1973 NAIA Division I football season

(Redirected from 1973 Champion Bowl) American college football season

1973 NAIA Division I football season
Regular season	August–November 1973
Postseason	December 1–8, 1973
National Championship	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA
Champions	Abilene Christian
← 1972 NAIA Division I football season 1974 →

The 1973 NAIA Division I football season was the 18th season of college football sponsored by the NAIA and the fourth season of the league's two-division structure.

The season was played from August to November 1973 and culminated in the 1973 NAIA Champion Bowl, played on December 8, 1973 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Abilene Christian defeated Elon in the Champion Bowl, 42–14, to win their first NAIA national title.

Conference realignment

Conference changes

This was the final season for the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference. After sixty-five season of football dating back to 1929, the OCC disbanded after the end of play, with six of its members subsequently departing to form the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference for the 1974 season.

Conference standings

1973 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 7 Henderson State $	6	–	0	–	0	10	–	1	–	0
No. T–17 Southern Arkansas	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Harding	4	–	2	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
State College of Arkansas	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Ouachita Baptist	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Arkansas Tech	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Arkansas–Monticello	0	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Carolinas Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2/10 Elon $^	4	–	0	–	0	12	–	1	–	0
Lenoir Rhyne	2	–	1	–	0	5	–	5	–	1
Mars Hill	2	–	2	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Catawba	1	–	3	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Guilford	0	–	3	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll

1973 Evergreen Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 16 Central Washington $	5	–	1	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Eastern Oregon	4	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Oregon College	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Southern Oregon	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Eastern Washington	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Western Washington	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	7	–	0
Oregon Tech	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	8	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Great Plains Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. T–17 Emporia State +	4	–	1	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Northern Colorado +	4	–	1	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Fort Hays State	2	–	3	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Washburn	2	–	3	–	0	3	–	6	–	1
Pittsburg State	2	–	3	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Southern Colorado	1	–	4	–	0	3	–	7	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Gulf South Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. T–17 Troy State $	6	–	1	–	0	7	–	2	–	1
No. 4 Jacksonville State	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Delta State	6	–	3	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Livingston	4	–	3	–	1	6	–	3	–	1
Northwestern State	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Mississippi College	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Southeastern Louisiana	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Florence State	3	–	6	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Nicholls State	2	–	7	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Tennessee–Martin	1	–	5	–	1	2	–	8	–	1

$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Lone Star Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1/7 Abilene Christian $^	9	–	0	–	0	11	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Howard Payne	8	–	1	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Stephen F. Austin	6	–	3	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
East Texas State	6	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Angelo State	5	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	2
Southwest Texas State	3	–	6	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Sul Ross	3	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
Sam Houston State	2	–	7	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Texas A&I	2	–	7	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Tarleton State	1	–	8	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll

1973 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 11 St. Thomas (MN) +	6	–	1	–	0	9	–	1	–	0
No. 9 Minnesota–Duluth +	6	–	1	–	0	8	–	1	–	0
Augsburg	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Gustavus Adolphus	4	–	3	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Concordia–Moorhead	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Saint John's (MN)	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	4	–	0
Hamline	1	–	6	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Macalester	0	–	7	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Nebraska College Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Kearney State $	3	–	0	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Chadron State	2	–	1	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Wayne State (NE)	1	–	2	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Peru State	0	–	3	–	0	4	–	6	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1973 Northern Intercollegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Moorhead State $	5	–	1	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Michigan Tech	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	1
St. Cloud State	4	–	2	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Bemidji State	2	–	4	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Southwest State (MN)	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Minnesota Morris	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Winona State	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	7	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1973 Oklahoma Collegiate Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 3 Langston $^	8	–	0	–	0	11	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Northeastern State	6	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
SE Oklahoma State	5	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Central State (OK)	5	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	1
Cameron	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
East Central	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Panhandle	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	1
SW Oklahoma State	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	7	–	0
NW Oklahoma State	0	–	7	–	1	1	–	8	–	1

