit]| Player | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Hill | 104 | 216 | 1,529 | 9 | 9 |
Rushing
[edit]| Player | Att | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Upchurch | 210 | 1,184 | 10 |
Receiving
[edit]| Player | Rec | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theo Bell | 47 | 790 | 7 |
[16]==Awards==
All-WAC (1st Team)
- Jim O'Connor (OT)
- Willie Hamilton (RB)
- Roussell Williams (CB)
- Ransom Terrell (LB)
- Wally Brumfield (DE)
All-WAC (Second Team)
- Jay Bledsoe (OG)
- Bob Windisch (C)
- T Bell (WR)
- Jim Upchurch (RB)
- Mike Dawson (DT)
- Glen Gresham (LB)
- Mike Battles (FS)
- Leon Lawrence (SS)
- Charlie Gorham (K)
- Mitch Hoopes (P)
WAC Rookie of the Year: Bruce Hill
WAC Coach of the Year: Jim Young[13]
Season notes
[edit]- Despite sharing the WAC title, Arizona did not earn a bowl invitation due to its loss to Arizona State and a lack of bowl spots available at the time. The head-to-head loss to ASU was a major reason behind the Wildcats being uninvited for a bowl. Had they beaten ASU and won the WAC outright, the Wildcats would have earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Three of Arizona’s coaching staff would become future Wildcat head coaches. Larry Smith (defensive coordinator) would have a successful tenure with the Wildcats that began in 1980, and John Mackovic (offensive coordinator) was hired in 2001 and his Wildcat tenure would turn out to be a failure. A third coach, Mike Hankwitz, replaced Mackovic as Arizona’s coach during a disastrous 2003 season.
- Many Wildcats fans as well as the Tucson community credited Young for turning the program around after his predecessor’s failed tenure with the team.[17] Young would be awarded the WAC coach of the year for his efforts.
References
[edit]- ^ "New UA football coach Young plans to return winning formula back to Tucson". Tucson Daily Citizen. January 2, 1973.
- ^ "Arizona's ball control stymies Colorado State". The Billings Gazette. September 9, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Quarterback Hill leads Arizona". Fort Collins Coloradoan. September 16, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Arizona Hill too much for I.U. machine, 26–10". The Indianapolis Star. September 23, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Iowa loses again". Chicago Tribune. October 7, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lobos lose to Arizona". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 14, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Texas Tech gets win over No. 19". The Odessa American. October 21, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Arizona charges to 42–21 victory over Redskins". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. October 28, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jim Upchurch powers UA's 35–18 win". The Arizona Republic. November 4, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wildcats rake Cougars". The El Paso Times. November 11, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Air Force thwarts Arizona upset bid". News-Pilot. November 18, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Arizona State takes WAC crown, 55–19". Albuquerque Journal. November 25, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c 2009 Arizona football media guide
- ^ "1973 NCAA Football Statistics (Arizona)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ 2010 Arizona press kit
- ^ AP Denver ALL WAC Football Team 1973 \
- ^ "UA fans thank Young for season turnaround". Arizona Daily Star. November 29, 1973.