1979 Arizona Wildcats football team

1979 Arizona Wildcats football
Fiesta Bowl, L 10–16 vs. Pittsburgh
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record6–5–1 (4–3 Pac-10)
Head coach
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1978
1980 →
1979 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 USC $ 6 0 1 11 0 1
No. 11 Washington 5 2 0 9 3 0
Arizona 4 3 0 6 5 1
Oregon 4 3 0 6 5 0
California 5 4 0 6 6 0
Stanford 3 3 1 5 5 1
Arizona State 3 4 0 6 6 0
UCLA 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington State 2 6 0 3 8 0
Oregon State 1 7 0 1 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • † – Arizona State later forfeited 5 wins (3 in conference) due to NCAA sanctions[1]
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third and final season under head coach Tony Mason, the Wildcats compiled a 6–5–1 record (4–3 in Pac-10, third), lost to Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl,[2] and outscored their opponents, 244 to 243.[3][4] The team played its home games on campus at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona's statistical leaders included Jim Krohn with 1,094 passing yards, Hubert Oliver with 1,021 rushing yards, and Tim Holmes with 319 receiving yards.[5] Linebacker Sam Giangardella led the team with 112 total tackles.[6]

Mason was dismissed as coach in April 1980 in the wake of an alleged corruption scandal involving the program.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "'Cats come up short in Fiesta Bowl". Arizona Daily Star. December 26, 1979.
  3. ^ "1979 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "1979 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  6. ^ 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.
  7. ^ "Grid coach at Arizona forced out". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. April 7, 1980. p. 1C.
  8. ^ "Mason resigns from Arizona post". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. April 8, 1980. p. 19.
  9. ^ "Mason out as UA football coach in wake of alleged fraud scandal". Arizona Daily Star. April 7, 1980.