1973 Tampa Spartans football team

1973 Tampa Spartans football
Conference	Independent
Record	8–3
Head coach	Dennis Fryzel (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Ragland (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Wayne Chapman (1st season)
Home stadium	Tampa Stadium
Seasons ←  1972 1974  →

1973 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Penn State			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Houston			–					11	–	1	–	0
Temple			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Tulane			–					9	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	4	–	0
Utah State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	4	–	1
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers			–					6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia			–					6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					6	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	1
Xavier			–					5	–	5	–	1
Georgia Tech			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					2	–	9	–	0
Army			–					0	–	10	–	0
Florida State			–					0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1973 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. It was the Spartans' 37th season and they competed as an NCAA Division I independent. The team was led by head coach Dennis Fryzel, in his first year, and played their home games at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3). Fryzel was hired on January 3, 1973, to serve as the replacement for Earle Bruce who resigned to become the head coach at Iowa State. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	7:30 p.m.	Toledo	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 35–25	17,412	[2]
September 21	7:30 p.m.	Xavier	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 34–7	11,362	[3]
September 29	7:38 p.m.	Kansas State	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 0–17	25,578	[4]
October 6	7:30 p.m.	Akron	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 21–7	12,358	[5]
October 13	7:32 p.m.	Villanova	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 17–10	11,106	[6]
October 20	8:30 p.m.	at Southern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 25–23	9,000	[7]
October 27		Northern Michigan	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 20–0	14,255	[8]
November 10		at West Texas State	Kimbrough Memorial Stadium Canyon, TX	W 28–6	6,650	[9]
November 17	7:34 p.m.	Chattanooga	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 24–25	20,270	[10]
November 24	2:30 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 16–18	14,500	[11]
December 1	7:38 p.m.	Rutgers	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 34–6	17,600	[12]
All times are in Eastern time

^[13]

References

1. "Tampa hires Fryzel". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . January 4, 1973. p. D1. Retrieved October 5, 2012– via Google News Archives.
2. "Solomon, Tamps race past Toledo". The Miami Herald. September 16, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Solomon zips Tampa past Xavier, 34–7". The Miami Herald. September 23, 1973. Retrieved May 18, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Blocked punt boosts KSU". Omaha World-Herald. September 30, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Tampa sputters to 21–7 victory against Akron". The Orlando Sentinel. October 7, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Tampa halts Villanova aerial assault, 17–10". The Miami Herald. October 14, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Tampa road show a 25–23 hit". St. Petersburg Times. October 21, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Spartans shutout Wildcats". The Pensacola News-Journal. October 28, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Tampa beats West Texas". The Odessa American. November 11, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Moccasins strike with last play". The Tampa Tribune. November 18, 1973. Retrieved September 14, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tampa loses on field goal". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved October 25, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. Tierney, Mike (December 2, 1973). "Solomon, Spartans dazzle Rutgers 34–6". St. Petersburg Times. p. 8C. Retrieved October 25, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Schedule/Results (1973 Tampa)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 6, 2025.