1963 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

1963 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
UPI small college national champion Lambert Cup MAC University Division champion
Conference	Middle Atlantic Conference
Division	University Division
Record	8–0 (4–0 MAC)
Head coach	David M. Nelson (13th season)
Captain	Paul Chesmore
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium
Seasons ←  1962 1964  →

1963 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
University Division
No. 2 Delaware x	4	–	0	–	0			8	–	0	–	0
Bucknell	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Gettysburg	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Temple	1	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	1
Lehigh	1	–	3	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Lafayette	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Northern College Division
Upsala x	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Wagner	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Albright	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Moravian	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	4	–	0
Wilkes	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Lycoming	1	–	5	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
Juniata *	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Susquehanna *	2	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
Hofstra *	0	–	0	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Southern College Division
Western Maryland x	4	–	0	–	0			6	–	1	–	1
Muhlenberg	4	–	1	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Dickinson	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	0
Swarthmore	4	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Drexel	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Lebanon Valley	4	–	3	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Pennsylvania Military	3	–	5	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Ursinus	2	–	4	–	1			2	–	4	–	1
Haverford	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Franklin & Marshall	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	6	–	0
Johns Hopkins	0	–	4	–	1			0	–	6	–	1
West Chester *	0	–	0	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games Rankings from AP Poll

The 1963 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team was an American football team that represented the University of Delaware during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. The Blue Hens won every game, were declared the UPI national champion, won the Lambert Cup, and were champions of the Middle Atlantic Conference, University Division.

In its 13th season under head coach David M. Nelson, the team compiled a 8–0 record (4–0 against MAC opponents) and outscored opponents 290 to 76. ^[1]

Delaware played only eight games because the season finale, against MAC University Division runner-up Bucknell, was canceled following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The game had been heavily hyped, as Bucknell had a 3–1 conference record and could force a championship tie by winning. Initially, Bucknell announced the game would be played, but late on Friday night – after most other conferences and colleges had decided to cancel their games, but too late to catch the Blue Hens before they arrived in Western Pennsylvania – they reversed that decision. Bucknell offered Delaware the option to make up the game after Thanksgiving, but Delaware coach Dave Nelson declined, saying waiting that long, and playing a football game with a national tragedy so fresh in everyone's memory, would be "anticlimactic". ^[2]

After the season, Delaware was named by the United Press International as the national small college football champion. Delaware outranked No. 2 Northern Illinois, receiving 18 first place votes (and 309 points) from the coaches to eight (and 285 points) for Northern Illinois. ^[3] The Associated Press (AP), on the other hand, ranked Northern Illinois No. 1 (63 points) and Delaware No. 2 (53 points). ^[4]

Delaware halfback Mike Brown was selected by the AP as a first-team player on its 1963 All East team as well as its 1963 Little All-American football team. ^{[5] [6]} Brown led the team and the MAC with 78 points scored (48 in MAC games) and 838 rushing yards (434 in MAC games). ^{[5] [7]} Due to the cancellation of the Bucknell game, Brown fell 36 yards short of the school's single-season rushing record. ^[5]

Paul Chesmore was Delaware's team captain. ^[1] Other key players included quarterback Chuck Zolak. ^[8]

On October 5, 1963, the Hens established a Middle Atlantic Conference record with 505 yards of total offense. They eclipsed that record one week later with 596 yards against Lafayette. ^[9]

The team played its home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 28	at Lehigh		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 30–0	9,364	[10]
October 5	Gettysburg	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 64–18	10,100–10,110	[11]
October 12	at Lafayette	No. 3	Fisher Field Easton, PA	W 61–0	4,000	[9]
October 19	at Ohio *	No. 3	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	W 29–12	15,000	[12]
October 26	at Connecticut *	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT	W 26–14	8,087	[13]
November 2	Buffalo *	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 34–6	10,500	[14]
November 9	Temple	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 32–23	10,100–10,183	[15] [16]
November 16	at Rutgers *	No. 1	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	W 14–3	16,000–17,000	[17]
November 23	Bucknell	No. 1	Lewisburg, PA	Canceled		[2]
*Non-conference game Rankings from UPI Coaches Poll released prior to the game

^[18]

References

1. "2012 Blue Hens Football Media Guide". University of Delaware. 2012. p. 159. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
2. Bodley, Hal (November 23, 1963). "Hens, Bucknell Respect Kennedy". Evening Journal . Wilmington, Del. – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Delaware Is Named Small College National Champion". The Childress (TX) Index. December 4, 1963. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Northern Illinois No One, To Play In Mineral Bowl". The Index-Journal. November 29, 1963. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Brown named All-East". The Wilmington Morning News. November 29, 1963 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Little All America: Delaware Back On the First Team". Lancaster New Era. December 3, 1963. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bisons top three MAC departments". The Wilmington Morning News. November 21, 1963. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Delaware season over, game called". The Wilmington Morning News. November 23, 1963 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Delaware Clubs Lafayette, 61-0, Gets 591 Yards". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. Associated Press. October 13, 1963. p. S3 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Bodley, Hal (September 30, 1963). "Cooley Labels Hens One of East's Best". Wilmington Morning News . Wilmington, Del. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Katzman, Izzy (October 7, 1963). "Pro Career Aim of Blue Hens' Chuck Zolak". Wilmington Morning News . Wilmington, Del. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Blue Hens Lay It on OU 'Cats 29-12". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Cincinnati, Ohio. Associated Press. October 20, 1963. p. 5D – via Newspapers.com.
13. Lee, Bill (October 27, 1963). "Delaware Struggles to Down UConns". The Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
14. Smith, Ron (November 3, 1963). "Zolak Throws 3 TD Passes as Delaware Jars Buffalo". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pa. p. S1 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Katzman, Izzy (November 11, 1963). "Hens Glum Despite Win over Owls". Wilmington Morning News . Wilmington, Del. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Temple)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 18, 2022.
17. Fleming, Jimmie (November 17, 1963). "Delaware Shoves Rutgers to Losing Season, 14-3". The Sunday Home News . New Brunswick, N.J. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics (Delaware)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved August 15, 2024.