1980 Arizona Wildcats football team

1980 Arizona Wildcats football
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record5–6 (3–4 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSteve Axman (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorMoe Ankney (1st season)
CaptainHubie Oliver
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1979
1981 →
1980 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 16 Washington $ 6 1 0 9 3 0
No. 13 UCLA 5 2 0 9 2 0
No. 11 USC 4 2 1 8 2 1
Arizona State 5 3 0 7 4 0
Oregon 4 3 1 6 3 2
Stanford 3 4 0 6 5 0
Arizona 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington State 3 4 0 4 7 0
California 3 5 0 3 8 0
Oregon State 0 8 0 0 11 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record (3–4 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10, and were outscored by their opponents, 275 to 215.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

Despite finishing the season with a 5–6 record, the Wildcats defeated UCLA (who was ranked second at the time), which would become the first of several signature moments during Smith's tenure with the program.[3]

The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tunnicliffe with 1,204 passing yards, Hubert Oliver with 655 rushing yards, and Tim Holmes with 545 receiving yards.[4] Linebacker Jack Housley led the team with 104 total tackles.[5]

  1. ^ "1980 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Wildcats upset second-ranked Bruins for huge homecoming win". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 3, 1980.
  4. ^ "1980 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  5. ^ 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.