1983_NCAA_Division_I-AA_Football_Championship_Game
1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
College football game
The 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Southern Illinois Salukis and the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game was played on December 17, 1983, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The culminating game of the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Southern Illinois, 43–7.[3]
| 1983 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-AA National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | December 17, 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Johnson Hagood Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Charleston, South Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 15,950[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC Sports[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1983 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[4]
Southern Illinois Salukis
Southern Illinois finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (5–1 in conference); their only loss was to Wichita State in their final regular season game.[5] Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and seeded first in the tournament, the Salukis received a first-round bye then defeated Indiana State and Nevada to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Southern Illinois in a Division I-AA championship game.
Western Carolina Catamounts
Western Carolina finished their regular season with an 8–2–1 record (5–0–1 in conference); their two losses were to Division I-A programs, Clemson and Wake Forest; the tie came against conference rival Furman.[7] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and unseeded in the tournament, the Catamounts defeated Colgate, second-seed Holy Cross, and third-seed Furman to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Western Carolina in a Division I-AA championship game.
After a scoreless first quarter, Southern Illinois took a 10–0 lead into halftime, then broke the game open with 23 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Salukis' defense intercepted seven passes, with four of the interceptions made by safety Greg Shipp.[8][9]
Scoring summary
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game statistics
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catamounts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Salukis | 0 | 10 | 23 | 10 | 43 |
| Statistics | WCU | SIU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 61–238 | 75–367 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–84 | 50–154 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 213 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–34–7 | 19–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 20:22 | 39:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Carolina | Passing | Jeff Gilbert | 16–33, 154 yds, 1 TD, 7 INT |
| Rushing | Leonard Williams | 7 car, 48 yds | |
| Receiving | Melvin Dorsey | 4 rec, 49 yds | |
| Southern Illinois | Passing | Rick Johnson | 19–25, 213 yds, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Derrick Taylor | 18 car, 40 yds | |
| Receiving | James Stevenson | 5 rec, 88 yds, 1 TD |
- "S. Illinois 43, W. Carolina 7". Chicago Tribune. December 18, 1983. pp. 3–13. Retrieved May 7, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Coaches expect I-AA title game to be close". Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. UPI. December 17, 1983. p. B-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Stracener, William (December 17, 1983). "Southern Illinois capitalized on eight Western Carolina turnovers". UPI. Retrieved May 7, 2018 – via upi.com/Archive.
- Sutton, Stan (November 21, 1983). "Eastern, minus a bye, to face Boston U. in playoff opener". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. D1. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Southern Illinois Salukis 1983 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- "Division I-AA poll". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. AP. November 22, 1983. p. 5B. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "Western Carolina Catamounts 1983 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- Monserud, Scott (December 18, 1983). "Salukis crush W. Carolina". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 17. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Monserud, Scott (December 18, 1983). "Salukis win national championship (cont'd)". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Kiley, Mike (December 18, 1983). "SIU sinks teeth info I-AA title". Chicago Tribune. p. 3-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- "1983 National Championship". siusalukis.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.