The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28.[3]
1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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I-AA National Championship Game Pioneer Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | December 16, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Memorial Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Wichita Falls, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 13,604[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ABC Sports | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,[4] a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls.
Teams edit
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket.
Florida A&M Rattlers edit
In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.[5]
Florida A&M finished their regular season with a 9–1 record; their only loss was to Tennessee State.[6] Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff. They defeated Jackson State, the South selection, by a score of 15–10 to reach the final.
UMass Minutemen edit
UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers.[8] Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA,[7] the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff. They defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a 44–21 score to reach the final.
Game summary edit
The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20–25 miles per hour (32–40 km/h).[9] It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked.[9] UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions;[10] he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns.
Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals.[11]
Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 14,000 (estimated);[10][12] NCAA records indicate 13,604.[1]
Scoring summary edit
Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Game statistics edit
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Rattlers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Minutemen | 3 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 28 |
Statistics | FAMU | MASS |
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First downs | 20 | 11 |
Plays–yards | 83–470 | 69–241 |
Rushes–yards | 76–470 | 45–116 |
Passing yards | 0 | 125 |
Passing: comp–att–int | 0–7–2 | 8–24–1 |
Time of possession |
Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
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Florida A&M | Passing | Albert Chester | 0–7, 2 INT |
Rushing | Mike Solomon | 27 car, 207 yds, 3 TD | |
Receiving | none | — | |
UMass | Passing | Mike McEvilly | 8–24, 125 yds, 2 TD 1 INT |
Rushing | Hank Sareault | 16 car, 71 yds | |
Receiving | Chris Kurtz | 2 rec, 46 yds, 1 TD |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Division I Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via ncaa.org.
- ^ Richardson, Brian (December 17, 1978). "ABC still owes the Rattlers one". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 5D. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "UMass Toppled in Bowl, 35‐28". The New York Times. AP. December 17, 1978. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Climer, David (July 22, 1978). "I-AA Finals Set At Pioneer Bowl". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 20. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Cooper, Barry (August 31, 1978). "Florida A&M granted Division 1 status". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Florida A&M Rattlers 1978 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Reno gets playoff berth". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. AP. November 21, 1978. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen 1978 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU (cont'd)". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 7A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "A&M figures". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. December 17, 1978. p. 5D. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Homer, Jody (May 12, 1985). "Cards` Rookie Looks Like a Steal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Schmitz, Brian (December 17, 1978). "FAMU Rattlers Strike Back For I-AA Championship". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 10C. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU captures a national title". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Schmitz, Brian (December 17, 1978). "FAMU Wins It All, 35-28". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 1C. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading edit
- Sharrock, Rory (June 22, 2018). "Rattler Redux: FAMU documentary celebrates 1978 championship". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- Sharrock, Rory (September 16, 2018). "FAMU's 1978 national title: The first and last of its kind". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 12, 2019.