1983 Texas Longhorns football team

1983 Texas Longhorns football
SWC champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 9–10 vs. Georgia
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 5
Record	11–1 (8–0 SWC)
Head coach	Fred Akers (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ron Toman (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	David McWilliams (2nd season)
Home stadium	Texas Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1982 1984  →

1983 Southwest Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Texas $	8	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 12 SMU	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Baylor	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
Texas A&M	4	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Arkansas	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Texas Tech	3	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Houston	3	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
TCU	1	–	6	–	1			1	–	8	–	2
Rice	0	–	8	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Fred Akers, the Longhorns compiled an overall record of 11–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the SWC title. Texas earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the #2 Longhorns lost to Georgia. Due to a loss by #1 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, a win by Texas would've likely resulted in a National Championship. The team played home games at Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 17	11:30 a.m.	at No. 5 Auburn *	No. 3	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	CBS	W 20–7	73,500	[1]
September 24	7:00 p.m.	No. 9 (I-AA) North Texas State *	No. 2	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX		W 26–6	71,202	[2]
October 1	7:00 p.m.	Rice	No. 2	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)		W 42–6	70,005	[3]
October 8	2:00 p.m.	vs. No. 8 Oklahoma *	No. 2	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Red River Shootout)		W 28–16	75,587	[4]
October 15	11:30 a.m.	at Arkansas	No. 2	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR (rivalry)	CBS	W 31–3	54,882	[5]
October 22	2:30 p.m.	at No. 9 SMU	No. 2	Texas Stadium Irving, TX	CBS	W 15–12	63,805	[6]
October 29	1:00 p.m.	Texas Tech	No. 2	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)		W 20–3	75,402	[7]
November 5	2:00 p.m.	at Houston	No. 2	Houston Astrodome Houston, TX		W 9–3	47,103	[8]
November 12	1:00 p.m.	TCU	No. 2	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)		W 20–14	61,156	[9]
November 19	1:00 p.m.	Baylor	No. 2	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX (rivalry)		W 24–21	76,208	[10]
November 26	11:30 a.m.	at Texas A&M	No. 2	Kyle Field College Station, TX (rivalry)	ABC	W 45–13	76,751	[11]
January 2, 1984	12:30 p.m.	vs. No. 7 Georgia *	No. 2	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	CBS	L 9–10	67,891	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

1983 team players in the NFL draft

The following players were selected in the 1984 NFL draft following the season.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Mossy Cade	Safety	1	6	San Diego Chargers
Ed Williams	Linebacker	2	43	New England Patriots
Doug Dawson	Offensive guard	2	45	St. Louis Cardinals
Fred Acorn	Cornerback	3	57	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rick McIvor	Quarterback	3	80	St. Louis Cardinals
Craig Curry	Cornerback	4	93	Indianapolis Colts
Eric Holle	Defensive end	5	117	Kansas City Chiefs
Jitter Fields	Defensive back	5	123	New Orleans Saints
Jeff Leiding	Linebacker	5	129	St. Louis Cardinals
John Haines	Defensive tackle	7	180	Minnesota Vikings
Ray Woodard	Defensive tackle	8	199	San Diego Chargers
David Jones	Center	8	214	Detroit Lions
John Walker	Running back	9	241	St. Louis Cardinals
Adam Schreiber	Offensive guard	9	243	Seattle Seahawks
Bobby Micho	Tight end	10	272	Denver Broncos
Kirk McJunkin	Tackle	10	276	Pittsburgh Steelers
Mark Lang	Linebacker	12	314	Kansas City Chiefs

^[13]

References

1. "Longhorns power past Tigers 20–7". The Clarion-Ledger. September 18, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
2. "UT overcomes penalty flags, spunky Eagles". Austin American-Statesman. September 25, 1983. Retrieved October 29, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Moerschell, Simmons pace Texas in rout of Rice Owls". The Shreveport Times. October 2, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Longhorns come alive in 3rd quarter to down OU, 28–16". The Marshall News Messenger. October 9, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
5. "QB sparks No. 2 Texas by Arkansas". Omaha World-Herald. October 16, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Longhorn defense rises to occasion". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 23, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Texas trips Texas Tech 20–3". Fort Lauderdale News. October 30, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Texas nips Houston". New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. November 6, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
9. "No. 2 Texas comes back to beat TCU, 20–14". The Paris News. November 13, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
10. "'Horns bound for Cotton". Wichita Falls Times. November 20, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
11. "McIvor, Horns cap 11–0 season". Austin American-Statesman. November 27, 1983. Retrieved December 22, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Lastinger dash burns Longhorns". The Daily Advertiser. January 3, 1984. Retrieved December 30, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
13. "1984 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Archived from the original on December 2, 2024.