1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

The 1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by 14th year head coach Tubby Raymond and played their home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
NCAA Division II champion
Zia Bowl, W 38–21 vs. Youngstown State
ConferenceIndependent
Record13–1
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTed Kempski (12th season)
Home stadiumDelaware Stadium
1979 NCAA Division II independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Delaware ^   –  13 –1 –0
Towson State   –  9 –1 –0
No. 4 Morgan State ^   –  9 –2 –0
Eastern Washington   –  7 –2 –0
Nicholls State   –  8 –3 –0
United States International   –  8 –3 –0
American International   –  6 –3 –0
No. 10 Santa Clara   –  6 –3 –0
Central State (OH)   –  5 –5 –0
Central Connecticut   –  4 –5 –0
James Madison   –  4 –5 –0
West Chester   –  4 –7 –0
Southern Connecticut State   –  3 –7 –0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  2 –8 –0
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll

The Fightin' Blue Hens had a record of 13–1 and became the NCAA Division II champion following a 38–21 win over Youngstown State in the Zia Bowl on December 8. The team was named the Lambert Cup Eastern Champions for being the best NCAA Division II football team in the East,[1] and the team also earned Eastern College Athletic Conference Team of the Year honors. Delaware led Division II football in attendance, with 19,644 attendees per regular season home game.[2]

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 8at Rhode Island
W 34–147,141
September 15West Chester
W 42–618,975
September 22Temple
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
L 14–3122,068
September 29Merchant MarineNo. 2
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 65–017,081
October 6LehighNo. 2
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 21–1420,636[3]
October 13at VillanovaNo. 1
W 21–2014,500
October 20C.W. PostNo. 1
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 47–1920,343
October 27William & MaryNo. 1
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (rivalry)
W 40–019,728
November 3MaineNo. 1
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE
W 31–1418,679
November 10at No. 2 Youngstown StateNo. 1Youngstown, OHW 51–4513,442
November 17at ColgateNo. 1
W 24–165,000[4]
November 24No. 6 Virginia UnionNo. 1
W 58–2814,357
December 1No. 5 Mississippi CollegeNo. 1
  • Delaware Stadium
  • Newark, DE (NCAA Division II Semifinal)
W 60–1013,787
December 8vs. No. 2 Youngstown StateNo. 1
W 38–214,000
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[5]

Post-season honors

After the season, senior quarterback Scott Brunner earned American Football Coaches Association first-team All-America honors, Associated Press (AP) second-team All-America honors, All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year honors, and first-team All-ECAC honors. Guard Herb Beck earned AP first-team All-America honors. Fullback Bo Dennis, tight end Jaime Young, center Mike Donnalley, linebacker Mike Wisniewski, cornerback Vince Hyland, and safety Guy Ramsey earned AP honorable mention All-America honors. Dennis, Young, Beck, Donnalley, Wisniewski, Hyland, Ramsey, and kicker Brandt Kennedy earned first-team All-East (ECAC) honors.[6]

References
  1. "Delaware Voted Lambert Cup". Youngstown Vindicator. November 21, 1979. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  2. "Michigan Attendance King Again". Youngstown Vindicator. December 20, 1979. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  3. Tomashek, Tom (October 7, 1979). "Lehigh Finds Delaware Defense Offensive in 21-14 Hen Triumph". Sunday News Journal. Wilmington, Del. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Delaware Dazzles Colgate, 24-16". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, N.Y. November 11, 1979. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  6. "All-Time Honors". University of Delaware Athletics. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.