1973 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

The 1973 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as an independent during the 1973 NCAA Division II football season. The Hens completed the 85th season of Delaware football, and their first as members of the reorganized NCAA Division II. The Hens played their home games in at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware. The 1973 team came off an undefeated 10–0 record from the previous season.^[1] The 1973 team was led by coach Tubby Raymond. The team finished the regular season with an 8–3 record and made the inaugural NCAA Division II playoffs. However, the Hens lost to Grambling, 17–8, in the first round, the Boardwalk Bowl.^[2]

1973 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Lambert Cup
Boardwalk Bowl, L 8–17 vs. Grambling
Conference	Independent
Record	8–4
Head coach	Tubby Raymond (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ted Kempski (6th season)
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 NCAA Division II independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Tennessee State			–					10	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Hawaii			–					9	–	2	–	0
Nebraska–Omaha			–					7	–	2	–	1
Trinity (TX)			–					8	–	3	–	0
UNLV			–					8	–	3	–	0
No. 13 Delaware ^			–					8	–	4	–	0
Western Carolina			–					6	–	3	–	1
Central Michigan			–					7	–	4	–	0
Nevada			–					7	–	4	–	0
Western Illinois			–					7	–	4	–	0
Milwaukee			–					6	–	4	–	1
Eastern Michigan			–					6	–	4	–	0
American International			–					5	–	4	–	0
Akron			–					6	–	5	–	0
Central State (OH)			–					6	–	5	–	0
Wayne State (MI)			–					5	–	5	–	0
Drexel			–					4	–	4	–	0
Bucknell			–					3	–	4	–	2
Northeast Louisiana			–					3	–	5	–	2
Santa Clara			–					4	–	6	–	0
Youngstown State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff			–					3	–	5	–	1
Chattanooga			–					4	–	7	–	0
Indiana State			–					4	–	7	–	0
Northeastern			–					3	–	6	–	0
Kentucky State			–					3	–	8	–	0
Northern Michigan			–					2	–	7	–	1
Eastern Illinois			–					2	–	9	–	0
Portland State			–					1	–	10	–	0
^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP small college poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	Akron		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 45–24	18,610	^[3]
September 15	West Chester		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 49–14	18,444	^[4]
September 22	Gettysburg	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 60–18	15,949	^[5]
September 29	at Lehigh	No. 1	Taylor Stadium Bethlehem, PA (rivalry)	W 21–9	14,500	^[6]
October 6	Baldwin–Wallace	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 56–18	16,849	^[7]
October 13	Connecticut	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 35–7	20,751	^[8]
October 20	at Rutgers	No. 1	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	L 7–24	21,000	^[9]
October 27	Temple	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 8–31	23,619	^[10]
November 3	at Villanova	No. 10	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (rivalry)	L 7–24	14,810	^[11]
November 10	at Maine	No. 14	Alumni Stadium Orono, ME	W 28–12	2,200	^[12]
November 17	at Bucknell	No. 14	Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA	W 50–0	8,500	^[13]
December 1	vs. No. 5 Grambling	No. 12	Atlantic City Convention Center Atlantic City, NJ (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal—Boardwalk Bowl)	L 8–17	12,043	^[14]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens -- College Football (NCAA)". college-football-results.com. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
2. DeLassus, David (2016). . College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
3. Nold, Bob (September 9, 1973). "Zips Contribute to Defeat". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Dell, John (September 16, 1973). "Delaware Rips W. Chester -- While Oblivious to Score". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
5. Finocchiaro, Ray (September 24, 1973). "It Took Some Time, but Hens Rout Gettysburg for 17th in Row". The Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Simmons, Bill (September 30, 1973). "Delaware Forced to Bear Down in Victory at Lehigh". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 5B – via Newspapers.com.
7. Finocchiaro, Ray (October 8, 1973). "Three for 100-Plus Equals 56-18 Rout for 5-0 Hens". The Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Smith, George (October 14, 1973). "Delaware Buries UConn 35-7 for 20th Straight Triumph". The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.
9. Oakley, Jack (October 21, 1973). "Rutgers Demolishes Delaware". The Home News Sunday. New Brunswick, N.J. p. A1 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Lewis, Allen (October 28, 1973). "Temple Muffles Delaware Offense, 31-8". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
11. Newman, Chuck (November 4, 1973). "Villanova's Polito Destroys Delaware on 2 Punt Returns". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
12. Osborne, Owen (November 12, 1973). "Delaware Holds Off Threat by UMaine Bears, 28-12". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Simmons, Bill (November 18, 1973). "Delaware Routs Bucknell, 50-0". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 7E – via Newspapers.com.
14. Finocchiaro, Ray (December 2, 1973). "No Down South Ramble for Hens". The Morning News. Wilmington, Del. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.