1974 Michigan Tech Huskies football team
American college football season
| 1974 Michigan Tech Huskies football | |
|---|---|
NIC champion | |
| Conference | Northern Intercollegiate Conference |
| Record | 9–0 (6–0 NIC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Sherman Field |
Seasons ← 1973 1975 → | |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan Tech $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Cloud State | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winona State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moorhead State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest State (MN) | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota Morris | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bemidji State | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1974 Michigan Tech Huskies football team was an American football team that represented Michigan Technological University as a member of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) during the 1974 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA season. In their second year under head coach Jim Kapp, the Huskies compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the NIC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 269 to 90.[1][2] It was Michigan Tech's first perfect season since the 1948 team went 7–0. It was also the program's first nine-win season,[3] and its fourth NIC championship in six years.[4]
The team played its home games on Sherman Field in Houghton, Michigan.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7 | at Northwood* | Midland, MI | W 15–13 | 1,500 | [5] | ||
| September 14 | at Alma* | Alma, MI | W 21–10 | 2,500 | |||
| September 21 | at St. Cloud State | St. Cloud, MN | W 3–0 | 3,000 | [6][7] | ||
| September 28 | Winona State |
| W 32–21 | 2,500 | [8][9] | ||
| October 5 | at Bemidji State | Bemidji, MN | W 62–6 | 3,250 | [10] | ||
| October 12 | Moorhead State |
| W 19–0 | 3,800 | [11] | ||
| October 19 | at Minnesota Morris | Morris, MN | W 24–12 | 2,300 | [12] | ||
| October 26 | Southwest State (MN) |
| W 76–28 | 2,700 | [4] | ||
| November 2 | Ferris State* |
| W 17–0 | 2,100 | [13] | ||
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Jim Van Wagner
Jim Van Wagner, a 195-pound sophomore tailback from Novi, Michigan, led the team with 1,452 rushing yards,[13] breaking Michigan Tech's single-season record set by Larry Ras in 1971.[2] He led all Division II players with an average of 161.4 rushing yards per game.[2][15] Sports Illustrated wrote of Van Wagner:
As a soph in 1974 he led Division II in rushing with 1,453 yards. Archie Griffin and Anthony Davis made national headlines, but that November VanWagner had perhaps the most productive month a running back ever had. He gained 231 yards in just 16 carries against Bemidji, rushed a conference record 48 times for 217 yards in a win over Minnesota-Morris that clinched the Northern Intercollegiate Conference title and then rambled through Southwest State for 286 yards and six touchdowns in 30 carries.[16]
Records and awards
In a 76–28 victory over Southwest State (MN), the Huskies set several NIC single-game records, including total offense (670 yards), rushing yards (511), touchdowns (11), and points (76). Van Wagner also established new individual single-game records against Southwest State with 286 rushing yards and six touchdowns.[4]
After the season, Jim Kapp was named "NIC Football Coach of the Year", and six Michigan Tech players received first-team honors on the 1974 All-NIC team selected by the conference coaches. The first-team players were: sophomore tailback Jim Van Wagner; senior fullback Keith Morrison; senior tight end Dave Sprik; senior offensive guard Dan Rhude; junior offensive guard Tom Van Wagner; and junior linebacker Kurt Anderson. Rhude also received the NIC's "Glen Galligan Award" as the NIC's outstanding senior student-athlete.[17]
References
- ^ "Michigan Tech Yearly Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c Gary Larson (November 8, 1974). "Michigan Tech waiting". St. Cloud Daily Times. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Tech Yearly Totals". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "NIC Sport Review: Tech swamps Southwest to post unbeaten season". The Pioneer. Bemidji, Minnesota. November 1, 1974. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Tech clips Northwood". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. September 8, 1974. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Tech squeaks by St. Cloud". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. September 22, 1974. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MTU tops St. Cloud 3-0". The Winona Daily News. September 22, 1974. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MTU's James boys gun down WSC". The Winona Daily News. September 29, 1974. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tech Sets Record Defeating Winona". Green Bay Press-Gazette. September 29, 1974. p. D4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Tech rolls, 62-6". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. October 6, 1974. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tech Blanks Moorhead". Green Bay Press-Gazette. October 13, 1974. p. D8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Tech defeats Morris 24-12". Minneapolis Tribune. October 20, 1974. p. 9C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Tech End Perfect, 17-0". Detroit Free Press. November 3, 1974. p. 6E – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Final 1974 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ^ "McMillan Dominates Division II Listings". San Angelo Standard. Associated Press. November 8, 1974. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mike Delnagro (October 11, 1976). "A Rambling Wreck for Another Tech: This One's in Michigan, Where Jim Van Wagner Is a Heckuva Runner". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Whelan only Beaver on NIC All-Conference team". The Pioneer. Bemidji, Minnesota. November 20, 1974. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
