1973 Tampa Spartans football team

The 1973 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. It was the Spartans' 37th season and they competed as an NCAA Division I independent. The team was led by head coach Dennis Fryzel, in his first year, and played their home games at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of eight wins and three losses (8–3). Fryzel was hired on January 3, 1973, to serve as the replacement for Earle Bruce who resigned to become the head coach at Iowa State.^[1]

1973 Tampa Spartans football
Conference	Independent
Record	8–3
Head coach	Dennis Fryzel (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Ragland (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Wayne Chapman (1st season)
Home stadium	Tampa Stadium
Seasons ← 1972 1974 →

1973 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame			–					11	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Penn State			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 9 Houston			–					11	–	1	–	0
Temple			–					9	–	1	–	0
No. 20 Tulane			–					9	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					8	–	3	–	0
Tampa			–					8	–	3	–	0
Boston College			–					7	–	4	–	0
South Carolina			–					7	–	4	–	0
Utah State			–					7	–	4	–	0
Air Force			–					6	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss			–					6	–	4	–	1
Northern Illinois			–					6	–	5	–	0
Rutgers			–					6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia			–					6	–	5	–	0
Pittsburgh			–					6	–	5	–	1
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
Dayton			–					5	–	5	–	1
Xavier			–					5	–	5	–	1
Georgia Tech			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					5	–	6	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					3	–	7	–	1
Villanova			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					2	–	9	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					2	–	9	–	0
Army			–					0	–	10	–	0
Florida State			–					0	–	11	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	Toledo	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 35–25
September 21	Xavier	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 34–7	11,362	[2]
September 29	Kansas State	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 0–17	25,578
October 6	Akron	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 21–7	12,358
October 13	Villanova	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 17–10
October 20	at Southern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 25–23
October 27	Northern Michigan	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 20–0
November 10	at West Texas State	Kimbrough Memorial Stadium Canyon, TX	W 28–6
November 17	Chattanooga	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	L 24–25	20,270	[3]
November 24	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	L 7–30	14,500	[4]
December 1	Rutgers	Tampa Stadium Tampa, FL	W 34–6

References

1. "Tampa hires Fryzel". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. January 4, 1973. p. D1. Retrieved October 5, 2012 – via Google News Archives.
2. "Solomon zips Tampa past Xavier, 34–7". The Miami Herald. September 23, 1973. Retrieved May 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Moccasins strike with last play". The Tampa Tribune. November 18, 1973. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Tampa loses on field goal". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.