1983 Michigan State Spartans football team

1983 Michigan State Spartans football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	4–6–1 (2–6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	George Perles (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Nick Saban (1st season)
MVP	Carl Banks
Captain	Carl Banks
Home stadium	Spartan Stadium
Seasons ←  1982 1984  →

1983 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Illinois $	9	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Michigan	8	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 14 Iowa	7	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 9 Ohio State	6	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin	5	–	4	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Purdue	3	–	5	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Michigan State	2	–	6	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Indiana	2	–	7	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Northwestern	2	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Minnesota	0	–	9	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Michigan State Spartans football team represented the Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled an overall record of 4–6–1 with a mark of 2–6–1 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big Ten. The Spartans offense scored 162 points while the defense allowed 233 points.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	Colorado *	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 23–17	56,835	[1]
September 17	at No. 4 Notre Dame *	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	W 28–23	59,075	[2]
September 24	Illinois	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	L 10–20	75,867	[3]
October 1	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	T 29–29	69,203	[4]
October 8	No. 14 Michigan	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	L 0–42	78,033	[5]
October 15	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (rivalry)	L 12–24	46,088	[6]
October 22	at No. 17 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 11–21	89,104	[7]
October 29	Minnesota	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	W 34–10	76,481	[8]
November 5	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 9–3	27,463	[9]
November 12	No. 12 Iowa	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI	L 6–12	72,528	[10]
November 19	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	L 0–32	54,204	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Purdue

1 2 3 4 Total Michigan St 13 3 10 3 29 Purdue 3 13 0 13 29 Date: October 1 Location: Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana Source:

Scoring summary 1 PUR Clark 42-yard field goal PUR 3-0 1 MSU Butler 82-yard pass from Brown (kick failed) MSU 6-3 1 MSU Turner 44-yard pass from Brown (Mojsiejenko kick) MSU 13-3 2 MSU Mojsiejenko 42-yard field goal MSU 16-3 2 PUR Clark 42-yard field goal MSU 16-6 2 PUR Campbell 4-yard run (Clark kick) MSU 16-13 2 PUR Clark 22-yard field goal Tied 16-16 3 MSU Manley 5-yard run (Mojsiejenko kick) MSU 23-16 3 MSU Mojsiejenko 34-yard field goal MSU 26-16 4 PUR Hawthorne 10-yard pass from Campbell (kick failed) MSU 26-22 4 PUR Brunner 15-yard pass from Campbell (Clark kick) PUR 29-26 4 MSU Mojsiejenko 59-yard field goal Tied 29-29

Roster

1983 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 34 Tom Robinson Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 54 Carl Banks Sr S 32 Phil Parker So DE 93 Kelly Quinn So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P/K 2 Ralf Mojsiejenko Jr	Head coach George Perles Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Carl Banks	Linebacker	1	3	New York Giants
Daryl Turner	Wide receiver	2	49	Seattle Seahawks
Scott Auer	Tackle	9	229	Kansas City Chiefs

^[12]

References

1. "Spartans play over mistakes to win, 23–17". The Flint Journal. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Parker-led Michigan State startles Notre Dame". Asbury Park Press. September 18, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Spartans lose 1st; Illinois ends MSU streak". The Times Herald. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Late flurry leaves Purdue in standoff". Journal and Courier. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. Jack Saylor (October 9, 1983). "Same old Story: Bo gets No. 100 as U-M ruins Perles' MSU debut, 42-0". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1H, 9H – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Hoosiers defeat Spartans 24–12". The Sunday Courier & Press. October 16, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Ohio State pass combo a splash against Spartans". News Journal. October 23, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Michigan State rips Gophers". The Winona Daily News. October 30, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Winnin' ugly: MSU 9, NU 3". The Grand Rapids Press. November 6, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Long passing lifts Hawkeyes". The Sioux City Journal. November 13, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Badgers close season topping Spartans 32–0". Herald-Times-Reporter. November 20, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1984 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.