American college football season
The 1983 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season . Led by fifth-year head coach Ken Hatfield , Air Force played its home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs and finished the regular season at 9–2 (5–2 in WAC, runner-up). The Falcons were invited to play in the Independence Bowl and defeated Ole Miss 9–3.[1] [2] With a 10–2 record, Air Force climbed to thirteenth in the final AP poll.
After the season in December, Hatfield left for Arkansas , his alma mater,[3] where he succeeded Lou Holtz as head coach.[4] [5] Days later, offensive coordinator Fisher DeBerry was promoted,[6] and was the Falcons' head coach for the next 23 seasons .[7]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 3 at Colorado State W 34–1328,652
September 10 Texas Tech * W 28–1326,800 [8]
September 17 at Wyoming L 7–1430,194 [9]
September 24 BYU Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO L 28–4634,255
October 8 at Navy * W 44–1734,257 [10]
October 15 UTEP Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO W 37–2527,474
October 22 Utah Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO W 33–3123,248
October 29 Army * Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Commander-in-Chief's Trophy) W 41–2047,032 [11]
November 5 Hawaii Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry ) W 45–1026,501
November 19 at Notre Dame * W 23–2259,075
December 3 at San Diego State No. 17 W 38–78,444 [12]
December 10 vs. Ole Miss * No. 16 W 9–341,274 [13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Personnel
1983 Air Force Falcons football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
FB
John Kreshner
Sr
QB
Bart Weiss
Defense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
DL
Chris Funk
Jr
LB
Terry Maki
Fr
CB
Tom Rotello
Fr
S
Scott Thomas
So
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Game summaries
Notre Dame
Chris Funk blocked a field goal in the final seconds to preserve the win for Air Force.
Awards and honors
John Kershner, 3rd Team All-American (Football News)
References
^ "Football Schedule/Results: 1983-1984" . Air Force Athletics. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2017 .
^ "1983 Air Force Falcons Schedule and Results" . College Football at Sports-Reference.com . Sports Reference . Retrieved April 7, 2017 .
^ "Air Force's Hatfield hired by Razorbacks" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 23, 1983. p. 22.
^ "Tired, burned-out Holtz quits as Arkansas coach" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 19, 1983. p. 21.
^ "Holtz will take on Big Ten's worst" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 23, 1983. p. 22.
^ "AFA hires DeBerry to replace Hatfield" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). Associated Press. December 28, 1983. p. 4C.
^ Stapleton, Arnie (December 16, 2006). "DeBerry decides it's time to fly" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). Associated Press. p. B2.
^ "Air Force bombards Texas Tech" . The Shreveport Times . September 11, 1983. Retrieved December 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Pokes win wishbone showdown" . The Billings Gazette . Associated Press . September 18, 1983. p. 3B. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Jackson, James H. (October 9, 1983). "Mistake-prone Middies fall, 44-17, to Air Force" . The Baltimore Sun . p. C13. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Air Force Clobbers Army 41-20" . The Daily Herald . United Press International . October 30, 1983. p. 11. Retrieved May 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Steve Dolan (December 4, 1983). "Aztecs Finish Their Year Appropriately" . The Los Angeles Times (San Diego County ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. F-1. Retrieved January 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "41,000 see AFA win stormy Indy, 9–3" . The Shreveport Times . December 11, 1983. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
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