The 1978 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the inaugural 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by head coach Jimmy Feix. The NCAA had formed NCAA Division I-AA for football and Western Kentucky, along with the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), moved up from Division II to I-AA.[1] The Hilltoppers won the OVC championship, but just missed the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.[2] The team finished the season tied for fourth in final national NCAA poll.[3]
| 1978 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
OVC champion | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. T–4 |
| Record | 8–2 (6–0 OVC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home stadium | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–4 Western Kentucky $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Eastern Kentucky | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western Kentucky's roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Carl Brazley, Darryl Drake, Ray Farmer, Ricky Gwinn, Lamont Meacham, Eddie Preston, Phil Rich, Troy Snardon, Brad Todd, Tony Towns, and Pete Walters. Towns was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Football Classic and Coach Feix was named OVC Coach of the Year for the second time. The All-Conference Team included Brazley, John Hall, Reginald Hayden, Preston, and Towns.[4]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | Chattanooga* | L 15–42 | 13,500 | [5] | ||
| September 16 | at Illinois State* | W 28–6 | 12,000 | [6] | ||
| September 23 | No. 10 Austin Peay |
| W 17–13 | 15,200 | [7] | |
| September 30 | at East Tennessee State | W 27–21 | 5,732 | [8] | ||
| October 7 | No. 6 (D-II) Akron* | No. 10 |
| L 21–26 | 15,600 | [9] |
| October 14 | at Tennessee Tech | W 26–20 | 16,000 | [10] | ||
| October 21 | No. 7 Eastern Kentucky |
| W 17–16 | 19,100 | [11] | |
| October 28 | at Morehead State | No. 8 | W 35–7 | 9,000 | [12] | |
| November 4 | Middle Tennessee | No. 7 |
| W 54–0 | 19,500 | [13] |
| November 18 | at Murray State | No. 4 | W 14–6 | 9,500 | [14] | |
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References
edit- ^ OVC History, retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^ 2017 OVC Football Media Guide, retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^ "Division I-AA". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. November 21, 1978. p. 4B. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 2019 WKU Football Media Guide retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "Powerful Mocs scortch Western". Messenger-Inquirer. September 10, 1978. Retrieved January 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western Kentucky beats ISU, 28–6". The Pantagraph. September 17, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western Kentucky tops Austin Peay". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 24, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western clips East Tennessee". The Paducah Sun. October 1, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Team effort spells victory for Akron". The Akron Beacon Journal. October 8, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Heroics by Hall, Hayden help Western tip Tenn. Tech 26–20". The Courier-Journal. October 15, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Toppers win on late kick". Messenger-Inquirer. October 22, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hall's arm dooms Eagles". The Park City Daily News. October 29, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Flip' flops, but Western, Skaggs 'Barry' Middle". The Courier-Journal. November 5, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "OVC crown to Western". The Tennessean. November 19, 1978. Retrieved September 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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