1973 Utah Utes football team

The 1973 Utah Utes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Utah as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In their sixth and final season under head coach Bill Meek, the Utes compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 4–2 against conference opponents, placing third in the WAC. Home games were played on campus at Robert Rice Stadium in Salt Lake City.

1973 Utah Utes football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record7–5 (4–2 WAC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorJim LaRue (6th season)
Home stadiumRobert Rice Stadium
1973 Western Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Arizona State + 6 –1 –011 –1 –0
Arizona + 6 –1 –08 –3 –0
Utah 4 –2 –07 –5 –0
BYU 3 –4 –05 –6 –0
New Mexico 3 –4 –04 –7 –0
Wyoming 3 –4 –04 –7 –0
Colorado State 2 –4 –05 –6 –0
UTEP 0 –7 –00 –11 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Five weeks after the season ended, in early 1974, Meek resigned.[1] Defensive line coach Tom Lovat, a 35-year-old alumnus from Bingham, was retained for the interim for recruiting continuation and was promoted later that month.[2][3][4][5]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 15at No. 20 Texas Tech*
L 22–2938,554
September 22UTEP
W 82–6
September 29at Oregon*
W 35–1731,500
October 6at No. 16 UCLA*
L 16–6632,697
October 13Wyoming
  • Robert Rice Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 50–16
October 20at San Jose State*
W 28–21
October 27at Arizona
L 21–4234,219
November 3No. 8 Arizona Statedagger
  • Robert Rice Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT
W 36–31
November 10at New Mexico
W 36–35
November 17Utah State*
  • Robert Rice Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT (rivalry)
W 31–2827,842
November 24BYU
  • Robert Rice Stadium
  • Salt Lake City, UT (rivalry)
L 22–46
December 1at No. 11 (CD) Hawaii*
L 6–715,662
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[6][7]

Roster
1973 Utah Utes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 19 Don Van Galder Sr
RB 22 Ike Spencer Jr
FL 25 Steve Odom Sr
TE 45 Willie Armstead Jr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
DT 72 Gary Keller Sr
DT 79 Ron Rydalch Sr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

[1][8]

NFL Draft

Four Utes were selected in the 1974 NFL Draft, which lasted 17 rounds (442 selections).

PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL team
Steve OdomWide receiver5116Green Bay Packers
Ron RydalchDefensive tackle8197New York Jets
Gary KellerDefensive tackle13337Minnesota Vikings
Don Van GalderQuarterback14361Washington Redskins

[9][10]

References
  1. Miller, Hack (January 5, 1974). "Search on for U. coach". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 6A.
  2. "Ute brass braced for applications". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). January 7, 1974. p. B9.
  3. Ferguson, George (January 25, 1974). "Lovat, Riehlman top Ute list". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  4. "Lovat gets Utah's grid post". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). January 26, 1974. p. 6A.
  5. Rock, Brad (January 24, 1997). "Lovat, like U. football, moved to better days". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  6. "Ute Record Book" (PDF). University of Utah. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  7. "1973 record". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
  8. "Oregon-Utah lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). September 29, 1973. p. 4B.
  9. "Odom goes in 5th round". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). UPI. January 30, 1974. p. D1.
  10. "Several area stars taken in grid draft". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. January 31, 1974. p. 2D.
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