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
East Division
West Chester xy	4	–	0	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
East Stroudsburg	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	1	–	1
Millersville	4	–	2	–	0	7	–	2	–	0
Cheyney	3	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Bloomsburg	2	–	4	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Kutztown	1	–	5	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
Mansfield	0	–	5	–	0	1	–	7	–	0
West Division
No. T–20 Slippery Rock xy$	5	–	0	–	0	8	–	2	–	0
Clarion	3	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Edinboro	3	–	2	–	0	4	–	4	–	1
Lock Haven	2	–	3	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
California (PA)	1	–	4	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Shippensburg	1	–	4	–	0	2	–	7	–	0
Indiana (PA) *	0	–	0	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Championship: Slippery Rock 28, West Chester 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for conference title Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Western State (CO) $	5	–	1	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Adams State	4	–	2	–	0	6	–	3	–	0
Southern Utah	4	–	2	–	0	5	–	4	–	0
Fort Lewis	3	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Western New Mexico	3	–	3	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
Westminster (UT)	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	6	–	0
Colorado Mines	0	–	6	–	0	0	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion

1973 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5/7 Grambling +^	5	–	1	–	0	10	–	3	–	0
No. 10 Jackson State +	5	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
No. T–20 Alcorn A&M	3	–	2	–	1	7	–	2	–	1
Southern	3	–	3	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Texas Southern	2	–	3	–	1	5	–	5	–	1
Mississippi Valley State	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	5	–	0
Prairie View A&M	0	–	6	–	0	2	–	6	–	1

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll and AP small college poll

1973 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
Northern Division
Fairmont State xy$	3	–	0	–	0	6	–	3	–	1
West Liberty State	2	–	1	–	1	3	–	5	–	1
Salem	2	–	2	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
Shepherd	1	–	2	–	0	6	–	4	–	0
West Virginia Wesleyan	0	–	3	–	1	2	–	6	–	1
Southern Division
No. 2 Glenville State xy^	4	–	0	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
Bluefield State	3	–	1	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
West Virginia State	2	–	2	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
West Virginia Tech	1	–	3	–	0	4	–	5	–	0
Concord	0	–	4	–	0	0	–	9	–	0
Championship: Fairmont State 21, Glenville State 7
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Conference standings based on power ratings Rankings from NAIA Division II poll

1973 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 6 Wisconsin–La Crosse $^	7	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
No. 14 Wisconsin–Platteville	6	–	1	–	1	8	–	1	–	1
Wisconsin–Whitewater	4	–	2	–	2	6	–	2	–	2
Wisconsin–Eau Claire	4	–	4	–	0	5	–	5	–	0
Wisconsin–Oshkosh	4	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Wisconsin–River Falls	3	–	4	–	1	4	–	5	–	1
Wisconsin–Stevens Point	3	–	5	–	0	4	–	6	–	0
Wisconsin–Superior	2	–	6	–	0	2	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin–Stout	1	–	7	–	0	1	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

1973 NAIA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 15 Hillsdale		–		7	–	2	–	0
No. 13 Carson–Newman		–		6	–	3	–	0
Eastern New Mexico		–		6	–	4	–	0
Wofford		–		3	–	6	–	1
Kentucky State		–		3	–	8	–	0
Presbyterian		–		3	–	8	–	0

Rankings from NAIA Division I poll

Postseason

Semifinals December 1, 1973		1973 Champion Bowl December 8, 1973 Shreveport, LA

Wisconsin–La Crosse	24

Elon*	35
		Elon	14

		Abilene Christian	42
Langston	6

Abilene Christian*	34

References

"NAIA Championship History" (PDF). NAIA. pp. 4–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
"1973 Division I NAIA Football Playoffs". JonFMorse.com. Retrieved November 27, 2015.

NAIA football

Seasons

1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970–1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Division I	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Division II	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Women's flag	2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Championships

1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970–1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Division I	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
Division II	1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

Records & statistics

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