| 1973 Big Ten Conference football season | |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Top draft pick | John Hicks |
| Co-champions | Michigan, Ohio State |
| Runners-up | Minnesota |
| Season MVP | Archie Griffin |
| Seasons | |
← 1972 1974 → | |
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Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No.2Ohio State + | 7 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No.6Michigan + | 7 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1973 Big Ten Conference football season was the 78th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1973 NCAA Division I football season.
The 1973 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, under head coach Woody Hayes, and the 1973 Michigan Wolverines football team, under head coach Bo Schembechler, compiled identical 10–0–1 records and tied for the Big Ten championship. Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, and Michigan was ranked No. 6. Ohio State led the conference in both scoring offense (37.5 points per game) and scoring defense (5.8 points allowed per game).
The regular season ended with a 10–10 tie between Michigan and Ohio State. When the game ended in a tie, the Big Ten athletic directors voted, 6–4, to send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl. Michigan athletic officials and fans were outraged, with even the Vice President of the United States, Gerald Ford, speaking out against the decision. Ohio State defeated USC, 42–21, in the 1974 Rose Bowl. Two selectors, the National Championship Foundation and the Poling System, recognize Michigan as a co-national champion for the 1973 season.
The Big Ten statistical leaders in 1973 included Ohio State running back Archie Griffin with 1,577 rushing yards. Griffin also won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player. Four Big Ten players were recognized as consensus first-team All-Americans: Randy Gradishar and John Hicks of Ohio State and Dave Gallagher and Dave Brown of Michigan.
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tie) | Ohio State | Woody Hayes | #2 | #1 | 10–0–1 | 7–0–1 | 37.5 | 5.8 | Archie Griffin |
| 1 (tie) | Michigan | Bo Schembechler | #6 | #4 | 10–0–1 | 7–0–1 | 30.0 | 6.2 | Paul Seal |
| 3 | Minnesota | Cal Stoll | NR | NR | 7–4 | 6–2 | 23.6 | 26.8 | Steve Neils |
| 4 (tie) | Illinois | Bob Blackman | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–4 | 14.9 | 14.3 | Octavus Morgan |
| 4 (tie) | Michigan State | Denny Stolz | NR | NR | 5–6 | 4–4 | 10.4 | 14.9 | Ray Nester |
| 4 (tie) | Purdue | Alex Agase | NR | NR | 6–5 | 6–2 | 18.2 | 19.4 | Bo Bobrowski |
| 4 (tie) | Northwestern | John Pont | NR | NR | 4–7 | 4–4 | 17.1 | 27.2 | Stan Kay |
| 8 | Wisconsin | John Jardine | NR | NR | 4–7 | 3–5 | 19.6 | 21.5 | Mike Webster |
| 9 (tie) | Indiana | Lee Corso | NR | NR | 2–9 | 0–8 | 13.7 | 24.6 | Chuck Sukurs |
| 9 (tie) | Iowa | Frank Lauterbur | NR | NR | 0–11 | 0–8 | 12.7 | 36.5 | Brian Rollins |
Key
AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1973 season[1]
AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1973 season[1]
PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold[1]
PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold[1]
MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold[2]
Four Big Ten teams changed head coaches between the 1972 and 1973 seasons, as follows:
On September 15, 1973, the Big Ten football teams opened the season with five conference games.
On September 22, 1973, the Big Ten teams played nine non-conference games, resulting in four wins and five losses. Ohio State had a bye week.
On September 29, 1973, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in three wins and seven losses.
On October 6, 1973, the Big Ten teams played 10 non-conference games, resulting in five wins and five losses. After concluding three weeks of non-conference play, the Big Ten teams had compiled a 12–17 non-conference record.
On October 13, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 20, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On October 27, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 3, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 10, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 17, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On November 24, 1973, the Big Ten teams played five conference games.
