The 1983 Big Ten Conference football season was the 88th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.
| 1983 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport | Football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | Carl Banks |
| Champion | Illinois |
| Runners-up | Ohio State |
| Season MVP | Don Thorp |
| Top scorer | Keith Byars |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Illinois $ | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Michigan | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Iowa | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Ohio State | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1983 Big Ten champion was Illinois. The Illini compiled a 10-2 record (9-0 against Big Ten opponents). They were led quarterback Jack Trudeau with 2,446 passing yards, running back Thomas Rooks with 842 rushing yards, and wide receiver David Williams with 870 receiving yards. The 1983 Illini are the only Big Ten team to go 9-0 in regular season conference play, until Wisconsin went 9-0 in 2017.[1]
Season overview
editResults and team statistics
edit| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Mike White | #10 | #4 | 10–2 | 9–0 | 28.9 | 17.8 |
| 2 | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | #8 | #6 | 9–3 | 8–1 | 29.6 | 13.3 |
| 3 | Iowa | Hayden Fry | #14 | #4 | 9–3 | 7–2 | 31.7 | 15.8 |
| 4 | Ohio State | Earle Bruce | #9 | #3 | 9–3 | 6–3 | 34.2 | 17.2 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 7–4 | 5–4 | 32.6 | 22.0 |
| 6 | Purdue | Leon Burtnett | NR | NR | 3–7–1 | 3–5–1 | 22.8 | 33.3 |
| 7 | Michigan State | George Perles | NR | NR | 4–6–1 | 2–6–1 | 14.7 | 21.2 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Sam Wyche | NR | NR | 3–8 | 2–7 | 18.3 | 32.7 |
| 8 (tie) | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 2–9 | 2–7 | 9.2 | 36.2 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 1–10 | 0–9 | 16.5 | 47.1 |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1983 season[2]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1983 season[2]
PPG = Average of points scored per game[2]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game[2]
Pre-season
editRegular season
editBowl games
editFour Big Ten teams played in bowl games as follows:
- Ohio State defeated Pittsburgh, 28-23, in the 1984 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona
- Illinois lost to UCLA, 45-9, in the 1984 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
- Michigan lost to Auburn, 9-7, in the 1984 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
- Iowa lost to Florida, 14-6, in the 1983 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
Statistical leaders
editThe Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[2]
Passing yardsedit1. Jack Trudeau, Illinois (2,446) Rushing yardsedit1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (1,199) Receiving yardsedit1. Dave Moritz, Iowa (912) Total offenseedit1. Randy Wright, Wisconsin (2,418)
|
Passing efficiency ratingedit1. Chuck Long, Iowa (160.4) Rushing yards per attemptedit1. Steve Smith, Michigan (6.5) Yards per receptionedit1. Ronnie Harmon, Iowa (22.0) Points scorededit1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (132) |
All-conference players
editAll-Americans
edit1984 NFL Draft
editThe 1984 NFL draft was held May 1–2, 1984. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first round of the draft:[3]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Banks | Linebacker | Michigan State | 1 | 3 |
| John Alt | Offensive tackle | Iowa | 1 | 21 |
| William Roberts | Guard | Ohio State | 1 | 27 |
References
edit- ^ "2021 College Football Standings".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "1983 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- ^ "1984 NFL Draft: Full Draft". NFL.com. National Football League. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2016.