1970 Idaho Vandals football team

Last updated

1970 Idaho Vandals football
Conference Big Sky Conference
Record4–7 (2–2 Big Sky)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Bobby Thompson (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorRay Fulton (1st season)
Base defense 5–2
Captains
  • Steve Olson
  • Ron Davis
  • Tim Reese
Home stadium Rogers Field
Seasons
  1969
1971  
1970 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Montana $ 5 0 010 1 0
Idaho State 3 2 05 5 0
Boise State 2 2 08 3 0
Weber State 3 3 05 5 1
Idaho 2 2 04 7 0
Montana State 1 5 02 8 0
Northern Arizona 0 4 02 8 0

The 1970 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho as a member of Big Sky Conference during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by first-year head coach Don Robbins. Without a usable stadium on their Moscow campus for a second year, they played their home games at Rogers Field at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.

Contents

Shortly after spring drills in May 1970, head coach Y C McNease was fired and assistant coach Robbins was promoted. [1] [2] [3] With quarterbacks Steve Olson and Tom Ponciano running the offense, [4] [5] the Vandals were 4–7 overall and 2–2 in the Big Sky. [6] Winless after six games, they won four straight before dropping the finale. Entering the homecoming game on October 24, Idaho had a ten-game losing streak. [7] [8] [9] [10]

In the Battle of the Palouse, the Vandals suffered a fourth straight loss to neighbor Washington State of the Pac-8, falling 44–16 at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane on September 19. After a scoreless first quarter, Idaho led by ten at halftime, but was then outscored 38–0. [11] [12] It broke a ten-game losing streak for the Cougars, [13] and was their only win of the season. [14] The game with WSU was not played in 1969 or 1971. [15]

The Big Sky added two teams this season, but the Vandals played neither. The new rivalry with Boise State began in 1971 and Idaho did not schedule Northern Arizona until 1975.

The Vandals' former venue on campus, Neale Stadium, had been declared structurally unsafe due to soil erosion in the summer of 1969, [16] and its south grandstand burned that November in a suspected arson. [17] Idaho played home games at Rogers Field in Pullman in 1969 and 1970. In April 1970, Rogers Field also burned in a suspected arson, [18] [19] which destroyed most of the primary grandstand on the south sideline, including the press box. [20] WSU played its home games in 1970 and 1971 in Spokane at Joe Albi Stadium. Requiring less seating capacity, Idaho continued at Rogers in 1970, with reserved seating switched to the north side and students in the unburned lower section of the south grandstand. [21] The new Idaho Stadium opened in October 1971.

University division

Through 1977, the Big Sky was a college division (renamed Division II in 1973) conference for football, except for university division (Division I) member Idaho, which moved down to the new Division I-AA in 1978. Idaho maintained its upper division status in the NCAA by playing university division non-conference opponents (and was ineligible for the college division postseason).

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 1212:30 pmat Air Force *L 7–4522,279–25,000 [22] [23]
September 191:30 pmat Washington State *L 16–4427,200 [11] [12]
September 261:30 pm Pacific (CA) *L 10–178,600–10,000 [24]
October 37:00 pmat Idaho State L 14–3512,500 [25]
October 101:30 pm Montana
L 26–444,600 [26]
October 171:30 pmat Oregon *L 13–4921,300 [27] [28]
October 241:30 pm Portland State *Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Rogers Field
  • Pullman, WA
W 17–166,700 [9] [10]
October 3112:00 pmat Montana State W 37–244,500 [29]
November 712:30 pm Weber State
  • Rogers Field
  • Pullman, WA
W 27–174,500 [30] [31]
November 1412:30 pmat Utah State *W 42–1410,000 [32]
November 2111:30 amat Tulsa *L 17–308,500 [33] [34] [35]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • All times are in Pacific time

Roster

1970 Idaho Vandals football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 10Tom PoncianoJr
QB 11Steve Olson (C)Sr
QB 12Bruce Cole Redshirt.svg  So
QB 18Pete GlindemanJr
RB 20Fred RileyJr
WR 21Jess Vernier
RB 22Robert WilliamsJr
RB 24Jim Ingles
WR 25Terry Moreland
RB 31Mike WiscombeSr
WR 37Kelly Cooke
RB 40Randy PetersonSo
RB Steve Ball
WR,TE 45Jim WilundJr
C 50Ken MuhlbeierSo
LG 51John DurhanSr
OL 52Larry BosmaSo
OL 54John Davis
OL 59Daryl HanauerSo
OL 68Jim WymerSr
RT 70Richard BeaverJr
OL 72Bob Myklebust
RG 73Faustin RileyJr
OL 74Dave CrnichSo
OL 75Rich KushlanJr
OL 76Bill Fluke
LT 77Bruce LangmadeSr
OL 78Andy KuppJr
OL 79Joe Kristoff
TE, P 80Ron Davis (C)Sr
TE 82Darrell BurchfieldSo
TE 86Jerry Domzalski
WR 89Jack GoddardJr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
S 12John HathawayJr
S 25 Randy Hall Fr
S 26Steve HoldrenJr
CB 27Pat SpruteJr
S 34Bob MillerJr
DB, P 36Kurt Karlsson
LB 38Jesse CraigSr
CB 42Kelly CourageSo
CB 44Kirby Cook
LB 53Rand MarquessSo
LB 55Ron RobertsSr
DL 56Mark BuschSo
DL 57Steve Vest
LB 58Ralph SletagerSo
LB 61Ron LinehanJr
DL 62Frank Shaner
DT 65Bill CadyJr
NG 67Steve BarkerJr
DT 69Brock JackleySr
DT 71Mike NewellSo
DE 81Tom JarmanJr
DE 85Rick Simmons
DL 87Neil Stevens
DE 88Tim Reese (C)Sr
DL Hank Boomer
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
PK 7Ricardo CastilloJr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injury icon 2.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt
Source: [36]

