1983 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

The 1983 Western Carolina Catamounts team was an American football team that represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their 15th year under head coach Bob Waters, the team compiled an overall record of 11–3–1, with a mark of 5–0–1 in conference play, and finished second in the SoCon. Western Carolina advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game and were defeated by Southern Illinois.

1983 Western Carolina Catamounts football
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 7–43 vs Southern Illinois
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	11–3–1 (5–0–1 SoCon)
Head coach	Bob Waters (15th season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Hennigan (2nd season)
Home stadium	E. J. Whitmire Stadium
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Furman $^	6	–	0	–	1			10	–	2	–	1
No. 9 Western Carolina ^	5	–	0	–	1			11	–	3	–	1
Chattanooga	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Appalachian State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Marshall	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
VMI	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
East Tennessee State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at Clemson*		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 10–44	69,962	[1]
September 17	at Wake Forest*		Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC	L 0–21	21,351	[2]
September 24	East Tennessee State		E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 17–16		[3]
October 1	at Marshall		Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 21–7	10,200	[4]
October 8	at Tennessee Tech*		Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN	W 42–10	11,308	[5]
October 15	No. 5 Furman		E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	T 17–17	11,642	[6]
October 22	Wofford*		E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 37–20	10,755	[7]
October 29	No. 17 Chattanooga		E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 25–15	9,245	[8]
November 5	at The Citadel	No. T–20	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	W 44–17	13,240	[9]
November 12	Gardner–Webb*	No. 18	E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	W 43–7	6,212	[10]
November 19	Appalachian State	No. 13	E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC (rivalry)	W 41–15	13,924	[11]
November 26	No. 7 Colgate*	No. 9	E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC (Division I-AA First Round)	W 24–23	6,500	[12]
December 3	at No. 3 Holy Cross*	No. 9	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 21–28	10,814	[13]
December 10	at No. 2 Furman	No. 9	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 14–7	13,034	[14]
December 17	vs. No. 1 Southern Illinois*	No. 9	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	L 7–43	15,950	[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "Tigers maul Cats". The Danville Register. September 4, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Wake Forest shuts out Catamounts". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 18, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bucs lose, 17–16". Kingsport Times-News. September 25, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gilbert, Williams lead WCU victory". Greensboro News & Record. October 2, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Western swamps Tennessee Tech". The Salisbury Post. October 9, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Cats, Furman settle for 17–17 deadlock". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 16, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "W. Carolina top Wofford". The Charlotte Observer. October 23, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Western Carolina wins 25–15 on Gilbert's three TD passes". Greensboro News & Record. October 30, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Western hammers Citadel 44–17". The State. November 6, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Heels upset, but Cats cruise". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 13, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Catamounts run wild, 41–15". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 20, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Gilbert's 376 passing yards lift Catamounts past Colgate". The Charlotte Observer. November 26, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "BU and Holy Cross end up by losing out; W. Carolina soars, 28–21". Boston Sunday Globe. December 4, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Finally, Cats beat Furman". Asheville Citizen-Times. December 11, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Salukis satisfy their appetites, 43–7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 18, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.