The 1974 Western Kentucky football team represented Western Kentucky University during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season. Coming off a 12-1 and NCAA Playoff Runners-up season the previous year, WKU started the season ranked number 1 in both the AP[1] and UPI[2] national polls. They ended up losing their last two games, finished tied for 2nd in the conference, and missed the NCAA Playoffs.[3] The team's roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Virgil Livers, John Bushong, David Carter, Rick Caswell, and Biff Madon. Livers and Bushong were named to the AP All-American team, and Livers was also named OVC Defensive Player of the Year. The All OVC team included Livers, Bushong, Rick Green, David Carter, John Humphrey, and Keith Tandy.[4] The coaching staff included future NFL coach Romeo Crennel.
| 1974 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Record | 7–3 (5–2 OVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | L. T. Smith Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Tennessee State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 14 | C.W. Post* | No. 1 | W 48–0 | 13,300 | |
| September 28 | Austin Peay | No. 2 |
| W 35–7 | 13,400 |
| October 5 | East Tennessee State | No. 2 |
| W 24–0 | 5,213 |
| October 12 | Dayton* | No. 3 |
| W 32–15 | 20,000 |
| October 19 | at Tennessee Tech | No. 2 | L 6–10 | 12,000 | |
| October 26 | No. 15 Eastern Kentucky | No. 7 |
| W 34–24 | 18,880 |
| November 2 | at Morehead State | No. 7 | W 36–0 | 8,000 | |
| November 9 | Middle Tennessee | No. 7 |
| W 36–10 | 13,300 |
| November 16 | No. 11 Western Carolina* | No. 8 |
| L 2–20 | 11,300 |
| November 23 | at Murray State | No. 13 | L 7–9 | 15,200 | |
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References
edit- ^ "AP Small-College Football Poll". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 19, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Small College Football Poll". Waukesha Daily Freeman. Waukesha, Wisconsin. September 18, 1974. p. 14. Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ 2017 OVC Football Media Guide, retrieved 30 April 2020
- ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
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