1973 NCAA Division II football season
1973 NCAA Division II football season | |||
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Regular season | September – November 1973 | ||
Postseason | December 1–15 | ||
National Championship | Camellia Bowl Hughes Stadium Sacramento, California | ||
Champions | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | ||
Division II football season
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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.
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 |
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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
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Conference summaries
Postseason
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 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]
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 State | 17 | |||||||||||||
Delaware | 8 | |||||||||||||
Grambling State | 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
See also
References
- ↑ "All-Time Conference Champions" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. pp. 15–28. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- 1 2 "Western Kentucky (Louisiana Tech) champs after 34-0 romp". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 16, 1973. p. 20.
- ↑ "Boise St. smears South Dakota". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 2, 1973. p. 19.
- ↑ "Western Kentucky triumphs". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 9, 1973. p. 19.
- ↑ "Boise in semis". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 8, 1973. p. 17.
- ↑ "Late TD tops Boise". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 9, 1973. p. 19.
- ↑ "1973 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved December 17, 2013.