1982 Arizona Wildcats football team

1982 Arizona Wildcats football
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record6–4–1 (4–3–1 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSteve Axman (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorMoe Ankney (3rd season)
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1981
1983 →
1982 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 UCLA $ 5 1 1 10 1 1
No. 7 Washington 6 2 0 10 2 0
No. 6 Arizona State 5 2 0 10 2 0
No. 15 USC 5 2 0 8 3 0
Arizona 4 3 1 6 4 1
California 4 4 0 7 4 0
Stanford 3 5 0 5 6 0
Washington State 2 4 1 3 7 1
Oregon 2 6 0 2 8 1
Oregon State 0 7 1 1 9 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1982 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their third season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled a 6–4–1 record (4–3–1 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in fifth place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents, 311 to 219.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Despite being bowl-eligible with a winning record, the Wildcats did not appear in a bowl game, as they self-imposed a postseason ban due to NCAA violations prior to Smith becoming coach in 1980 (see below).

Memorable highlights of the season included a big road win at Notre Dame and a huge upset of rival Arizona State which denied ASU a chance to potentially play in the Rose Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included Tom Tunnicliffe with 2,520 passing yards, Vance Johnson with 443 rushing yards, and Brad Anderson with 870 receiving yards.[3] Linebacker Ricky Hunley led the team with 173 total tackles.[4]

  1. ^ "1982 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  2. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "1982 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  4. ^ 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.