1970 Arkansas State Indians football team

The 1970 Arkansas State Indians football team was an American football team that represented Arkansas State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1970 NCAA College Division football season. Led by Bennie Ellender in his eighth and final season as head coach, the Arkansas State compiled an overall record of 11–0 with a mark of 4–0 in conference play, winning the Southland title for the third consecutive season. The Indians were invited to the Pecan Bowl, where they defeated Central Missouri State. Arkansas State was recognized by the Associated Press as the NCAA College Division national champion and by the UPI as the small college national champion.^[1][2]

1970 Arkansas State Indians football
AP small college national champion UPI small college national champion Southland champion Pecan Bowl champion
Pecan Bowl, W 38–21 vs. Central Missouri State
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	11–0 (4–0 Southland)
Head coach	Bennie Ellender (8th season)
Home stadium	Kays Stadium
Seasons ← 1969 1971 →

1970 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Arkansas State $	4	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
No. 14 Abilene Christian	3	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Trinity (TX)	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Lamar Tech	1	–	3	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Texas–Arlington	0	–	4	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP small college poll

Guard Bill Phillips received first-team honors on the 1970 Little All-America college football team. Running back Calvin Harrell defensive back Dennis Meyer received second-team honors.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19		at Wichita State*		Cessna Stadium Wichita, KS	W 53–14	30,050–30,055	^[4]
September 26		at Southeastern Louisiana*	No. 1	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	W 12–3	6,500
October 3		The Citadel*	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 24–7	16,000
October 10		Trinity (TX)	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 21–14	8,500
October 17		Louisiana Tech*	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 38–17	8,300	^[5]
October 24		at No. 12 Abilene Christian	No. 1	Shotwell Stadium Abilene, TX	W 28–23	10,000	^[6]
October 31		Lamar Tech	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 69–7	7,200
November 7		North Dakota*	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 23–18	10,200–10,400	^[7]
November 14		at Texas–Arlington	No. 1	Turnpike Stadium Arlington, TX	W 27–7	1,200	^[8]
November 21		Southern Illinois*	No. 1	Kays Stadium Jonesboro, AR	W 27–13	9,000
December 12	1:20 p.m.	vs. Central Missouri State*	No. 1	Turnpike Stadium Arlington, TX (Pecan Bowl)	W 38–21	9,500	^[9]^[10]^[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[12]

References

1. "Javelinas Ranked 7th In Final AP Poll". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. December 3, 1970. p. 8-G. Retrieved May 21, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
2. "Arkansas State Led Small Poll". The Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. December 2, 1970. p. 8-B. Retrieved May 5, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
3. "A.P.'s Little All-American". The Morning News. December 10, 1970. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Arkansas State too much for Wichita State, 53-14". The Salina Journal. September 20, 1970. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Hamilton's passing shreds Tech defense, ASU rambles". The Shreveport Times. October 18, 1970. Retrieved June 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "A-State rallies". The Commercial Appeal. October 25, 1970. Retrieved February 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Final 1970 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
8. "Ark. State zips past UTA 27–7". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 14, 1970. p. 2B. Retrieved January 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
9. Sonderegger, Bob (December 12, 1970). "Defense Savvy Key". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. p. 1C. Retrieved October 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
10. "Arkansas State Pecan winner". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. December 13, 1970. p. 6, section 2.
11. "Top-rated grid team wins bowl". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 13, 1970. p. 3, sports.
12. "Final 1970 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 9, 2022.