1979 Indiana State Sycamores football team
The 1979 Indiana State Sycamores football team represented Indiana State University in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were led by second-year head coach Dick Jamieson and played their home games at Memorial Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 8–3, 3–2 in MVC play to finish in third place. The roster included such standout performers as: Quarterback Reggie Allen, the 1979 MVC Offensive MVP; Defensive End Gerry Glusic, the 1979 MVC Defensive MVP; Defensive Back Alvin Reynolds; Linebacker Craig Shaffer, the 1981 MVC Defensive MVP; and Offensive Lineman Tunch Ilkin.[1] Allen and Ilkin went on to long successful NFL careers, Reynolds as an assistant coach and Ilkin as a Pro Bowl-lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shaffer spent three seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals[2][3]
| 1979 Indiana State Sycamores football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Conference |
| 1979 record | 8–3 (3–2 MVC) |
| Head coach | Dick Jamieson (2nd season) |
| Offensive coordinator | Dick Jamieson |
| Defensive coordinator | Dennis Raetz (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 20,500) |
| 1979 Missouri Valley Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Texas State $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Drake | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wichita State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa | – | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Glusic was named to the AP All-American Team.[4] Six Sycamores would be named to the All-MVC Team: Quarterback Reggie Allen, Wide Receivers Kirk Wilson & Eddie Ruffin, Lineman George DeTella, Defensive End Gerry Glusic and Defensive Back John Allman.
Allen, Glusic and Ilkin have been inducted into the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame.[5]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 7:30 pm (EST) | Drake |
| W 19-12 | 5,500 |
| September 8 | 7:30 pm (CDT) | at Wichita State | W 28–9 | 20,876 | |
| September 15 | 7:30 pm (CDT) | at Western Illinois* | W 17–14 | 7,549 | |
| September 22 | 7:30 pm (MDT) | at New Mexico State | W 40–23 | 18,175 | |
| September 29 | 7:30 pm (EDT) | at Akron* | W 28–27 | 11,684 | |
| October 6 | 7:30 PM (EST) | Ball State* | W 18–13 | 11,278 | |
| October 13 | 7:30 pm (CDT) | at West Texas State |
| L 17–33 | 15,766 |
| October 20 | 1:30 pm (EST) | Louisville* | L 10–34 | 16,279 | |
| October 27 | 1:30 pm (EST) | Illinois State* | W 23–21 | 14,117 | |
| November 3 | 1:30 pm (CST) | at Southern Illinois | L 38–41 | 9,100 | |
| November 10 | 1:30 PM (EST) | NE Louisiana* | W 38–21 | 5,500 | |
| |||||