The 1983 Carson–Newman Eagles football team was an American football team that represented Carson–Newman College (renamed Carson–Newman University in 2012) as a member of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) during the 1983 NAIA Division I football season. In its fourth year under head coach Ken Sparks, the team compiled a 10–3 record (6–1 against conference opponents), won the SAC championship, and defeated Mesa State in the Palm Bowl to win the NAIA national championship.[1]
| 1983 Carson–Newman Eagles football | |
|---|---|
NAIA Division I national champion SAC champion | |
Palm Bowl, W 36–28 vs. Mesa State | |
| Conference | South Atlantic Conference |
| Record | 10–3 (6–1 SAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Burke–Tarr Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Carson–Newman $^ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Presbyterian | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Elon | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gardner–Webb | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mars Hill | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Newberry | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lenoir–Rhyne | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catawba | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It was the first of five national championships (1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1989) won by Carson–Newman during the 1980s.
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10 | at Furman* | L 7–52 | 9,226 | [2] | |||
| September 17 | at Franklin (IN)* | Franklin, IN | L 20–24 | ||||
| September 24 | Elon | W 15–6 | [3] | ||||
| October 1 | Catawba |
| W 31–9 | [4] | |||
| October 8 | Newberry | Newberry, SC | W 11–10 | ||||
| October 22 | at Gardner–Webb | Boiling Springs, NC | W 24–20 | ||||
| October 29 | Lenoir–Rhyne |
| W 21–15 | [5] | |||
| November 5 | Central Florida* |
| W 35–14 | 3,300 | [6] | ||
| November 12 | at Presbyterian | Clinton, SC | L 7–28 | ||||
| December 3 | Shepherd* |
| W 42–21 | 2,000 | [7] | ||
| December 10 | Saginaw Valley State* |
| W 41–7 | [8] | |||
| December 17 | vs. Mesa State* | Grand Junction, CO (Palm Bowl) | W 36–28 | 8,836 | [9] | ||
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References
edit- ^ "2010 Carson-Newman Eagles Football Media Guide" (PDF). Carson-Newman College. 2010.
- ^ "Jennings, Lamb lead Furman over Carson-Newman in 52-7 drubbing". The Times and Democrat. September 11, 1983. p. 4b – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "C-N Eagles upend Elon". Kingsport Times-News. September 25, 1983. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eagles Grind Out Second Victory". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 2, 1983. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Carson-Newman Wins SAC-8 Title". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 30, 1983. p. D4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Frank (Red) Bailes (November 6, 1983). "Defense Fires Eagles, 35-14". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Red Bailes (December 4, 1983). "Carson-Newman Routs Shepherd, 42-21". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Saginaw Valley season ended". The Port Huron Times Herald. December 11, 1983. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ellen Haddow (December 18, 1983). "Carson-Newman defeats Mesa College". The Times and Democrat. p. 5b – via Newspapers.com.