1979 Murray State Racers football team

The 1979 Murray State Racers football team represented Murray State University during the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by second-year head coach Mike Gottfried, the Racers compiled an overall record of 9–2–1 with a mark of 6–0 on conference play, winning the OVC title. Murray State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Lehigh in the semifinals.

1979 Murray State Racers football
OVC champion
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record9–2–1 (6–0 OVC)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorFrank Beamer (1st season)
Home stadiumRoy Stewart Stadium
Seasons
← 1978
1980 →
1979 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Murray State $^ 6 0 0 9 2 1
No. 3 Eastern Kentucky ^ 5 1 0 11 2 0
Morehead State 3 2 1 5 4 1
Western Kentucky 3 3 0 5 5 0
Austin Peay 2 4 0 7 4 0
Middle Tennessee 1 5 0 1 9 0
Tennessee Tech 0 5 1 1 8 2
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 1at Southeast Missouri State*T 21–21[1]
September 8at Evansville*W 24–144,150[2]
September 15Southeastern Louisiana*L 11–19[3]
September 22Tennessee Tech
  • Roy Stewart Stadium
  • Murray, KY
W 24–3[4]
September 29Morehead State
  • Roy Stewart Stadium
  • Murray, KY
W 31–7[5]
October 6at Tennessee–Martin*W 24–08,000[6]
October 13at Middle TennesseeW 29–8[7]
October 20at Indiana Central*No. 10
W 21–7[8]
October 27No. 1 Eastern KentuckyNo. 8
  • Roy Stewart Stadium
  • Murray, KY
W 24–716,000[9]
November 3Austin PeayNo. 4
  • Roy Stewart Stadium
  • Murray, KY
W 24–10[10]
November 17at Western KentuckyNo. 2W 30–20[11]
December 8No. 4 Lehigh*No. 2
L 9–2810,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Murray opens season with tie against SEMO". The Paducah Sun. September 2, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Murray State rally overcomes Aces, 24–14". Evansville Courier and Press. September 9, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Southeastern survives". Daily World. September 16, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Hudspeth uses jet-blast in MSU win". The Paducah Sun. September 23, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Morehead–Murray". The Park City Daily News. September 30, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "UT–Martin falls to Murray State". The Commercial Appeal. October 7, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Murray State crushes Middle Tennessee 29–8". The Tennessean. October 14, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Central subdued by Murray, 21–7". The Indianapolis Star. October 21, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Murray blocks out No. 1 Eastern 24–7". The Courier-Journal. October 28, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Murray stops APSU; Clinches title share". The Leaf-Chronicle. November 4, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Murray's got itself an OVC title". Messenger-Inquirer. November 18, 1979. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Pollitte, Dennis (December 9, 1979). "Murray's Trip to Florida Canceled". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Ky. p. 49 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1979 Football Schedule". Murray State University Athletics.