1980 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 1980 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by head coach Jimmy Feix. The team won the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) championship, but missed the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Instead, second-place finisher Eastern Kentucky was invited despite the fact that Western had beaten them earlier in the season.[1] This perceived snub was a factor in Western Kentucky's decision to leave the OVC in 1982.[2] The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked fifth in final Associated Press poll.[3]

1980 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
OVC champion
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 5
1980 record	9–1 (6–1 OVC)
Head coach	Jimmy Feix (13th season)
Home stadium	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium

1980 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Western Kentucky $	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
No. T–3 Eastern Kentucky ^	5	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
No. T–10 Murray State	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Austin Peay	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Akron	2	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Morehead State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Middle Tennessee	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Tennessee Tech	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Western Kentucky's roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Pete Walters, Davlin Mullen, John Newby, Phil Rich, Troy Snardon, Brad Todd, Donnie Evans, Ray Farmer, Ronnie Fishback, Tom Fox, Paul Gray, Ricky Gwinn, Ron Hunter, Lamont Meacham, and Mike Miller. Walters and Tim Ford were named to All-American teams and Feix was named OVC Coach of the Year for the third time. The All-Conference Team included Barry Bumm, Evans, Farmer, Jerry Flippin, Gwinn, Lamont Meacham, Rich, Snardon, and Walters.[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result
September 6	Evansville*		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 40–18
September 13	at Kentucky State*		Alumni Field Frankfort, KY	W 30–8
September 20	at Akron		Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 8–2
September 27	Austin Peay	No. 8	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 20–14
October 11	Youngstown State*	No. 5	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 42–17
October 18	at Tennessee Tech	No. 4	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	W 28–17
October 25	No. 5 Eastern Kentucky	No. 4	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (Battle of the Bluegrass)	W 13–10
November 1	Morehead State	No. 4	Jayne Stadium Morehead, KY	W 17–7
November 8	Middle Tennessee	No. 3	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 30–15
November 22	at No. 10 Murray State	No. 2	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY (Battle for the Red Belt)	L 0–49
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game

References

1. 2019 WKU Football Media Guide retrieved March 31, 2020.
2. 1982 WKU Football Media Guide retrieved April 8, 2020.
3. "Final Division I-AA poll". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. November 24, 1987. p. D1. Retrieved May 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
4. 2017 OVC Football Media Guide, retrieved 30 April 2020