1983 San Diego State Aztecs football team

1983 San Diego State Aztecs football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	2–9–1 (1–6–1 WAC)
Head coach	Doug Scovil (3rd season)
Home stadium	Jack Murphy Stadium
Seasons ←  1982 1984  →

1983 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 BYU $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 13 Air Force	5	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Wyoming	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
New Mexico	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Hawaii	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Utah	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Colorado State	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
San Diego State	1	–	6	–	1			2	–	9	–	1
UTEP	0	–	8	–	0			2	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

The team was led by head coach Doug Scovil, in his third year, and played home games at Jack Murphy Stadium ^{[note 1]} in San Diego, California. They finished with a record of two wins, nine losses and one tie (2–9–1, 1–6–1 WAC). This was the fewest wins for an Aztec team since they only won one in 1960, and they finished the year with seven straight losses.

Wide receiver Jim Sandusky was named a third-team All-American by the Gannett News Service and Football News. ^{[1] [2]} He earned first-team All-WAC honors as both a receiver and a punt returner. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at Tulsa *	Skelly Stadium Tulsa, OK	L 9–34	25,429	[4]
September 10	California *	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	W 28–14	19,853	[5]
September 17	at Utah	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	L 24–27	26,712	[6]
September 24	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	W 41–33	20,181	[7]
October 1	at Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI	T 27–27	34,153	[8]
October 8	Long Beach State *	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 13–20	25,232	[9]
October 15	at Colorado State	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	L 15–17	22,979	[10]
October 22	No. 18 BYU	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 12–47	20,515	[11]
October 27	at UNLV *	Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	L 10–28	14,275	[12]
November 12	Wyoming	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 21–33	14,530	[13]
November 19	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	L 14–34	15,143	[14]
December 3	No. 17 Air Force	Jack Murphy Stadium San Diego, CA	L 7–38	8,444	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^{[16] [17]}

Team players in the NFL

The following were selected in the 1984 NFL draft. ^[18]

Player	Position	Round	Overall	NFL Team
Sean McNanie	Defensive End	3	79	Buffalo Bills
Mike Saxon	Punter	11	300	Detroit Lions

The following finished their college career in 1983, were not drafted, but played in the NFL. ^[19]

Player	Position	First NFL Team
Jeff Spek	Tight End	1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Matt Long	Center	1987 Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Wells	Tight End	1987 San Francisco 49ers
Trent Collins	Defensive Back	1987 New York Jets

Team awards

Award	Player
Most Valuable Player (John Simcox Memorial Trophy)	Jim Sandusky
Outstanding Offensive & Defensive Linemen (Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy)	Matt Long, Off Jeff Miller, Def
Team captains Dr. R. Hardy / C.E. Peterson Memorial Trophy	Matt Long, Off Thomas Carter, Def
Most Inspirational Player	Tim Delaney, Thomas Carter

^[17]

Notes

1. San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (SDCCU Stadium) was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 through 1997.

References

1. Buchsbaum, Joel S. (November 29, 1983). "Young, not Rozier deserves trophy". The Pensacola Journal. Gannett News Service. p. 3B. Retrieved February 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
2. "All-America". The Sioux City Journal. November 30, 1983. p. C2. Retrieved February 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "WAC Names Four Cats On Offense, Three on Defense". The Daily Herald. UPI. November 23, 1983. p. 5. Retrieved February 26, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Freshman ignites Tulsa to 34–9 win over San Diego St". The Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1983. Retrieved November 10, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
5. Dave Distel (September 11, 1983). "Aztecs Get Defensive to Defeat Cal". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Up-and-down Aztecs dominated by Utah". North County Times. September 18, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Aztecs blast UTEP 41–33". The Daily Herald. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Aztecs fit to be tied in Hawaii". Daily Times-Advocate. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Morales, Aztecs run into wall". North County Times. October 9, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Aztecs beaten at wire". The Los Angeles Times. October 16, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Cougars cream favorite patsy". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 23, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "UNLV buries Aztecs, 28–10". Corvallis Gazette-Times. October 28, 1983. Retrieved February 22, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. Dave Distel (November 13, 1983). "It's Not a Good Day for '83 Homecoming". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. III-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
14. Frank Maestas (November 20, 1983). "UNM Clobbers San Diego State To End Season". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. F-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
15. Steve Dolan (December 4, 1983). "Aztecs Finish Their Year Appropriately". The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. F-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
16. "San Diego State 1983 Schedule" . Retrieved December 7, 2016.
17. "San Diego State 2016 Football Media Guide". Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
18. "1984 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
19. "San Diego St. Players/Alumni" . Retrieved December 8, 2016.