1973 Grantland Rice Bowl

The 1973 Grantland Rice Bowl was an NCAA Division II game following the 1973 season, between the Grambling Tigers (now the Grambling State Tigers) and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. This was the first year that the game served as a national semifinal for Division II – in prior years it had been the Mideast regional championship for the College Division. This was the last time that the game was played at BREC Memorial Stadium.

1973 Grantland Rice Bowl
1234 Total
Grambling 7076 20
Western Kentucky 71407 28
DateDecember 8, 1973
Season1973
StadiumBREC Memorial Stadium
LocationBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Attendance15,000[1]
Grantland Rice Bowl
 < 1972  1974

Notable participants

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Western Kentucky defensive back Mike McCoy and running back Clarence Jackson were selected in the 1974 NFL draft. Defensive back Virgil Livers and defensive end John Bushong were selected in the 1975 NFL draft. McCoy, Jackson, Livers, linebacker Rick Green, wide receiver Porter Williams, and head coach Jimmy Feix are inductees of the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]

Grambling defensive end Charles Battle, defensive back Bill Bryant, defensive end Ezil Bibbs, and tight end Oliver Alexander were selected in the 1974 NFL Draft. Defensive tackle Gary Johnson, defensive end Bob Barber, and defensive end Jesse O'Neal were selected in the 1975 NFL Draft. Grambling players selected in the 1976 NFL draft include cornerback James Hunter, wide receiver Sammy White, tight end Ron Singleton, and linebacker Robert Pennywell. Johnson, Hunter, White, and head coach Eddie Robinson are inductees of the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.[3] Johnson and Robinson are inductees of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Scoring summary

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Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP GC WKU
1 5:30 2 15 GC Sammy White 15-yard touchdown reception from Joe Comeaux, Rodney Zeno kick good 7 0
1 4:18 74 WKU John Embree 46-yard touchdown run, Charlie Johnson kick good 7 7
2 7:56 65 WKU Clarence Jackson 16-yard touchdown reception from Dennis Tomek, Charlie Johnson kick good 7 14
2 1:23 4 13 1:44 WKU Clarence Jackson 2-yard touchdown run, Charlie Johnson kick good 7 21
3 0:00 GC Interception returned 87 yards for touchdown by Robert Pennywell, Rodney Zeno kick good 14 21
4 10:55 75 GC Joe Comeaux 10-yard touchdown run, Rodney Zeno kick failed (blocked) 20 21
4 7:57 3 25 0:25 WKU David Maley 22-yard touchdown reception from Dennis Tomek, Charlie Johnson kick good 20 28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 28

[4]

References

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Program cover for 1973 game
  1. ^ Patterson, Tom (December 9, 1973). "Williams even fakes out TV cameraman". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. Retrieved February 16, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "WKU Athletic Hall of Fame". wkusports.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  3. ^ "Grambling Legends". gramblinglegends.org. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Van Thyn, Nico (December 9, 1973). "Tigers Reach End of the Line, 28-20". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. Retrieved February 4, 2017 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading

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