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1971 Toledo Rockets football team

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1971 Toledo Rockets football
MAC champion
Tangerine Bowl champion
Tangerine Bowl, W 28–3 vs. Richmond
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 14
Record12–0 (5–0 MAC)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumGlass Bowl
Seasons
← 1970
1972 →
1971 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 Toledo $ 5 – 0 – 0 12 – 0 – 0
Bowling Green 4 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Western Michigan 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Miami (OH) 2 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Ohio 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Kent State 0 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach Jack Murphy, the Rockets compiled a 12–0 record, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 383 to 96, and won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship. The season ended with a 28–3 victory over Southern Conference champion Richmond in the 1970 Tangerine Bowl.[1] The Rockets were ranked No. 14 in the final AP Poll and No. 13 in the final UPI Poll.[2]

The 1971 season was part of a 35-game winning streak that consisted of three consecutive seasons from 1969 through 1971. During the streak, Toledo won three consecutive MAC championships and three consecutive bowl games, led the nation in total defense all three years, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 1,152 to 344.[3] It remains the second longest winning streak in modern Division I-A college football history behind Oklahoma's 47-game streak in the 1950s.[4] The defense led the way for the 1971 team, allowing only 164.6 total yards per game, a figure which remains a school record.[5]

Quarterback Chuck Ealey, who had led Toledo to all three undefeated seasons, finished eighth in the 1971 Heisman Trophy voting with 168 points.[6] Ealey was also selected as a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Football News.[7][8] For the third consecutive year, Ealey was also named the MAC Back of the Year.[9] For the second consecutive year, he received the Jim Nicholson Award as the player contributing the most to the team's success.[10]

Defensive tackle Mel Long was a consensus All-American,[11] receiving first-team honors from the Associated Press,[12] FWAA,[7] Newspaper Enterprise Association,[13] and United Press International.[12] Long was the first consensus All-American in MAC history.[3] Long was also named MAC Lineman of the Year for the second consecutive year.[9]

Five Toledo players received first-team All-MAC honors: Chuck Ealey, Mel Long, tailback Joe Schwartz, end Don Fair, tight end Al Baker, defensive end Bob Rose, linebacker John Niezgoda, and defensive backs Gary Hinkson and John Saunders.[14] The team captains were Ealey, Long and Hinkson.[15]

The team's statistical leaders included Chuck Ealey with 1,821 passing yards, Joe Schwartz with 1,130 rushing yards and 120 points scored, Don Fair with 773 receiving yards, and John Niezgoda with 178 tackles.[16]

Jack Murphy had been an assistant coach at Toledo under Frank Lauterbur. After Lauterbur resigned in December 1970 to become head football coach at Iowa, Murphy was named as the new head coach.[17] In his first year as Toledo's head coach, Murphy was named MAC Coach of the Year.[9]

The Rockets played their home game in the Glass Bowl. The attendance at five home games was 98,360, an average of 19,672 per game.[5]

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 11at East Carolina*
W 45–015,000[18]
September 18Villanova*
W 10–7
September 25at UT Arlington*No. 19
W 23–011,157[19]
October 2Ohio
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 31–28
October 9at Bowling GreenNo. 20
W 24–7
October 16Western MichiganNo. 17
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 35–24
October 23Dayton*No. 14
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 35–7
October 30at Miami (OH)No. 15
W 45–6
November 6at Northern IllinoisNo. 14
W 23–8
November 13at MarshallNo. 14
W 43–0
November 20Kent StateNo. 13
  • Glass Bowl
  • Toledo, OH
W 41–620,201[20]
December 28vs. Richmond*No. 14
W 28–316,750[21]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[22]

Roster

[edit]
1971 Toledo Rockets football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 16 Chuck Ealey Sr
OT 70 Jim Goodman Sr
C 64 Scott Johnson Sr
TE 81 Jim Wells Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 77 Mel Long Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

After the season

[edit]

NFL Draft

[edit]

The following Rockets were selected in the 1972 NFL draft following the season.[23]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
4 87 John Saunders Defensive back Los Angeles Rams
11 278 Mel Long Linebacker Cleveland Browns

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Toledo Football 2015 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Toledo. 2015. p. 190.
  2. ^ 2015 Media Guide, p. 196.
  3. ^ a b 2015 Media Guide, p. 138.
  4. ^ Ron Musselman (October 4, 2001). "Toledo to celebrate 30th anniversary of 35-0 football streak". The Blade (Toledo).
  5. ^ a b 2015 Media Guide, p. 199.
  6. ^ 2015 Media Guide, p. 149.
  7. ^ a b Ted Gangi (ed.). "FWAA All-America Since 1944: The All-Time Team" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "Walker, Majors All-Americans on Two Teams". The Nashville Tennessean. November 24, 1971. p. 15.
  9. ^ a b c 2015 Media Guide, p. 148.
  10. ^ 2015 Media Guide, p. 160.
  11. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "All-America Lists". News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio). December 2, 1971. p. 42.
  13. ^ "1971 NEA All-America". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 27, 1971. p. 3D.
  14. ^ 2015 Media Guide, pp. 146-147.
  15. ^ 2015 Media Guide, p. 164.
  16. ^ 2015 Media Guide, pp. 218-222.
  17. ^ 2015 Media Guide, p. 166.
  18. ^ "Toledo wallops outmanned East Carolina". Rocky Mount Telegram. September 12, 1971. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Rockets sock it to UT-Arlington". Dayton Daily News. September 26, 1971. Retrieved January 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  20. ^ "Toledo 41 Kent State 6". News Journal. Mansfield, Ohio. November 21, 1971. p. Sports 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Richmond falls in Tangerine, Toledo back in orbit". The Cincinnati Enquirer. December 29, 1971. Retrieved October 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "1971 Toledo Rockets Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  23. ^ "1972 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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