Green was awarded Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 1982 season. While the team's record is still the worst of any winner's team, the three wins equaled the team's total over the previous six seasons.[4]
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Sandy Schwab with 2,735 passing yards, Ricky Edwards with 688 rushing yards, and Jon Harvey with 807 receiving yards.[5] Offensive tackle Chris Hinton received first-team All-Big Ten honors from both the Associated Press and the United Press International.[6][7]