1973 Arizona Wildcats football team

1973 Arizona Wildcats football
WAC co-champion
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	8–3 (6–1 WAC)
Head coach	Jim Young (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	John Mackovic (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Larry Smith (1st season)
Captains	Ransom Terrell James O'Connor Mark Neal
Home stadium	Arizona Stadium
Seasons ←  1972 1974  →

1973 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 9 Arizona State +	6	–	1	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
Arizona +	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Utah	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
BYU	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Wyoming	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Colorado State	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
UTEP	0	–	7	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Jim Young in his first year, the Wildcats shared the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with rival Arizona State, with ASU winning the head-to-head matchup to clinch the conference’s bowl bid and Arizona was left out of the postseason as a result.

Young was brought in by Arizona to replace Bob Weber, who was fired after the 1972 season. The Wildcats believed that Young would rebuild the team and to return them to their winning ways. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 8	at Colorado State		Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO		W 31–0	17,217
September 15	at Wyoming		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 21–7	19,718
September 22	Indiana *		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		W 26–10	38,643
October 6	at Iowa *		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 23–20	40,365
October 13	New Mexico		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ (rivalry)		W 22–14	39,582
October 20	Texas Tech *	No. 19	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		L 17–31	40,172
October 27	Utah		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	ABC	W 42–21	34,219
November 3	at UTEP		Sun Bowl El Paso, TX		W 35–18	6,960
November 10	at BYU		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 24–10	19,597
November 17	Air Force *	No. 19	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		L 26–27	39,733
November 24	at No. 13 Arizona State		Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (rivalry)		L 19–55	51,383
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]

Roster

• Bill Adamson, mg
• Dennis Anderson, s
• Mike Battles, s
• Theo Bell, wr
• Jay Bledsoe, og
• Wally Brumfield, de
• Mike Dawson, dt
• Obra Erby, lb
• Charlie Gorham, k
• Glen Gresham, lb
• Rich Hall, dt
• Willie Hamilton, rb
• Keith Hartwig, wr
• Allyn Haynes, og
• Bruce Hill, qb
• Mitch Hoopes, p
• Dan Howard, te
• Leon Lawrence, db
• Rex Naumetz, de
• Brian Murray, ot
• Mark Neal, wr
• Jim O'Connor, ot
• Vince Phason, cb
• Ransom Terrell, lb
• Jim Upchurch, rb
• Bruce Walker, dt
• Roussell Williams, cb
• Bob Windisch, c

Staff

• Head coach: Jim Young
• Offensive coaches: Bill Belknap, Bob Bockrath, John Mackovic, Willie Peete
• Defensive coaches: Mike Hankwitz, Sharkey Price (DL), Tom Reed, Larry Smith ^[3]

Statistics

Passing

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT
Bruce Hill	104	216	1,529	9	9

Rushing

Player	Att	Yards	TD
Jim Upchurch	210	1,184	10

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards	TD
Theo Bell	47	790	7

^[2]

^[4] ==Awards==

All-WAC (1st Team)

• Jim O'Connor (OT)
• Willie Hamilton (RB)
• Roussell Williams (CB)
• Ransom Terrell (LB)
• Wally Brumfield (DE)

All-WAC (Second Team)

• Jay Bledsoe (OG)
• Bob Windisch (C)
• T Bell (WR)
• Jim Upchurch (RB)
• Mike Dawson (DT)
• Glen Gresham (LB)
• Mike Battles (FS)
• Leon Lawrence (SS)
• Charlie Gorham (K)
• Mitch Hoopes (P)

WAC Rookie of the Year: Bruce Hill

WAC Coach of the Year: Jim Young ^[2]

Season notes

• Despite sharing the WAC title, Arizona did not earn a bowl invitation due to its loss to Arizona State and a lack of bowl spots available at the time. The head-to-head loss to ASU was a major reason behind the Wildcats being uninvited for a bowl. Had they beaten ASU and won the WAC outright, the Wildcats would have earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.

• Three of Arizona’s coaching staff would become future Wildcat head coaches. Larry Smith (defensive coordinator) would have a successful tenure with the Wildcats that began in 1980, and John Mackovic (offensive coordinator) was hired in 2001 and his Wildcat tenure would turn out to be a failure. A third coach, Mike Hankwitz, replaced Mackovic as Arizona’s coach during a disastrous 2003 season.

• Many Wildcats fans as well as the Tucson community credited Young for turning the program around after his predecessor’s failed tenure with the team. ^[5] Young would be awarded the WAC coach of the year for his efforts.

References

1. "New UA football coach Young plans to return winning formula back to Tucson". Tucson Daily Citizen . January 2, 1973.
2. 2009 Arizona football media guide
3. 2010 Arizona press kit
4. AP Denver ALL WAC Football Team 1973 \
5. "UA fans thank Young for season turnaround". Arizona Daily Star . November 29, 1973.