1982 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

The 1982 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach John Cooper, the Golden Hurricane compiled a 10–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents) and won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship. The team defeated Big Eight Conference opponents Oklahoma State (25–15) and Kansas (20–15), but lost to Southwest Conference opponent Arkansas (38–0).[1]

1982 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
MVC champion
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record10–1 (6–0 MVC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Coker (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorMike Knoll (3rd season)
Home stadiumSkelly Stadium
Seasons
← 1981
1983 →
1982 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Tulsa $ 6 0 0 10 1 0
Wichita State 4 1 0 8 3 0
Southern Illinois 4 1 0 6 5 0
Indiana State 3 2 0 5 6 0
Drake 2 4 0 4 7 0
New Mexico State 1 4 0 3 8 0
West Texas State 1 4 0 3 8 0
Illinois State 0 5 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA.

The team had two running backs who each rushed for over 1,000 yards during the 1982 season. Mike Gunter totaled 1,464 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 7.5 yards per carry, while Ken Lacy rushed for 1,097 yards and 12 touchdowns with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Quarterback Skip Ast accumulated 595 passing yards and 367 rushing yards.[2] Head coach John Cooper was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Despite a glowing 10-1 record and a top 20 ranking in both major polls at the end of the regular season, they were not invited to participate in a bowl game.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 4Air Force*W 35–1729,811[3]
September 11at No. 13 Arkansas*L 0–3843,820[4]
September 19Oklahoma State* 
W 25–1535,297[5]
October 2at Kansas*W 20–1535,552[6]
October 9at New Mexico StateW 31–1411,633[7]
October 16Southern Illinois
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 22–326,936[8]
October 23at DrakeW 34–1812,820[9]
October 30at Wichita StateW 30–2128,450[10]
November 6West Texas State
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 59–2125,803[11]
November 13Indiana State
  • Skelly Stadium
  • Tulsa, OK
W 48–1423,929[12]
November 20at North Texas*No. 20W 38–208,500[13]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[14][15]

After the season

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1983 NFL Draft

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The following Golden Hurricane players were selected in the National Football League Draft following the season.[16][17]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
5 113 Sid Abramowitz Tackle Baltimore Colts
12 328 Stu Crum Kicker New York Jets

References

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  1. ^ "1982 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  2. ^ "1982 Tulsa Golden Hurricane Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  3. ^ "Gunter keys Tulsa, 35–17". The Star-Ledger. September 5, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Razorbacks cruise past Tulsa, 38–0". The Salisbury Post. September 12, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Tulsa controls Anderson, Cowboys". Lincoln Journal Star. September 20, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "KU's losing effort disappoints coach". Omaha World-Herald. October 3, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Hurricane blows past Aggies, 31–14". Tulsa World. October 10, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Lacy, Gunter help Tulsa clout Southern Illinois". The News-Star. October 17, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "TU finally quells Drake, 34–18". Tulsa World. October 24, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tulsa harvests Shockers". The Daily Oklahoman. October 31, 1982. Retrieved February 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tulsa breezes, 59–21, claims conference title". The Arizona Republic. November 7, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "TU pummels Indiana State, 48–14". Tulsa World. November 14, 1982. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "In bowling, Tulsa apparently has struck out". The Daily Oklahoman. November 21, 1982. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football Record & Fact Book 2022" (PDF). University of Tulsa. p. 185. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "NCAA Statistics; Schedule & Results (Tulsa)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  16. ^ "1983 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Tulsa Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.