1973 Iowa Hawkeyes football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record0–11 (0–8 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHoward Vernon (1st season)
MVPBrian Rollins
CaptainDan Dickel, Brian Rollins, Roger Jerrick
Home stadiumKinnick Stadium
Seasons
← 1972
1974 →
1973 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Ohio State + 7 – 0 – 1 10 – 0 – 1
No. 6 Michigan + 7 – 0 – 1 10 – 0 – 1
Minnesota 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Illinois 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Michigan State 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Purdue 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Northwestern 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Indiana 0 – 8 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Iowa 0 – 8 – 0 0 – 11 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1973 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1973 Big Ten Conference football season. This was Frank Lauterbur's third and final season as head coach. The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Despite the team's winless record (0–11), this team had players that experienced significant success in their football careers. Rod Walters was a first round draft pick, Joe Devlin was a second round pick and started 179 games in the NFL, and Jim Caldwell was an assistant coach on two Super Bowl champions and reached the Super Bowl as a head coach.[1]

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 15No. 5 Michigan
L 7–3152,105
September 22at No. 18 UCLA*
L 18–5534,456
September 29at No. 6 Penn State*
L 8–2759,980
October 6Arizona*
  • Kinnick Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
L 20–2340,365
October 13at Northwestern
L 15–3125,194
October 20Minnesotadagger
  • Kinnick Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA (rivalry)
L 23–3155,137
October 27at Illinois
L 0–5048,864
November 3Purdue
  • Kinnick Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
L 23–4839,120
November 10at Wisconsin
L 7–3555,560
November 17at No. 1 Ohio State
L 13–5587,447
November 24Michigan State
  • Kinnick Stadium
  • Iowa City, IA
L 6–1531,119
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[2]

Roster

1973 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 17 Butch Caldwell So
QB 11 Kyle Skogman Sr
RB 22 Jim Jensen So
OL 72 Joe Devlin So
C Roger Jerrick Sr
OL 60 Dan McCarney Jr
OL 76 Rod Walters So
WR 85 Brian Rollins Sr
WR Bill Schultz
RB 41 Rod Wellington So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 20 Andre Jackson So
LB 55 Dan LaFleur
DB 21 Jim Caldwell Fr
DB 46 Earl Douthitt Jr
DB 29 Rick Penney So
DE 88 Dan Dickel Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Joe Heppner
K 3 Harry Kokolus
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Game summaries

No. 5 Michigan

See also: 1973 Michigan Wolverines football team
No. 5 Michigan at Iowa
1 234Total
• No. 5 Wolverines 10 777 31
Hawkeyes 0 700 7
  • Date: September 15, 1973
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game attendance: 52,105
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), Cloudy, Wind W 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
  
Scoring summary
112:50MichLantry 39-yard field goalMich 3–0
6:53MichHeater 1-yard run (Lantry kick)Mich 10–0
29:28IowaEarl Douthitt 47-yard interception return (Kokolus kick)Mich 10–7
3:51MichThornbladh 3-yard run (Lantry kick)Mich 17–7
39:33MichChapman 12-yard run (Lantry kick)Mich 24–7
47:38MichFranklin 11-yard run (Lantry kick)Mich 31–7

[3]

at No. 18 UCLA

See also: 1973 UCLA Bruins football team
Iowa at No. 18 UCLA
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 10 008 18
• No. 18 Bruins 3 211021 55
        
Scoring summary
1UCLAHerrera 24-yard field goalUCLA 3–0
IowaKokolus 45-yard field goalTied 3–3
IowaRollins 11-yard pass from Skogman (Kokolus kick)Iowa 10–3
2UCLAJames McAlister 1-yard run (Herrera kick)Tied 10–10
UCLAHarmon 1-yard run (Herrera kick)UCLA 17–10
UCLAJohn Sciarra 2-yard run (Herrera kick)UCLA 24–10
3UCLAJohnson 9-yard run (Herrera kick)UCLA 31–10
UCLAHerrera 44-yard field goalUCLA 34–10
4UCLATyler 4-yard run (Lantry kick)UCLA 41–10
IowaSkogman 5-yard run (Jenson pass from Skogman)UCLA 41–18
UCLARaymond Burks 46-yard pass from John Sciarra (Herrera kick)UCLA 48–18
UCLAJohn Sciarra 7-yard run (Herrera kick)UCLA 55–18

