1970 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

1970 Kent State Golden Flashes football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
1970 record	3–7 (1–4 MAC)
Head coach	Dave Puddington (3rd season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1969 1971  →

1970 Mid-American Conference football standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 Toledo $	5	–	0	–	0			12	–	0	–	0
Miami	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Ohio	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	5	–	0
Western Michigan	2	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Kent State	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Bowling Green	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1970 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In their third and final season under head coach Dave Puddington, the Golden Flashes compiled a 3–7 record (1–4 against MAC opponents), finished in fifth place in the MAC, and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 222 to 161. ^{[1] [2]}

The team's statistical leaders included fullback Don Nottingham with 798 rushing yards and 48 points scored, quarterback Steve Broderick with 757 passing yards, and Jeff Murrey with 165 receiving yards. ^{[3] [4]} Center Fred Blosser was selected as a first-team All-MAC player. ^[5] Other notable players on the team included Nick Saban, Gary Pinkel, John Matsko, and linebacker Jim Corrigall (later head coach at Kent State).

The Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, focused attention on the 1970 Kent State football team, as one of the first activities of the new academic year in the fall of 1970. Before the season began, coach Puddington noted that his players believed they could "set the tone" and become "a unifying force on the campus." ^[6] Nick Saban, a freshman on the 1970 team, later recalled seeing the aftermath of the shootings: "It's a horrible thing. There's not a May 4 that goes by that I don't think about it. Really think about it." ^[7]

On November 12, 1970, Puddington announced that he would resign as the school's football coach at the end of the quarter. He had compiled a 9–21 record in three seasons at Kent State. Puddington cited factors contributing to his decision, including "prevailing contagious negativism on campus" since the May 4 shootings as well as "fatalism around us and the current tendency to politicize every facet of life." ^[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 19	Ohio	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	L 14–24
September 26	Buffalo *	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 27–21
October 3	at Pittsburgh *	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	L 6–27
October 10	Western Michigan	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 25–22
October 17	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH (rivalry)	L 0–44
October 24	No. T–19 Toledo	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	L 17–34
October 31	at Louisville *	Fairgrounds Stadium Louisville, KY	L 13–14
November 7	at Marshall *	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 17–20
November 14	at Miami (OH)	Miami Field Oxford, OH	L 8–10
November 21	Xavier *	Memorial Stadium Kent, OH	W 34–6
*Non-conference game

References

1. "2016 Kent State Football Record Book" (PDF). Kent State University. p. D7. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
2. "1970 Kent State Golden Flashes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
3. 2016 Record Book, p. D17-D19.
4. "1970 Kent State Golden Flashes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
5. 2016 Kent State Football Record Book, p. D42.
6. "Kent State Shootings Left Holes in Football Program". The Courier-Journal . August 25, 1970. p. B4.
7. "May 4 shootings still follow former Kent State football players". USA Today. May 3, 2010.
8. "Kent State Coach Quits". Evening Herald of Shenandoah. November 13, 1970. p. 15.