1982 Western Michigan Broncos football team

The 1982 Western Michigan Broncos football team was an American football team that represented Western Michigan University during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Jack Harbaugh, the Broncos compiled a 7–2–2 record and finished in second place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).^[1]

1982 Western Michigan Broncos football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	7–2–2 (5–2–2 MAC)
Head coach	Jack Harbaugh (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Steve Szabo (1st season)
MVP	Mark Kujacznski
Captains	Les Garrett Dave Knapp Duane Wilson
Home stadium	Waldo Stadium
Seasons ← 1981 1983 →

1982 Mid-American Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Bowling Green $	7	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Western Michigan	5	–	2	–	2			7	–	2	–	2
Miami (OH)	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Central Michigan	5	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Ohio	5	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Toledo	5	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Northern Illinois	5	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Ball State	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Eastern Michigan	1	–	7	–	1			1	–	9	–	1
Kent State	0	–	9	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. Central Michigan and Toledo were I-A while the other teams were classified as I-AA for the 1982 season only.

The team's statistical leaders were Chris Conklin with 853 passing yards, Shawn Faulkner with 910 rushing yards, and Bob Phillips with 39 catches for 577 receiving yards.^[2] Linebacker Les Garrett, defensive tackle/middle guard Dave Knapp, and tackle Duane Wilson were the team captains.^[3] Defensive back Mark Kujacznski received the team's most outstanding player award.^[4]

On December 10, 1981, Jack Harbaugh was hired as Western's head football coach. Harbaugh was 42 years old at the time and had been defensive coordinator at Stanford since 1980. He had played college football at Bowling Green and served as an assistant football coach at Michigan from 1973 to 1979.^[5]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 4	Grand Valley State*	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 28–3
September 11	at Marshall*	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 34–0
September 25	Kent State	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 24–14
October 2	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	L 3–7
October 9	at Central Michigan	Perry Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI (rivalry)	T 18–18
October 16	Miami OH)	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 10–0
October 23	at Ball State	Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN	L 6–13
October 30	Northern Illinois	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 27–3
November 6	at Toledo	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	W 17–10
November 13	Ohio	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	W 16–7
November 20	Eastern Michigan	Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	T 3–3
*Non-conference game

References

1. "1982 Western Michigan Broncos Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
2. "1982 Western Michigan Broncos Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
3. "Football History: All-Time Captains". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
4. "Football History: Team Awards". Western Michigan University. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
5. "Former U-M assistant named coach at WMU". Detroit Free Press. December 11, 1981. p. 3D.