[4]

at No. 6 Penn State

See also: 1973 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
Iowa at No. 6 Penn State
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 008 8
• No. 6 Nittany Lions 21 060 27
  
Scoring summary
111:36PSUCappelletti 16-yard run (Bahr kick)Penn State 7–0
5:20PSUHerd 9-yard pass from Shuman (Bahr kick)Penn State 14–0
3:08PSUBland 32-yard pass from Shuman (Bahr kick)Penn State 21–0
3PSUHerd 12-yard pass from Shuman (Bahr kick failed)Penn State 27–0
4IowaJensen 7-yard pass from Caldwell (Caldwell run)Penn State 27–8

[5]

Arizona

See also: 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team
Arizona at Iowa
1 234Total
• Wildcats 7 3103 23
Hawkeyes 7 337 20
  • Date: October 6, 1973
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game attendance: 40,365
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), Cloudy, Wind S 10 mph (16 km/h)
     
Scoring summary
1IowaJensen 1-yard run (Kokolus kick)Iowa 7–0
ArizHamilton 20-yard run (Gorham kick)Tied 7–7
2IowaGorham 33-yard field goalAriz 10–7
IowaKokolus 41-yard field goalTied 10–10
310:32ArizUpchurch 7-yard run (Gorham kick)Ariz 17–10
6:44IowaKokolus 20-yard field goalAriz 17–13
0:34ArizGorham 28-yard field goalAriz 20–13
412:54IowaButch Caldwell 39-yard run (Kokolus kick)Tied 20–20
2:09ArizGorham 23-yard field goalAriz 23–20

[6]

at Northwestern

See also: 1973 Northwestern Wildcats football team
Iowa at Northwestern
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 672 15
• Wildcats 14 1070 31
    
Scoring summary
19:19NWJim Trimble 1-yard run (Blazevich kick)NW 7–0
7:51NWBoykin 12-yard run (Blazevich kick)NW 14–0
214:57NWBlazevich 21-yard field goalNW 17–0
10:16NWKey 3-yard run (Blazevich kick)NW 24–0
5:41IowaJensen 1-yard run (pass failed)NW 24–6
38:56IowaSchultz 35-yard pass from Skogman (Kokolus kick)NW 24–13
0:28NWMcNamara 29-yard pass from Anderson (Blazevich kick)NW 31–13
47:26IowaSafety, punt snap out of end zoneNW 31–15

[7]

Minnesota

See also: 1973 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Minnesota at Iowa
1 234Total
• Golden Gophers 6 1627 31
Hawkeyes 14 360 23
  • Date: October 20, 1973
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game attendance: 55,137
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Clear, Wind SE 5–7 mph (8.0–11.3 km/h)

[8]

at Illinois

See also: 1973 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
Iowa at Illinois
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 000 0
• Fighting Illini 6 13328 50

[9]

Purdue

See also: 1973 Purdue Boilermakers football team
Purdue at Iowa
1 234Total
• Boilermakers 14 14146 48
Hawkeyes 7 0016 23
  • Date: November 3, 1973
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game attendance: 39,120
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), Cloudy, Wind N 10 mph (16 km/h)

Purdue freshman Mike Northington ran for 146 yards and tied a Big Ten-record with five touchdowns on 31 carries. Also of note, the Boilermakers scored their final touchdown with just 39 seconds remaining, attempting a failed two-point conversion after the score.[10]

at Wisconsin

See also: 1973 Wisconsin Badgers football team
Iowa at Wisconsin
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 070 7
• Badgers 21 707 35
  
