1971 Tampa Spartans football team

The 1971 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. It was the Spartans' 35th season. The team was led by head coach Bill Fulcher, in his first year, and played their home games at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of six wins and five losses (6–5). Fulcher was hired on January 7, 1971, to serve as the replacement for Fran Curci who resigned to become the head coach at Miami.[1]

1971 Tampa Spartans football
Conference	Independent
1971 record	6–5
Head coach	Bill Fulcher (1st season)
Home stadium	Tampa Stadium

1971 NCAA College Division independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Delaware			–					10	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Tennessee State			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Akron			–					8	–	2	–	0
No. 3 Eastern Michigan			–					7	–	1	–	2
Northern Michigan			–					7	–	3	–	0
Hawaii			–					7	–	4	–	0
Santa Clara			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					6	–	4	–	0
Tampa			–					6	–	5	–	0
UNLV			–					5	–	4	–	1
Bucknell			–					5	–	5	–	0
Central Michigan			–					5	–	5	–	0
Milwaukee			–					5	–	5	–	0
Nevada			–					5	–	5	–	0
Wayne State (MI)			–					4	–	4	–	0
Northeastern			–					4	–	5	–	0
Portland State			–					4	–	5	–	0
Northeast Louisiana			–					4	–	6	–	1
Indiana State			–					4	–	6	–	0
Rose-Hulman			–					3	–	6	–	0
Drexel			–					2	–	6	–	0
Chattanooga			–					2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

After an upset loss against Louisiana Tech to open the season, the Spartans won four consecutive games against Chattanooga, Youngstown State, Dayton and Drake.[2] Ranked No. 2 as they entered their game against Villanova, Tampa was upset by the Wildcats 24–3.[3] After the loss, the Spartans would lose three of their next four games. A week after their loss at Louisville, Tampa returned home and lost to Ole Miss by a single point in a game that saw the Spartans score on touchdown passes of 93 and 49 yards.[4] Tampa then rebounded the next week with a 43–7 win over East Carolina.[5] The Spartans then closed the season with a loss at Vanderbilt and a victory over Florida A&M.[6] On January 21, 1972, Fulcher resigned as head coach of the Spartans to take the same position at Georgia Tech.[7]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 18	Louisiana Tech	Tampa Stadium Tampa, Fl	L 20–28	27,333
September 25	at Chattanooga	Chamberlain Field Chattanooga, TN	W 31–14
October 2	Youngstown State	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 49–0	15,152
October 9	Dayton	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 47–14
October 16	at Drake	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	W 36–2
October 23	Villanova	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 3–24
October 30	at Louisville	Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	L 10–21
November 6	Ole Miss	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 27–28	20,939
November 13	East Carolina	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 43–7	17,092
November 20	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 7–10
November 27	Florida A&M	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 56–14	44,000

References

1. "Tampa picks Florida aide". St. Petersburg Times. January 8, 1971. p. 1C. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
2. Cardon, Mark (September 19, 1971). "Tampa loses debut 28–20". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
3. Cardon, Mark (October 24, 1971). "Villanova upsets Spartans". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
4. Barefield, Ron (November 7, 1971). "Tampa bid fails, Rebs win 28–27". Lakeland Ledger. p. 1B. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
5. "Spartans crush Carolina eleven". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. November 14, 1971. p. 2D. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
6. "Tampa saves winning season against FAMU". Lakeland Ledger. November 28, 1971. p. 2B. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
7. Duffy, Tom (January 22, 1972). "Prestige up, but Tampa coachless". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2C. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.