1974 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

1974 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
Record7–3 (5–2 OVC)
Head coach
Home stadiumL. T. Smith Stadium
1974 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
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
  • $ – Conference champion

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.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 14C.W. Post*No. 1
W 48–013,300
September 28Austin PeayNo. 2
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 35–713,400
October 5East Tennessee StateNo. 2
W 24–05,213
October 12Dayton*No. 3
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 32–1520,000[5]
October 19at Tennessee TechNo. 2
L 6–1012,000
October 26No. 15 Eastern KentuckyNo. 7
W 34–2418,880
November 2at Morehead StateNo. 7
W 36–08,000
November 9Middle TennesseeNo. 7
W 36–1013,300
November 16No. 11 Western Carolina*No. 8
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
L 2–2011,300
November 23at Murray StateNo. 13
L 7–915,200
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[6]

References

  1. ^ "AP Small-College Football Poll". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. September 19, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Small College Football Poll". Waukesha Daily Freeman. Waukesha, Wisconsin. September 18, 1974. p. 14. Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ 2017 OVC Football Media Guide, retrieved 30 April 2020
  5. ^ "Tomek, defense lead Western by Dayton". The Courier-Journal. October 13, 1974. Retrieved September 21, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Western Kentucky)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
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