1973 NCAA Division II football season

The 1973 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level. The season began in September and concluded with the Division II Championship on December 15 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. This was the first season for Division II (and Division III) football, which were formerly in the College Division in 1972 and prior.

1973 NCAA Division II football season
Regular season	September – November 1973
Playoffs	December 1–15
National Championship	Camellia Bowl Hughes Stadium Sacramento, California
Champion	Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech won their first Division II championship, defeating Western Kentucky 34–0 in the Camellia Bowl championship game.[1][2]

Conference changes and new programs

• The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference began football play in 1973.

School	1972 Conference	1973 Conference
Akron	Independent	D-II Independent
Eastern Michigan	Independent	D-II Independent
Illinois State	Independent	D-II Independent
Nevada–Reno	Independent	D-II Independent

Conference standings

1973 Big Sky Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 5 Boise State $^ 6 – 0 – 0     10 – 3 – 0 Montana State 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Idaho 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Northern Arizona 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Montana 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Weber State 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 8 – 0 Idaho State 0 – 6 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA College Division AP Poll	1973 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 8 AP / #9 UPI Cal Poly $ 4 – 0 – 0     9 – 1 – 0 UC Riverside 3 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Cal State Fullerton 1 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Cal Poly Pomona 1 – 3 – 0     4 – 6 – 1 Cal State Northridge 1 – 3 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll	1973 Far Western Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T UC Davis + 4 – 1 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Chico State + 4 – 1 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 San Francisco State 3 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 1 Cal State Hayward 3 – 2 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Humboldt State 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 2 Sacramento State 0 – 5 – 0     1 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from College Division poll
1973 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Butler $ 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 DePauw 3 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Evansville 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Indiana Central 2 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Valparaiso 2 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Wabash 0 – 4 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1973 Gulf South Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Troy State $ 6 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 1 Jacksonville State 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Delta State 6 – 3 – 0     8 – 3 – 0 Livingston 4 – 3 – 1     6 – 3 – 1 Northwestern State 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 Mississippi College 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Southeastern Louisiana 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 North Alabama 3 – 6 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Nicholls State 2 – 7 – 0     2 – 9 – 0 Tennessee–Martin 1 – 5 – 1     2 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1973 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T North Carolina Central $ 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 South Carolina State 4 – 1 – 1     7 – 3 – 1 Howard 4 – 2 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Morgan State 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Maryland Eastern Shore 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 North Carolina A&T 1 – 4 – 1     4 – 6 – 1 Delaware State 0 – 6 – 0     0 – 11 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1973 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T SE Missouri State $ 5 – 1 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 NW Missouri State 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Lincoln (MO) 3 – 3 – 0     5 – 6 – 0 SW Missouri State 3 – 3 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Missouri–Rolla 2 – 3 – 1     3 – 6 – 2 NE Missouri State 2 – 3 – 1     2 – 7 – 2 Central Missouri State 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1973 North Central Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T North Dakota State + 6 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 South Dakota +^ 6 – 1 – 0     8 – 3 – 0 Mankato State 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 North Dakota 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Augustana (SD) 3 – 3 – 1     6 – 3 – 1 South Dakota State 2 – 4 – 1     5 – 5 – 1 Northern Iowa 2 – 5 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 Morningside 0 – 7 – 0     0 – 9 – 0 + – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant	1973 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 3 Western Kentucky $^ 7 – 0 – 0     12 – 1 – 0 Murray State 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Eastern Kentucky 4 – 3 – 0     7 – 4 – 0 Morehead State 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 East Tennessee State 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Middle Tennessee 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0 Tennessee Tech 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 1 Austin Peay 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll
1973 Southland Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 2 Louisiana Tech $^ 5 – 0 – 0     12 – 1 – 0 Arkansas State 3 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Lamar 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 McNeese State 2 – 3 – 0     7 – 3 – 1 Texas–Arlington 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 SW Louisiana 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 10 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP Poll	1973 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 7 AP / #7 UPI Grambling +^ 5 – 1 – 0     10 – 3 – 0 Jackson State + 5 – 1 – 0     9 – 2 – 0 Alcorn A&M 3 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1 Southern 3 – 3 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Texas Southern 2 – 3 – 1     5 – 5 – 1 Mississippi Valley State 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 5 – 0 Prairie View A&M 0 – 6 – 0     2 – 6 – 1 + – Conference co-champions ^ – College Division playoff participant Rankings from College Division poll	1973 Yankee Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Connecticut $ 5 – 0 – 1     8 – 2 – 1 Rhode Island 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 2 – 2 UMass 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 5 – 0 New Hampshire 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Boston University 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Maine 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Vermont 1 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1973 NCAA Division II independents football records Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 1 Tennessee State   –       10 – 0 – 0 No. 9 Hawaii   –       9 – 2 – 0 Nebraska–Omaha   –       7 – 2 – 1 UNLV   –       8 – 3 – 0 No. 13 Delaware ^   –       8 – 4 – 0 Central Michigan   –       7 – 4 – 0 Nevada   –       7 – 4 – 0 Milwaukee   –       6 – 4 – 1 Eastern Michigan   –       6 – 4 – 0 Akron   –       6 – 5 – 0 Central State (OH)   –       6 – 5 – 0 Wayne State (MI)   –       5 – 5 – 0 Drexel   –       4 – 4 – 0 Bucknell   –       3 – 4 – 2 Northeast Louisiana   –       3 – 5 – 2 Santa Clara   –       4 – 6 – 0 Chattanooga   –       4 – 7 – 0 Indiana State   –       4 – 7 – 0 Northeastern   –       3 – 6 – 0 Northern Michigan   –       2 – 7 – 1 Portland State   –       1 – 10 – 0 ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Conference summaries

Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Boise State Eastern Football Conference – Central Connecticut State Far Western Football Conference – UC Davis and Cal State Chico Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Northwood Gulf South Conference – Troy State Lone Star Conference – Abilene Christian Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina Central Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association – Southeast Missouri State North Central Conference – North Dakota State and South Dakota Ohio Valley Conference – Western Kentucky Northern Intercollegiate Conference – Minnesota State–Moorhead Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division II) – Bethune-Cookman Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling and Jackson State Yankee Conference – Connecticut

Postseason

1973 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams	8
Finals Site	Hughes Stadium Sacramento, California
Champion	Louisiana Tech (1st title, 1st title game)
Runner-up	Western Kentucky (1st title game)
Semifinalists	Grambling Boise State
Winning Coach	Maxie Lambright 1st championship

The 1973 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the first single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The inaugural edition had only eight teams; of the four quarterfinal games, three were played on campus and a fourth was in Atlantic City, New Jersey,[3] the final edition of the Boardwalk Bowl. The semifinals were held at the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,[4] and the Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls, Texas.[5][6]

The championship game was the Camellia Bowl, held at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California. The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 34–0 to win their first national title.[2][7]

Playoff bracket

	First round Atlantic City, NJ & 3 campus sites December 1					Semifinals Grantland Rice Bowl Pioneer Bowl December 8					Championship Camellia Bowl Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA December 15
	Grambling		17
	Delaware		8
						Grambling		20
						Western Kentucky		28
	Western Kentucky *		25
	Lehigh		16
											Western Kentucky		0
											Louisiana Tech		34
	Louisiana Tech *		18
	Western Illinois		13
						Louisiana Tech		38
						Boise State		34
	Boise State *		53
	South Dakota		10

* Denotes host institution

Rankings

United Press International (UPI) and the Associated Press (AP) continued to rank teams in their College Division or "small college" polls, which had started in 1958 and 1960, respectively. In 1973, UPI published their final poll at the end of the regular season, while the AP waited until postseason games had been completed. Both wire services named the Tennessee State Tigers as the number one team; Tennessee State did not compete in the playoffs "because five of its starters would not be eligible to play."[8] The players in question had sat out their freshmen year ("redshirt") and then played four seasons;[8] under NCAA rules at the time, such players were not eligible for postseason play as fifth-year seniors. During the regular season, the Tigers were undefeated (10–0) and had outscored their opponents 333–87.

United Press International (coaches) final poll Published on November 28[9] Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Tennessee State 10–0 27 314 2 Western Kentucky 10–0 3 275 3 Louisiana Tech 9–1 1 224 4 Abilene Christian 9–1 176 5 Wittenberg 9–0 169 6 Elon 11–0 151 7 Grambling 9–2 96 8 Boise State 9–2 91 9 Cal Poly SLO 9–1 90 10 Delaware 8–3 41

Associated Press (writers) final poll Published on December 19[10] Rank School Record No. 1 votes Total points 1 Tennessee State 10–0 17 708 2 Louisiana Tech 12–1^D2 21 706 3 Western Kentucky 12–1^D2 459 4 Wittenberg 12–0^D3 1 407 T5 Boise State 10–3^D2 390 T5 Abilene Christian 11–1^N1 390 7 Grambling 10–3^D2 372 8 Cal Poly SLO 9–1 264 9 Hawaii 8–2 233 10 Elon 12–1^N1 223 ^N1 Record includes NAIA playoff games ^D2 Record includes Division II playoff games ^D3 Record includes Division III playoff games

See also

• 1973 NAIA Division I football season
• 1973 NAIA Division II football season
• 1973 NCAA Division III football season

References

1. "All-Time Conference Champions" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 15–28. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
2. "Western Kentucky (Louisiana Tech) champs after 34–0 romp". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 16, 1973. p. 20.
3. "Boise St. smears South Dakota". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 2, 1973. p. 19.
4. "Western Kentucky triumphs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 9, 1973. p. 19.
5. "Boise in semis". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 8, 1973. p. 17.
6. "Late TD tops Boise". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 9, 1973. p. 19.
7. "1973 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
8. Finocchiaro, Ray (November 15, 1973). "5 Ineligible So Tennessee State Quits Playoff". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
9. "College Football Small College Poll". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. United Press International. November 28, 1973. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
10. Associated Press (December 19, 1973). "Tennessee St. Picked No. 1 In Grid Poll". The Northwest Arkansas Times. Fayetteville, Arkansas. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via newspapers.com.