1983 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

The 1983 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Tubby Raymond, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled a record of 4–7. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

1983 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
Conference	Independent
Record	4–7
Head coach	Tubby Raymond (18th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ted Kempski (16th season)
Offensive scheme	Delaware Wing-T
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium (capacity: 23,000)
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Holy Cross ^			–					9	–	1	–	1
No. 17 Tennessee State			–					8	–	2	–	1
No. 7 Colgate ^			–					8	–	3	–	0
Lehigh			–					8	–	3	–	0
Lafayette			–					6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern			–					6	–	4	–	1
Southeastern Louisiana			–					6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary			–					6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Bucknell			–					4	–	5	–	1
Delaware			–					4	–	7	–	0
Northwestern State			–					4	–	7	–	0
James Madison			–					3	–	8	–	0
Richmond			–					3	–	8	–	0
Western Kentucky			–					2	–	8	–	1
^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	West Chester	Delaware Stadium Newark,DE (rivalry)	L 27–35
September 17	at William & Mary	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)	W 30–13
September 24	Penn	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 40–7	17,568	^[1]
October 1	Lehigh	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	L 19–24	18,099	^[2]
October 8	UMass	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 16–13	19,737
October 15	Towson State	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 4–13
October 22	Temple	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 16–23
October 29	at James Madison	JMU Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (rivalry)	W 26–23	9,200	^[3]
November 5	at Rhode Island	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	L 9–19	5,307
November 12	No. 3 Holy Cross	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 0–24	16,432	^[4]
November 19	Bucknell	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 7–20	15,722	^[5]
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

^[6]

References

1. Newman, Chuck (September 25, 1983). "Delaware Starts Fast and Wallops Penn, 40-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-E – via Newspapers.com.
2. Simmons, Bill (October 2, 1983). "Lehigh Stuns Delaware and Moves into Chase for Cup". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. p. 11-E – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Hens make time count in 26–23 win over JMU". The News Journal. October 30, 1983. Retrieved October 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Simmons, Bill (November 13, 1983). "Holy Cross' 24-0 Win Ensures Losing Season for Delaware". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 13-G, 16-G – via Newspapers.com.
5. Simmons, Bill (November 20, 1983). "Delaware's Losing Season Ends as Bucknell Wins, 20-7". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pa. pp. 11-E, 16-E – via Newspapers.com.
6. "1983 Football Schedule". Delaware Blue Hens. Retrieved November 4, 2022.