# 1974 North Alabama Lions football team

The 1974 North Alabama Lions football team represented the University of North Alabama as a member of the Gulf South Conference (GSC) during the 1974 NAIA Division I football season. Led by second-year head coach Mickey Andrews, the Lions compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, tying for fifth place in the GSC. North Alabama played home game at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 14 | 7:30 p.m. | Southeastern Louisiana | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL | L 17–21 | 8,300 |
| September 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at Livingston | Tiger StadiumLivingston, AL (rivalry) | L 16–28 | 3,000 |
| October 5 | 7:30 p.m. | at Delta State | Delta FieldCleveland, MS | L 10–26 | 6,500 |
| October 12 | 7:30 p.m. | at Western Carolina* | Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | L 7–32 | 6,500 |
| October 19 | 7:30 p.m. | at Austin Peay* | Municipal StadiumClarksville, TN | L 14–20 | 5,400 |
| October 26 | 2:00 p.m. | Troy State | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL | L 29–36 | 8,200–8,300 |
| November 2 | 7:00 p.m. | at Mississippi College | Robinson StadiumClinton, MS | W 30–23 | 4,500 |
| November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Nicholls State | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL | W 17–8 | 6,000–7,000 |
| November 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Tennessee–Martin | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL | W 42–10 | 3,000 |
| November 23 | 2:00 p.m. | Jacksonville State | Paul Snow Memorial StadiumJacksonville, AL | W 28–24 | 5,000–5,500 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecoming |||||||

## Offseason
### Name change

Despite little change on the football end of things, Florence State University would undergo a big change. On December 27, 1973, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name to University of North Alabama. This change would come into effect on August 15, just one month before the beginning of the football season.
The reasons stated for the change include broader support and greater visibility for the university. Also included was the potential confusion between Florence State University and Florida State University as they both shared the abbrivation of "FSU."

### Preseason conference poll

The Gulf South Conference released their preseason coaches' poll on August 3.
GSC coaches' poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Troy State | 83 (6) |
| 2 | Jacksonville State | 73 (2) |
| 3 | Northwestern State | 61 (2) |
| 4 | Delta State | 53 |
| 5 | Livingston | 47 |
| 6 | Southeastern Louisiana | - |
| 7 | North Alabama | - |
| 8 | Mississippi College | - |
| 9 | Nicholls State | - |
| 10 | Tennessee-Martin | - |

### Transfers

Transfers In
| Name | Pos. | Hometown | Transfer from |
| Creig Bell | TE | Addison, AL | Southern Mississippi |
| Robert Harris | DE | Springville, AL | Samford |
| Randy Lee | QB | Addison, AL | Samford |
| Kelly Pool | LB | Lanette, AL | Samford |
| Burnis Rose | RB | Leeds, AL | Samford |
Source:

### Recruiting

Signees
| Name | Pos. | Hometown | High School |
| Mike Allison | FB | Birmingham, AL | Woodlawn High School |
| David Atkins | K | Guin, AL | Marion County High School |
| Ricky Baker | OT | Thomaston, GA | Thomaston High School |
| Rodney Bivens | CB | Birmingham, AL | Minor High School |
| Steve Clark | QB | Birmingham, AL | Shades Valley High School |
| Jerry Davis | C | Athens, AL | Athens High School |
| Louie Davis | OG | Huntsville, AL | Butler High School |
| Stan Debord | DT | Lafayette, GA | Lafayette High School |
| Butch Garrison | DE | Birmingham, AL | Jones Valley High School |
| Tony Hendon | DB | Birmingham, AL | West End High School |
| Frank Higginbotham | DB | Trussville, AL | Hewitt High School |
| Rocky Jacobs | LB | Northport, AL | Tuscaloosa County High School |
| Billy King | LB | Hueytown, AL | Hueytown High School |
| Ricky Kirkpatrick | OT | Russellville, AL | Russellville High School |
| Fred Mahler | DE | Nashville, TN | Father Ryan High School |
| Bob Martin | TE | Birmingham, AL | Banks High School |
| Mark Neuhauser | LB | Demopolis, AL | Demopolis High School |
| Donald Pearson | TE | Birmingham, AL | West End High School |
| Billy Reynolds | FB | Huntsville, AL | Butler High School |
| Fred Rosenblum | DB | Huntsville, AL | Huntsville High School |
| David Seymour | WR | Decatur, AL | Decatur High School |
| Myles Smith | TE | Birmingham, AL | West End High School |
| Robert Steele | TE | Columbus, GA | Hardaway High School |
| James Tanniehill | RB | Silura, AL | Thompson High School |
| Willie Taylor | DT | Birmingham, AL | Ensley High School |
| Lawrence Versa | RB | Athens, TN | Athens High School |
| John Wall | DT | Milledgeville, GA | Milledge Academy |
| Terence Witherspoon | DT | Fairfield, AL | Fairfield High School |
Source:

## Game summaries
### vs. Southeastern Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 0 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 21 |
| North Alabama | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 17 |
at Braly Municipal Stadium • Florence, Alabama
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 8,300
| Statistics | UNA | SLU |
| First downs | 12 | 19 |
| Total yards | 227 | 342 |
| Rushing yards | 132 | 280 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 62 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 7-20-1 | 5-12-0 |
| Punts | 6-35.6 | 4-39.2 |
| Fumbles/Lost | 2-0 | 3-2 |
| Penalties | 4-46 | 5-27 |