1973 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

The 1973 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team represented Louisiana Tech University during the 1973 NCAA Division II football season, and completed the 71st season of Bulldogs football and their first as members of the reorganized NCAA Division II. The Bulldogs played their home games in at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana. The 1973 team came off an undefeated 12–0 record, and a College Division National Championship from the prior season.^[1] The 1973 team was led by coach Maxie Lambright. The team finished the regular season with a 9–1 record and made the inaugural NCAA Division II playoffs. They made the first NCAA Division II Football Championship Game with a 38–34 win over Boise State in the Pioneer Bowl. The Bulldogs defeated the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 34–0 in the Camellia Bowl National Championship Game.^[2]

1973 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football
NCAA Division II champion Southland champion Pioneer Bowl champion Camellia Bowl champion
Camellia Bowl, W 34–0 vs. Western Kentucky
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 2
Record	12–1 (5–0 Southland)
Head coach	Maxie Lambright (7th season)
Captains	Denny Duron Joe McNeely
Home stadium	Joe Aillet Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Louisiana Tech $^	5	–	0	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Arkansas State	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Lamar	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
McNeese State	2	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	1
UT Arlington	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
SW Louisiana	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP small college poll

The Bulldog defense, led by future Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Fred Dean, posted three shutouts and allowed seven or fewer points in 10 of 13 games.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15		at Eastern Michigan*		Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	L 19–21	9,300	[3]
September 22		Southwestern Louisiana	No. T–11	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA (rivalry)	W 23–0	16,200	[4]
September 29		at McNeese State	No. 9	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	W 10–7	15,000	[5]
October 6		Northern Arizona*	No. 9	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	W 37–7	15,600	[6]
October 13		Arkansas State	No. 7	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	W 23–7	13,800	[7]
October 20		vs. Northwestern State*	No. 8	State Fair Stadium Shreveport, LA (rivalry)	W 26–7	33,000	[8]
October 27		at Southeastern Louisiana*	No. 8	Strawberry Stadium Hammond, LA	W 26–7	8,500	[9]
November 3	2:00 p.m.	UT Arlington	No. 6	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	W 44–0	16,200	[10]
November 10		at Lamar	No. 5	Cardinal Stadium Beaumont, TX	W 17–3	10,200	[11]
November 17		Northeast Louisiana	No. 5	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA (rivalry)	W 40–0	16,840–16,850	[12][13]
December 1		Western Illinois*	No. 3	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	W 18–13	15,200	[14]
December 8		vs. No. 7 Boise State*	No. 3	Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX (Pioneer Bowl—NCAA Division II Semifinal)	W 38–34	13,000	[15]
December 15		vs. No. 2 Western Kentucky*	No. 3	Charles C. Hughes Stadium Sacramento, CA (Camellia Bowl—NCAA Division II Championship Game)	W 34–0	12,016	[16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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