1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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I-AA National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 16, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Wichita Falls, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 13,604 [1] | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ABC Sports | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color) [2] | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28. [3]
This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl, [4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls.
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.
In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978. [5]
Florida A&M finished their regular season with a 9–1 record; their only loss was to Tennessee State. [6] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA, [7] and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff. They defeated Jackson State, the South selection, by a score of 15–10 to reach the final.
UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers. [8] Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA, [7] the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff. They defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a 44–21 score to reach the final.
The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20–25 miles per hour (32–40 km/h). [9] It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked. [9] UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions; [10] he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns.
Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals. [11]
Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 14,000 (estimated); [10] [12] NCAA records indicate 13,604. [1]
Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Rattlers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Minutemen | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 28 |
Statistics | FAMU | MASS |
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First downs | 20 | 11 |
Plays–yards | 83–470 | 69–241 |
Rushes–yards | 76–470 | 45–116 |
Passing yards | 0 | 125 |
Passing: comp–att–int | 0–7–2 | 8–24–1 |
Time of possession |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Florida A&M | Passing | Albert Chester | 0–7, 2 INT |
Rushing | Mike Solomon | 27 car, 207 yds, 3 TD | |
Receiving | none | — | |
UMass | Passing | Mike McEvilly | 8–24, 125 yds, 2 TD 1 INT |
Rushing | Hank Sareault | 16 car, 71 yds | |
Receiving | Chris Kurtz | 2 rec, 46 yds, 1 TD |
The Florida A&M Rattlers football team represents Florida A&M University in the sport of American football. The Rattlers compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Starting with the fall 2021 season, the Rattlers will compete in the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), after a long tenure in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). They play their home games at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee. The Rattlers have won 16 black college football national championship, 29 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) titles, eight MEAC titles, one SWAC title and one I-AA national title in the history of their football program. During the 2004 season, the Rattlers briefly attempted to move up to Division I-A and become the only HBCU at college football's highest level, but the team was forced to abort its bid.
The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season was the first season of Division I-AA college football; Division I-AA was created in January 1978, when Division I was subdivided into Division I-A and Division I-AA for football only. With the exception of seven teams from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Division I teams from the 1977 season played in Division I-A in 1978. The SWAC teams, along with five conferences and five other teams formerly in Division II football, played in Division I-AA.
The 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began in August 1981 and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 19, 1981, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Idaho State Bengals won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in the Pioneer Bowl, 34−23.
Rudy Hubbard is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida from 1974 to 1985, compiling a record of 83–48–3. Hubbard led the Florida A&M Rattlers to the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship, in 1978, and consecutive black college football national championships, in 1977 and 1978. Hubbard played college football at Ohio State University, lettering from 1965 to 1967. Following his graduation from Ohio State in 1968, he remained with the Buckeyes for six seasons as an assistant coach under Woody Hayes. In 2008, Hubbard returned to coaching the high school level, serving as head football coach at James S. Rickards High School in Tallahassee for four seasons.
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The 1977 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. Led by Dick MacPherson in his seventh and final season as head coach, the Minutemen compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the Yankee Conference title. UMass advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual national champion, Lehigh. The team played home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts.
The 1978 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1978, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship in December 1978 at Lobo Stadium in Longview, Texas. The Eastern Illinois Panthers defeated the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, 10–9, to win their first Division II national title.
The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Associated Press. This is for the 1978 season.
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The 1998 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Georgia Southern Eagles and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 19, 1998, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by UMass, 55–43.
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The 1995 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Marshall Thundering Herd and the Montana Grizzlies. The game was played on December 16, 1995, at Marshall University Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The culminating game of the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Montana, 22–20.
The 1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. The game was played on December 18, 1982, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Eastern Kentucky, 17–14.
The 1981 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Idaho State Bengals. The game was played on December 19, 1981, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Idaho State, 34–23.
The 1979 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Lehigh Engineers. The game was played on December 15, 1979, at Orlando Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The culminating game of the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Eastern Kentucky, 30–7.
The 1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team represented Florida A&M University in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Rattlers had an overall record of 12–1 and were the Division I-AA national champions.
The 1962 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in the 1962 NCAA College Division football season. In their 18th season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 9–1 record, were ranked No. 1 in the final 1962 AP small college poll and No. 2 in the final UPI coaches poll, and suffered its sole loss to Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic. Florida A&M shared the SIAC title with Alabama A&M.
The 1978 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by third-year head coach W. C. Gorden, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, placing second in the SWAC. Jackson State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the lost in the semifinals to the eventual national champion, Florida A&M.
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