All conference

Four Vandals were selected to the all-Big Sky team: wide receiver Terry Moreland, halfback Fred Riley, defensive end Tim Reese, and linebacker Ron Linehan, a repeat pick. No second teamwas selected. [37]

NFL draft

No Vandals were selected in the 1971 NFL draft, which lasted seventeen rounds (442 selections). Three juniors were selected in the 1972 NFL draft, also 17 rounds.

PlayerPositionRoundOverallFranchise
Fred Riley WR 6th 146 Atlanta Falcons
Andy Kupp G 10th 241 New Orleans Saints
Ron Linehan LB 17th 428 Pittsburgh Steelers

References

  1. "McNease fired from Vandal football coaching job". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. May 16, 1970. p. 12.
  2. "Whits, Idaho Idaho pick new grid bosses". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. May 16, 1970. p. 13.
  3. "Robbins picked to coach Idaho". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. May 17, 1970. p. 12.
  4. "Washington State-Idaho football special: rosters". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 19, 1970. p. 1, special.
  5. "Soph quarterback presses Idaho vets". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. September 18, 1970. p. 26.
  6. "Recruiting needs seen for Vandals". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. November 23, 1970. p. 41.
  7. "Vandals hoping to avoid record 11th straight loss". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. October 24, 1970. p. 8.
  8. "Idaho eyes 1st victory". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. September 19, 1970. p. 13.
  9. 1 2 Payne, Bob (October 25, 1970). "Vandals win first – and they earned it". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  10. 1 2 Bacharach, Sam A. (October 25, 1970). "Idaho ends 10-game loss skein with win over Portland State". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 15.
  11. 1 2 Missildine, Harry (September 20, 1970). "Cougars roar back, swamp Vandals". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  12. 1 2 Brown, Bruce (September 21, 1970). "Next foes are tough". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 17.
  13. "WSU Cougars, Idaho Vandals set for "Battle of the Palouse"". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. September 19, 1970. p. 8.
  14. Missildine, Harry (November 22, 1970). "Sonny Six dazzles Cougars". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  15. Missildine, Harry (September 19, 1970). "Battle of Palouse matches explosive offenses at Albi". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 14.
  16. "Idaho stadium unsafe for use". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. August 6, 1969. p. 41.
  17. "Late night fire destroys portion of Neale Stadium on Idaho campus". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. November 24, 1969. p. 16.
  18. "Fast blaze ruins Pullman stadium". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. April 6, 1970. p. 1.
  19. "WSU fire may be arson". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. April 6, 1970. p. 1.
  20. "Fire in Rogers Field stands". Washington State University Libraries. April 5, 1970. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  21. "Rogers Field seating set for Vandals". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. September 25, 1970. p. 23.
  22. Payne, Bob (September 13, 1970). "Air Force blitzes Vandals". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  23. "Summary Of Football Game Statistics – Home Team (Air Force vs. Idaho)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  24. Payne, Bob (September 27, 1970). "Pacific beats Idaho late". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  25. Bacharach, Sam A. (October 4, 1970). "ISU Bengals whip Vandals 35-14". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 12.
  26. Bacharach, Sam A. (October 11, 1970). "Vandals fall 44-26 to tough Montana". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 12.
  27. cawood, Neil (October 18, 1970). "Ducks bomb Vandals as UO records tumble". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1B.
  28. Payne, Bob (October 18, 1970). "Oregon's offense surely too much". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  29. Payne, Bob (November 1, 1970). "Vandals have pleasant day with Montana State victory". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  30. Everson, Joe (November 8, 1970). "Vandals post third in a row". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 4, sports.
  31. Wakely, Dan (November 9, 1970). "2nd-half effort wins for Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 13.
  32. Payne, Bob (November 15, 1970). "Fast start helps Idaho rip Aggies". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  33. Connors, Bill (November 22, 1980). "TU Disciplines Vandals, 30-17". Tulsa World . Tulsa, Oklahoma. p. S1. Retrieved January 19, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  34. Connors, Bill (November 22, 1980). "McGill Goes 97 to Clinch 5th Victory (continued)". Tulsa World . Tulsa, Oklahoma. p. S11. Retrieved January 19, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  35. Payne, Bob (November 22, 1970). "Ill wind, Tulsa too much". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 1, sports.
  36. "Bengals vs. Vandals: probable lineups". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 19, 1970. p. 14.
  37. "Four Vandals selected as Sky stars". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 27, 1970. p. 13.