1980 Idaho Vandals football team

Coordinates: 46°43′34″N 117°01′05″W / 46.726°N 117.018°W / 46.726; -117.018

1980 Idaho Vandals football
Conference Big Sky Conference
1980 record 6–5 (4–3 Big Sky)
Head coach Jerry Davitch (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator Bill Tripp (3rd year)
Offensive scheme Veer
Defensive coordinator Leland Kendall [1][2] (1st year)
Home stadium Kibbie Dome
1980 Big Sky football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#7 Boise State $^ 6 – 1 – 0     10 – 3 – 0
Idaho 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 5 – 0
Nevada 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 4 – 1
Idaho State 4 – 4 – 0     6 – 5 – 0
Weber State 4 – 4 – 0     4 – 7 – 0
Montana State 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0
Northern Arizona 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 6 – 0
Montana 1 – 6 – 0     3 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – Division I-AA playoff participant
  • Boise State earned automatic berth in I-AA playoffs. Idaho State and Weber State met twice in league play with each game counting as a half game.
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA poll (released before championship playoffs)

The 1980 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals were led by third-year head coach Jerry Davitch and were members of the Big Sky Conference. They played their home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho.

With walk-on transfer quarterback Ken Hobart running the veer offense, the Vandals were 6–5 overall and 4–3 in the Big Sky to finish tied for second. Idaho lost to rival Boise State for the fourth straight year. BSU won the Big Sky title in 1980 and competed in the four team Division I-AA playoffs; the Broncos won the finals over defending champion Eastern Kentucky.

It was the first winning season for the Vandals since 1976 and only the fourth winning record for the football program in over four decades.[3]

Notable players

Transfer walk-on quarterback Ken Hobart was a four-year starter. He quickly adjusted from an option quarterback in the veer under Davitch to a prolific passer under new head coach Dennis Erickson in 1982. He led the Vandals to a 9–4 record in 1982 and an 8–3 record in 1983 as a fifth-year senior, when he was a Division I-AA All-American. Hobart played a season in the USFL with Jacksonville in 1984 and several in the CFL.

Fallen teammate

Glen White was the Vandals' leading rusher during his junior season in 1979,[4] the best season by a UI running back in the 1970s. He missed the opener but gained 889 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry in the final ten games as the team finished at 4–7.[5]

While in off-season training in February, White felt weakness and was sent to Seattle for further testing.[6] Diagnosed with aplastic anemia, he battled it for several months until his death from complications on August 9 at an Oklahoma City hospital, near his parents' home at Fort Sill.[7] White, age 22, was posthumously designated an honorary team captain for all 11 games[8] and his Vandal teammates wore his number 32 on the left side of their helmets during the 1980 season.[9][10]

Schedule

Date Opponent Site Result Attendance
Sep 13 at Pacific - (Div. I-A)* Pacific Memorial Stadium • Stockton, CA L 13–24   15,000
Sep 20 Simon Fraser - (NAIA)* Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID W 56–16   11,500
Sep 27 at Montana Dornblaser Field • Missoula, MT - (Little Brown Stein) W 42–0   8,535
Oct 04 Portland State* Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID W 37–27   13,000
Oct 11 at Boise State Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID - (BSU-UI rivalry) L 21–44   21,812
Oct 18 Montana State Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID W 14–6   15,000
Oct 25 at San Jose State - (Div. I-A)* Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA L 10–32   7,263
Nov 01 at Weber State Stewart Stadium • Ogden, UT W 31–6   11,000
Nov 08 Idaho State Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID L 21–28   12,000
Nov 15 Northern Arizona Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID W 14–7   10,000
Nov 22 at Nevada-Reno Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV [11] L   7–38   9,000
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

References

  1. ↑ "Idaho names two assistants". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). March 22, 1980. p. 14.
  2. ↑ Stewart, Chuck (September 3, 1980). "Stop 'em". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.
  3. ↑ "Idaho Vandals: yearly totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ Killen, John (November 14, 1979). "Prodigal son: Glen White came back to Idaho and everybody's happy he did". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  5. ↑ "Peaks and valleys". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 22, 1979. p. 1B.
  6. ↑ "Idaho back stricken". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 21, 1980. p. 23.
  7. ↑ "UI running back dies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). August 10, 1980. p. 2B.
  8. ↑ "Vandals". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). September 18, 1980. p. 4C.
  9. ↑ "White memory spurs Vandals to big victory". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 18, 1980. p. 30.
  10. ↑ "'96 Vandals will sport new look". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). April 28, 1996. p. 6B.
  11. ↑ Stewart, Chuck (November 18, 1980). "Nevada-Reno's 'Hawk' rips Vandals". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 18.

External links

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