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	Source
September 8	at Colorado State		Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO		W 31–0	17,217	[2]
September 15	at Wyoming		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY		W 21–7	19,718	[3]
September 22	Indiana *		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		W 26–10	38,643	[4]
October 6	at Iowa *		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 23–20	40,365	[5]
October 13	New Mexico		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ (rivalry)		W 22–14	39,582	[6]
October 20	Texas Tech *	No. 19	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		L 17–31	40,172	[7]
October 27	Utah		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	ABC	W 42–21	34,219	[8]
November 3	at UTEP		Sun Bowl El Paso, TX		W 35–18	6,940	[9]
November 10	at BYU		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 24–10	19,597	[10]
November 17	Air Force *	No. 19	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		L 26–27	39,733	[11]
November 24	at No. 13 Arizona State		Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (rivalry)		L 19–55	51,383	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[13] [14]}

Roster

1973 Arizona Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 18 Theo Bell So WR 23 Keith Hartwig So	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 57 Wally Brumfield Sr DT 77 Mike Dawson So LB 61 Obra Erby Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 32 Mitch Hoopes So	Head coach Jim Young Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

• Bill Adamson, mg
• Dennis Anderson, s
• Mike Battles, s
• Jay Bledsoe, og
• Charlie Gorham, k
• Glen Gresham, lb
• Rich Hall, dt
• Willie Hamilton, rb
• Allyn Haynes, og
• Bruce Hill, qb
• 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 ^[15]

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

^[13]

^[16] ==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 ^[13]

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. ^[17] 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. "Arizona's ball control stymies Colorado State". The Billings Gazette. September 9, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Quarterback Hill leads Arizona". Fort Collins Coloradoan. September 16, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Arizona Hill too much for I.U. machine, 26–10". The Indianapolis Star. September 23, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Iowa loses again". Chicago Tribune. October 7, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Lobos lose to Arizona". The Santa Fe New Mexican. October 14, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Texas Tech gets win over No. 19". The Odessa American. October 21, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Arizona charges to 42–21 victory over Redskins". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. October 28, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Jim Upchurch powers UA's 35–18 win". The Arizona Republic. November 4, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Wildcats rake Cougars". The El Paso Times. November 11, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Air Force thwarts Arizona upset bid". News-Pilot. November 18, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Arizona State takes WAC crown, 55–19". Albuquerque Journal. November 25, 1973. Retrieved October 8, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. 2009 Arizona football media guide
14. "1973 NCAA Football Statistics (Arizona)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved October 8, 2024.
15. 2010 Arizona press kit
16. AP Denver ALL WAC Football Team 1973 \
17. "UA fans thank Young for season turnaround". Arizona Daily Star . November 29, 1973.