# 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 1973 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by Jim Young in his first year, the Wildcats shared the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship with rival Arizona State, with ASU winning the head-to-head matchup to clinch the conference’s bowl bid and Arizona was left out of the postseason as a result.
Young was brought in by Arizona to replace Bob Weber, who was fired after the 1972 season. The Wildcats believed that Young would rebuild the team and to return them to their winning ways.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | at Colorado State | | Hughes StadiumFort Collins, CO | | W 31–0 | 17,217 |
| September 15 | at Wyoming | | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | | W 21–7 | 19,718 |
| September 22 | Indiana* | | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | | W 26–10 | 38,643 |
| October 6 | at Iowa* | | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | | W 23–20 | 40,365 |
| October 13 | New Mexico | | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ (rivalry) | | W 22–14 | 39,582 |
| October 20 | Texas Tech* | No. 19 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | | L 17–31 | 40,172 |
| October 27 | Utah | | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | ABC | W 42–21 | 34,219 |
| November 3 | at UTEP | | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | | W 35–18 | 6,940 |
| November 10 | at BYU | | Cougar StadiumProvo, UT | | W 24–10 | 19,597 |
| November 17 | Air Force* | No. 19 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | | L 26–27 | 39,733 |
| November 24 | at No. 13 Arizona State | | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ (rivalry) | | L 19–55 | 51,383 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Roster

* Bill Adamson, mg
* Dennis Anderson, s
* Mike Battles, s
* Jay Bledsoe, og
* Charlie Gorham, k
* Glen Gresham, lb
* Rich Hall, dt
* Willie Hamilton, rb
* Allyn Haynes, og
* Bruce Hill, qb
* Dan Howard, te
* Leon Lawrence, db
* Rex Naumetz, de
* Brian Murray, ot
* Mark Neal, wr
* Jim O'Connor, ot
* Vince Phason, cb
* Ransom Terrell, lb
* Jim Upchurch, rb
* Bruce Walker, dt
* Roussell Williams, cb
* Bob Windisch, c

## Staff

* Head coach: Jim Young
* Offensive coaches: Bill Belknap, Bob Bockrath, John Mackovic, Willie Peete
* Defensive coaches: Mike Hankwitz, Sharkey Price (DL), Tom Reed, Larry Smith

## Statistics
### Passing

| Player | Comp | Att | Yards | TD | INT |
| Bruce Hill | 104 | 216 | 1,529 | 9 | 9 |

### Rushing

| Player | Att | Yards | TD |
| Jim Upchurch | 210 | 1,184 | 10 |

### Receiving

| Player | Rec | Yards | TD |
| Theo Bell | 47 | 790 | 7 |
==Awards==
All-WAC (1st Team)
* Jim O'Connor (OT)
* Willie Hamilton (RB)
* Roussell Williams (CB)
* Ransom Terrell (LB)
* Wally Brumfield (DE)
All-WAC (Second Team)
* Jay Bledsoe (OG)
* Bob Windisch (C)
* T Bell (WR)
* Jim Upchurch (RB)
* Mike Dawson (DT)
* Glen Gresham (LB)
* Mike Battles (FS)
* Leon Lawrence (SS)
* Charlie Gorham (K)
* Mitch Hoopes (P)
WAC Rookie of the Year: Bruce Hill
WAC Coach of the Year: Jim Young

## Season notes

* Despite sharing the WAC title, Arizona did not earn a bowl invitation due to its loss to Arizona State and a lack of bowl spots available at the time. The head-to-head loss to ASU was a major reason behind the Wildcats being uninvited for a bowl. Had they beaten ASU and won the WAC outright, the Wildcats would have earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
* Three of Arizona’s coaching staff would become future Wildcat head coaches. Larry Smith (defensive coordinator) would have a successful tenure with the Wildcats that began in 1980, and John Mackovic (offensive coordinator) was hired in 2001 and his Wildcat tenure would turn out to be a failure. A third coach, Mike Hankwitz, replaced Mackovic as Arizona’s coach during a disastrous 2003 season.
* Many Wildcats fans as well as the Tucson community credited Young for turning the program around after his predecessor’s failed tenure with the team. Young would be awarded the WAC coach of the year for his efforts.