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1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Summary

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
I-AA National Championship Game
Pioneer Bowl
Florida A&M Rattlers UMass Minutemen
(11–1) (9–3)
SIAC Yankee Conference
35 28
Head coach: 
Rudy Hubbard		 Head coach: 
Bob Pickett
AP
3
AP
4 (tie)
1234 Total
Florida A&M 014714 35
UMass 33913 28
DateDecember 16, 1978
Season1978
StadiumMemorial Stadium
LocationWichita Falls, Texas
Attendance13,604[1]
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC Sports
AnnouncersBill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)[2]
NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship
  1979 > 

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
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP FAMU MASS
1 10:18 9 40 MASS 20-yard field goal by Sandro Vitiello 0 3
2 10:14 4 (-2) MASS 20-yard field goal by Vitiello 0 6
2 8:30 55 FAMU Albert Chester 1-yard touchdown run, Vince Coleman kick good 7 6
2 4:22 49 FAMU Chester 4-yard touchdown run, Coleman kick good 14 6
3 6:54 3 8 MASS Cliff Pedro 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass incomplete 14 12
3 1:57 37 MASS 29-yard field goal by Vitiello 14 15
3 2 71 FAMU Mike Solomon 65-yard touchdown run, Coleman kick good 21 15
4 12:56 3 13 MASS Pedro 9-yard touchdown reception from Mike McEvilly, Vitiello kick good 21 22
4 8:14 1 28 FAMU Solomon 28-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass good (Emanuel White from Chester) 29 22
4 3:15 8 55 FAMU Solomon 20-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 35 22
4 0:00 MASS Chris Kurtz 34-yard touchdown reception from McEvilly, 2-point pass failed 35 28
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 35 28

[13][9][10]

Game statistics edit

1 2 3 4 Total
Rattlers 0 14 7 14 35
Minutemen 3 3 9 13 28
 
Florida A&M head coach Rudy Hubbard
Statistics FAMU MASS
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
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

[10][14][12]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Division I Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via ncaa.org.
  2. ^ Richardson, Brian (December 17, 1978). "ABC still owes the Rattlers one". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 5D. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "UMass Toppled in Bowl, 35‐28". The New York Times. AP. December 17, 1978. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Florida A&M Rattlers 1978 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ a b "Reno gets playoff berth". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. AP. November 21, 1978. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen 1978 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 13, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ a b c Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU (cont'd)". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 7A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d "A&M figures". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. December 17, 1978. p. 5D. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Homer, Jody (May 12, 1985). "Cards` Rookie Looks Like a Steal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU captures a national title". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ 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.

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