Scoring summary
113:45WiscMarek 45-yard run (Lamia kick)Wisconsin 7–0
10:20WiscMarek 5-yard run (kick blocked)Wisconsin 13–0
0:18WiscMarek 32-yard run (Bohlig run)Wisconsin 21–0
22:09WiscRhodes 31-yard pass from Bohlig (Lamia kick)Wisconsin 28–0
39:47IowaFetter 6-yard run (Kokolus kick)Wisconsin 28–7
45:20WiscMarek 1-yard run (Lamia kick)Wisconsin 35–7

Wisconsin sophomore Billy Marek ran for 203 yards and 4 touchdowns.

at No. 1 Ohio State

See also: 1973 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Iowa at No. 1 Ohio State
1 234Total
Hawkeyes 0 0013 13
• No. 1 Buckeyes 14 13217 55
      
Scoring summary
110:21OSUBruce Elia 1-yard run (Blair Conway kick)Ohio State 7–0
4:30OSUElia 1-yard run (Conway kick)Ohio State 14–0
22:27OSUCornelius Greene 1-yard run (kick failed)Ohio State 20–0
0:07OSUDave Hazel 41-yard run pass from Cornelius Greene (Conway kick)Ohio State 27–0
37:38OSUElia 3-yard run (Conway kick)Ohio State 34–0
2:49OSUArchie Griffin 8-yard run (Conway kick)Ohio State 41–0
0:34OSUElia 3-yard run (Conway kick)Ohio State 48–0
414:48IowaBill Schultz 78-yard pass from Butch Caldwell (Kokolus kick)Ohio State 48–7
8:22IowaRod Wellington 2-yard run (pass failed)Ohio State 48–13
6:44OSUElmer Lippert 12-yard run (Tom Klaban kick)Ohio State 55–13

Ohio State sophomore Archie Griffin ran for 246 yards on 30 carries, establishing single-game and single-season school records for rushing yardage. Junior fullback Bruce Elia had 4 rushing touchdowns for the Buckeyes.[11]

Michigan State

See also: 1973 Michigan State Spartans football team
Michigan State at Iowa
1 234Total
• Spartans 0 2103 15
Hawkeyes 0 006 6
  • Date: November 24, 1973
  • Location:
    Kinnick Stadium
    Iowa City, IA
  • Game attendance: 31,119
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 6–12 mph (9.7–19.3 km/h)

Team players in the 1974 NFL Draft

Main article: 1974 NFL Draft
Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Dan Dickel Linebacker 7 170 Baltimore Colts

[12]

References

  1. ^ "Iowa football team of 50 years ago went winless, yet had plenty of winners". The Gazette. August 27, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "1973-74 Football Schedule". University of Iowa Athletics. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "Mighty Michigan 'grounds' Hawkeyes, 31-7" (PDF). Daily Iowan. September 17, 1973. p. 10. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "Explosive UCLA rips Hawkeyes 55-18" (PDF). Daily Iowan. September 24, 1973. p. 10. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  5. ^ "Silver lining in Hawkeye defeat" (PDF). Daily Iowan. October 1, 1973. p. 10. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Late field goal topples Hawkeyes, 23-20" (PDF). Daily Iowan. October 8, 1973. p. 12. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "Hapless Hawkeyes hit bottom" (PDF). Daily Iowan. October 15, 1973. p. 12. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Hawks bow to Gophers; FXL rakes negative views" (PDF). Daily Iowan. October 22, 1973. p. 12. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Illinois deals Hawks seventh loss, 50-0" (PDF). Daily Iowan. October 29, 1973. p. 16. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Purdue's Northington blitzes Hawks, 48-23" (PDF). Daily Iowan. November 5, 1973. p. 12. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Awesome Buckeyes thrash Iowa, 55-13" (PDF). Daily Iowan. November 19, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "1974 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
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