1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Southern Illinois Salukis and the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game was played on December 17, 1983, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Southern Illinois, 43–7.[3]

1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Western Carolina Catamounts Southern Illinois Salukis (11–2–1) (12–1) SoCon MVC 7 43 Head coach:  Bob Waters Head coach:  Rey Dempsey NCAA Seed 9 – NCAA Seed 1 1
1 2 3 4 Total Western Carolina 0 0 0 7 7 Southern Illinois 0 10 23 10 43
Date	December 17, 1983
Season	1983
Stadium	Johnson Hagood Stadium
Location	Charleston, South Carolina
Attendance	15,950[1]
United States TV coverage
Network	ABC Sports[2]
Announcers	Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1983 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[4]

Southern Illinois Salukis

Southern Illinois finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (5–1 in conference); their only loss was to Wichita State in their final regular season game.[5] Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and seeded first in the tournament, the Salukis received a first-round bye then defeated Indiana State and Nevada to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Southern Illinois in a Division I-AA championship game.

Western Carolina Catamounts

Western Carolina finished their regular season with an 8–2–1 record (5–0–1 in conference); their two losses were to Division I-A programs, Clemson and Wake Forest; the tie came against conference rival Furman.[7] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and unseeded in the tournament, the Catamounts defeated Colgate, second-seed Holy Cross, and third-seed Furman to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Western Carolina in a Division I-AA championship game.

Game summary

After a scoreless first quarter, Southern Illinois took a 10–0 lead into halftime, then broke the game open with 23 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Salukis' defense intercepted seven passes, with four of the interceptions made by safety Greg Shipp.[8][9]

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WCU SIU 2 11:45 20 SIU Derrick Taylor 10-yard touchdown reception from Rick Johnson, Ron Miller kick good 0 7 2 2:15 44 SIU 36-yard field goal by Miller 0 10 3 9:21 9 37 SIU Johnson 1-yard touchdown run, Miller kick good 0 17 3 4:33 1 26 SIU James Stevenson 26-yard touchdown reception from Johnson, Miller kick good 0 24 3 2:05 SIU Melvin Dorsey tackled in end zone for a safety by Ken Foster 0 26 3 0:56 3 13 SIU Terry Green 1-yard touchdown run, Miller kick good 0 33 4 7:48 SIU 23-yard field goal by Miller 0 36 4 5:35 85 WCU Kristy Kiser 7-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Gilbert, Dean Biasucci kick good 7 36 4 0:56 30 SIU Green 10-yard touchdown run, Miller kick good 7 43 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 43

[1][10][8][9]

Game statistics

	1	2	3	4	Total
Catamounts	0	0	0	7	7
Salukis	0	10	23	10	43

Johnson Hagood Stadium, site of the 1983 Division I-AA championship game

Statistics	WCU	SIU
First downs	15	19
Plays–yards	61–238	75–367
Rushes–yards	27–84	50–154
Passing yards	154	213
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16–34–7	19–25–0
Time of possession	20:22	39:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing	Jeff Gilbert	16–33, 154 yds, 1 TD, 7 INT
	Rushing	Leonard Williams	7 car, 48 yds
	Receiving	Melvin Dorsey	4 rec, 49 yds
Southern Illinois	Passing	Rick Johnson	19–25, 213 yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Derrick Taylor	18 car, 40 yds
	Receiving	James Stevenson	5 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD

[1][9]

References

1. "S. Illinois 43, W. Carolina 7". Chicago Tribune. December 18, 1983. p. 3-13. Retrieved May 7, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
2. "Coaches expect I-AA title game to be close". Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. UPI. December 17, 1983. p. B-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
3. Stracener, William (December 17, 1983). "Southern Illinois capitalized on eight Western Carolina turnovers". UPI. Retrieved May 7, 2018 – via upi.com/Archive.
4. Sutton, Stan (November 21, 1983). "Eastern, minus a bye, to face Boston U. in playoff opener". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. D1. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
5. "Southern Illinois Salukis 1983 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
6. "Division I-AA poll". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. AP. November 22, 1983. p. 5B. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
7. "Western Carolina Catamounts 1983 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
8. Monserud, Scott (December 18, 1983). "Salukis crush W. Carolina". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 17. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
9. Monserud, Scott (December 18, 1983). "Salukis win national championship (cont'd)". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
10. Kiley, Mike (December 18, 1983). "SIU sinks teeth info I-AA title". Chicago Tribune. p. 3-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

• "1983 National Championship". siusalukis.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.