1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

The 1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. The game was played on December 18, 1982, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Eastern Kentucky, 17–14.[3]

This article is about the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game. For the Division I-A (now FBS) champions, see 1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football team.
1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
I-AA National Championship Game
Pioneer Bowl
Eastern Kentucky Colonels Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
(12–0) (12–1)
OVC Independent
17 14
Head coach: 
Roy Kidd		 Head coach: 
Tubby Raymond
NCAASeed
11
NCAASeed
33
1234 Total
Eastern Kentucky 01070 17
Delaware 00014 14
DateDecember 18, 1982
Season1982
StadiumMemorial Stadium
LocationWichita Falls, Texas
Attendance11,257[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS Sports
AnnouncersLindsey Nelson (play-by-play), Steve Davis (color)[2]

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. The Colonels, making their fourth consecutive appearance in the I-AA championship game, became the first program to capture two I-AA titles, having previously won in 1979.

Teams

The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1982 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[5]

Eastern Kentucky Colonels
See also: Eastern Kentucky Colonels football

Eastern Kentucky finished their regular season with an undefeated 10–0 record (7–0 in conference).[6] Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded first in the tournament, the Colonels received a first-round bye then defeated Idaho and fourth-seed Tennessee State to reach the final. This was the fourth appearance for Eastern Kentucky in a Division I-AA championship game, having won in 1979 and having lost in 1980 and 1981.

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
See also: 1982 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

Delaware finished their regular season with a 10–1 record; its only loss was an away game at Temple.[8] Ranked third in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded third in the tournament, the Fightin' Blue Hens received a first-round bye then defeated Colgate and second-seed Louisiana Tech to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Delaware in a Division I-AA championship game, though the team had recently been the 1979 Division II champion before moving up to Division I-AA in 1980.

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP EKU DEL
2 9:40 EKU Delaware FG attempt blocked by Gus Parks, Richard Bell returned 77 yards for touchdown, Jamie Lovett kick good 7 0
2 3:10 33 EKU 37-yard field goal by Lovett 10 0
3 13:28 4 21 EKU Nick Yeast 1-yard touchdown run, Lovett kick good 17 0
4 9:35 1 20 DEL Mark Steimer 20-yard touchdown reception from Kelvin Phelan, 2-point run by Rick Titus failed 17 6
4 5:38 3 55 DEL Tim Sager 5-yard touchdown reception from Rick Scully, 2-point pass good (Steimer from Scully) 17 14
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 14

Delaware's attempt to kick the extra point was blocked, but Eastern Kentucky was ruled offside on the play. Delaware then attempted a two-point conversion, with the ball being snapped ​1 1⁄2 yards from the end zone.
[1][9][10]

Game statistics
1 2 3 4 Total
Colonels 0 10 7 0 17
Fightin' Blue Hens 0 0 0 14 14
Eastern Kentucky head coach Roy Kidd in 2011
StatisticsEKUDEL
First downs1318
Plays–yards63–27073–351
Rushes–yards50–20941–160
Passing yards61191
Passing: Comp–Att–Int6–13–113–32–0
Time of possession31:4128:19
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Eastern KentuckyPassingTuck Woolum6–13, 61 yds, 1 INT
RushingTerrence Thompson24 car, 112 yds
ReceivingSteve Bird3 rec, 28 yds
DelawarePassingRick Scully12–31, 171 yds, 1 TD
RushingCliff Clement7 car, 42 yds
ReceivingCliff Clement5 rec, 60 yds

[1]

References
  1. Freeman, Denne H. (December 19, 1982). "Eastern Kentucky wins Div. I-AA title". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina. AP. p. 4b. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  2. "Hens bid for first I-AA football title". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. December 18, 1982. p. A1. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. "Eastern Kentucky Wins Title". The New York Times. UPI. December 19, 1982. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via nytimes.com.
  4. "Eastern Kentucky vs. Delaware". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. December 18, 1982. p. B 11. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Blue Hens Get Berth; Earn Opening Bye". The Daily Times. Salisbury, Maryland. AP. November 22, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved February 6, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Eastern Kentucky Colonels 1982 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  7. "Div. I-AA TOP 20". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. AP. November 25, 1982. p. 2B. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  8. "Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 1982 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  9. Sutton, Stan (December 19, 1982). "Title was no easy Kidd's stuff". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. A 20. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "EKU 17, Delaware 14". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. December 19, 1982. p. D10. Retrieved May 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading
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