On January 1, 1974, Ohio State (ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll) defeated USC (ranked No. 7), 42–21. Pete Johnson scored three touchdowns, and Archie Griffin capped the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Passing yards[edit]
1. Mitch Anderson, Northwestern (1,224) Rushing yards[edit]
1. Archie Griffin, Ohio State (1,577) Receiving yards[edit]
1. Trent Smock, Indiana (505) Total offense[edit]
1. Bo Bobrowski, Purdue (274) |
Passing efficiency rating[edit]
1. Gregg Bohlig, Wisconsin (112.9) Rushing yards per attempts[edit]
1. Archie Griffin, Ohio State (6.4) Yards per reception[edit]
1. Garvin Roberson, Illinois (16.6) Points scored[edit]
1. Billy Marek, Wisconsin (84) |
The following players were picked by the Associated Press (AP) and/or the United Press International (UPI) as first-team players on the 1973 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3][4]
Offense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Dennis Franklin | Michigan | AP, UPI |
| Running back | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Running back | Ed Shuttlesworth | Michigan | AP, UPI |
| Running back | Billy Marek | Wisconsin | AP |
| End | Steve Craig | Northwestern | AP, UPI [tight end] |
| End | Brian Rollins | Iowa | AP [end] |
| Split end | Garvin Roberson | Illinois | UPI [split end] |
| Flanker | Clint Haslerig | Michigan | UPI [flanker] |
| Tackle | John Hicks | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Tackle | Kurt Schumacher | Ohio State | UPI |
| Tackle | Keith Fahnhorst | Minnesota | AP |
| Guard | Mike Hoban | Michigan | AP, UPI |
| Guard | Jim Kregel | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Center | Mike Webster | Wisconsin | AP, UPI |
Defense
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive line | Van DeCree | Ohio State | AP [front 5], UPI [def. end] |
| Defensive line | Steve Neils | Minnesota | AP [front 5], UPI [def. end] |
| Defensive line | Pete Cusick | Ohio State | AP [front 5], UPI [def. tackle] |
| Defensive line | Dave Gallagher | Michigan | AP [front 5], UPI [def. tackle] |
| Defensive line | Vic Koegel | Ohio State | UPI [guard] |
| Defensive line | Octavus Morgan | Illinois | AP [front 5] |
| Linebacker | Randy Gradishar | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Linebacker | Rick Middleton | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Linebacker | Mike Varty | Northwestern | AP |
| Defensive back | Dave Brown | Michigan | AP, UPI |
| Defensive back | Neal Colzie | Ohio State | AP, UPI |
| Defensive back | Mike Gow | Illinois | AP, UPI |
| Defensive back | Bill Simpson | Michigan State | UPI |
At the end of the 1973 season, Big Ten players secured four of the consensus first-team picks for the 1973 College Football All-America Team.[5] The Big Ten's consensus All-Americans were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linebacker | Randy Gradishar | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WCFF, FN, Time, TSN |
| Offensive guard | John Hicks | Ohio State | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, UPI, WCFF, FN, Time, TSN |
| Defensive end | Dave Gallagher | Michigan | AFCA, AP, FWAA, NEA, WCFF, Time, TSN |
| Defensive back | Dave Brown | Michigan | AFCA, FWAA, UPI |
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:
| Position | Name | Team | Selectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running back | Archie Griffin | Ohio State | UPI |
| Defensive end | Van DeCree | Ohio State | UPI, FN |
| Defensive back | Bill Simpson | Michigan State | TSN |
| Defensive back | Carl Capria | Purdue | TSN |
| Placekicker | Mike Lantry | Michigan | FN |
Three Ohio State players finished among the top six in the voting for the 1973 Heisman Trophy: John Hicks (second); Archie Griffin (fifth); and Randy Gradishar (sixth).[6]
The 1974 NFL Draft was held in New York on January 29–30, 1974.[7] The following players were among the first 100 picks:[8]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hicks | Guard | Ohio State | 1 | 3 |
| Carl Barzilauskas | Defensive Tackle | Indiana | 1 | 6 |
| Rick Middleton | Linebacker | Ohio State | 1 | 13 |
| Randy Gradishar | Linebacker | Ohio State | 1 | 14 |
| Dave Gallagher | Defensive End | Michigan | 1 | 20 |
| Keith Fahnhorst | Tight end | Minnesota | 2 | 35 |
| Paul Seal | Tight end | Michigan | 2 | 36 |
| Ed Shuttlesworth | Running back | Michigan | 2 | 37 |
| Bill Simpson | Defensive back | Michigan State | 2 | 50 |
| Steve Craig | Tight end | Northwestern | 3 | 64 |
| Clint Haslerig | Wide receiver | Michigan | 4 | 83 |
| Morris Bradshaw | Wide receiver | Ohio State | 4 | 93 |
| Matt Herkenhoff | Tackle | Minnesota | 4 | 94 |
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Big Ten Conference football
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