1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game

Postseason college football game the Division I-AA (now FCS) championship game the Division I-A (now FBS) champions 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season August 2023 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship I-AA National Championship GamePioneer Bowl 1978 NCAA Division I-AA 1978 December 16 Florida A&M University Florida A&M Rattlers 11–1 SIAC Rudy Hubbard 3 0 14 7 14 University of Massachusetts UMass Minutemen 9–3 Yankee Conference Bob Pickett 4 (tie) 3 3 9 13 Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, Texas 13,604http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_champs_records/2012/d1/2012FCSfbchamp.pdf Division I Championship NCAA 2013 14 May 11, 2019 ncaa.org ABC Sports Bill Flemming (play-by-play), Frank Broyles (color)https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31516964/abc_still_owes_the_rattlers_one/ ABC still owes the Rattlers one Brian Richardson Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida 5D December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com yes 1979 The 1978 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the Florida A&M Rattlers and the UMass Minutemen. The game was played on December 16, 1978, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The culminating game of the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by Florida A&M, 35–28.https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/17/archives/umass-toppled-in-bowl-3528-angelo-state-34-elon-14.html UMass Toppled in Bowl, 35-28 AP The New York Times December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 This was the first season of I-AA play, and the first championship game for the newly formed division. The game was also known as the Pioneer Bowl,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28224327/iaa_finals_set_at_pioneer_bowl/ I-AA Finals Set At Pioneer Bowl David Climer The Tennessean Nashville, Tennessee 20 July 22, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com a name that had been used starting in 1971 for various NCAA playoff games held in Wichita Falls. Teams The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1978 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a four-team bracket. Florida A&M Rattlers 1978 Florida A&M Rattlers football team In 1978, Florida A&M was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), a Division II conference. The university had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31514902/florida_am_granted_divison_1_status/ Florida A&M granted Division 1 status Barry Cooper Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida 1B August 31, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com Florida A&M finished their regular season with a 9–1 record; their only loss was to Tennessee State.http://cfbinfo.com/team/florida-am-rattlers/1978 Florida A&M Rattlers 1978 Schedule cfbinfo.com May 13, 2019 April 8, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230408025933/http://cfbinfo.com/team/florida-am-rattlers/1978 dead Ranked third in the final AP Poll for I-AA,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31516364/reno_gets_playoff_berth/ Reno gets playoff berth AP Billings Gazette Billings, Montana 1-B November 21, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com and then having defeated Grambling State in the Orange Blossom Classic played on December 2, the Rattlers were the at-large selection to the four-team playoff. They defeated Jackson State, the South selection, by a score of 15–10 to reach the final. UMass Minutemen 1978 UMass Minutemen football team UMass finished their regular season with an 8–3 record (5–0 in conference)—all of their losses were to Division I-A programs; Villanova, Harvard, and Rutgers.http://cfbinfo.com/team/massachusetts-minutemen/1978 Massachusetts Minutemen 1978 Schedule cfbinfo.com May 13, 2019 October 7, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251007022320/http://cfbinfo.com/team/massachusetts-minutemen/1978 dead Tied with Western Kentucky for fourth in the final AP Poll for I-AA, the Minutemen were the East selection to the playoff. They defeated Nevada, the West selection, by a 44–21 score to reach the final. Game summary The game was played in a strong wind, estimated at 20 - 25 mph kph. It was a factor, especially with Florida A&M, as Sammy Knight punted six times for only 45 total yards; he also had two punts blocked. UMass led early, going ahead 6–0 on two field goals. Florida A&M held a 14–6 lead at halftime, but trailed twice in the second half, as UMass had leads of 15–14 and 22–21. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by fullback Mike Solomon then provided Florida A&M with the winning margin. Florida A&M won without completing a pass from scrimmage, as quarterback Albert Chester went 0-for-7 with two interceptions; he did successfully pass for a two-point conversion, and ran for two touchdowns. Florida A&M placekicker Vince Coleman, who was 3-for-3 on extra points, would go on to play 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably with the St. Louis Cardinals.https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-05-12-8501290837-story.html Cards' Rookie Looks Like a Steal Jody Homer Chicago Tribune May 12, 1985 May 14, 2019 Note: contemporary news reports listed attendance as 14,000 (estimated); NCAA records indicate 13,604. Scoring summary FAMU MASS 1 10:18 MASS 9 40 FG 20 Sandro Vitiello 0 3 2 10:14 MASS 4 (-2) FG 20 Vitiello 0 6 2 8:30 FAMU 55 RushTD Albert Chester 1 good Vince Coleman 7 6 2 4:22 FAMU 49 RushTD Chester 4 good Coleman 14 6 3 6:54 MASS 3 8 RushTD Cliff Pedro 1 pass incomplete 14 12 3 1:57 MASS 37 FG 29 Vitiello 14 15 3 FAMU 2 71 RushTD Mike Solomon 65 good Coleman 21 15 4 12:56 MASS 3 13 RecTD Pedro Mike McEvilly 9 good Vitiello 21 22 4 8:14 FAMU 1 28 RushTD Solomon 28 pass good (Emanuel White from Chester) 29 22 4 3:15 FAMU 8 55 RushTD Solomon 20 pass failed 35 22 4 0:00 MASS RecTD Chris Kurtz McEvilly 34 pass failed 35 28 35 28 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31547045/famu_captures_a_national_title/ FAMU captures a national title Barry Cooper Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida 1A December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/31547114/famu_contd/ FAMU (cont'd) Barry Cooper Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida 7A December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/31516987/am_figures/ A&M figures Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, Florida 5D December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com Game statistics Rattlers 0 14 7 14 Minutemen 3 3 9 13 thumb|right|upright|Florida A&M head coach Rudy Hubbard Florida A&M Rattlers FAMU UMass Minutemen MASS 20 83–470 76–470 0 0–7–2 11 69–241 45–116 125 8–24–1 Florida A&M Rattlers Florida A&M UMass Minutemen UMass Albert Chester 0–7, 2 INT Mike Solomon 27 car, 207 yds, 3 TD none — Mike McEvilly 8–24, 125 yds, 2 TD 1 INT Hank Sareault 16 car, 71 yds Chris Kurtz 2 rec, 46 yds, 1 TD https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31516882/famu_wins_it_all_3528/ FAMU Wins It All, 35-28 Brian Schmitz Fort Lauderdale News Fort Lauderdale, Florida 1C December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.comhttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/31516834/famu_rattlers_strike_back_for_iaa/ FAMU Rattlers Strike Back For I-AA Championship Brian Schmitz Fort Lauderdale News Fort Lauderdale, Florida 10C December 17, 1978 May 13, 2019 newspapers.com See also 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings References Further reading https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2018/06/22/famu-documentary-celebrates-1978-championship/723104002/ Rattler Redux: FAMU documentary celebrates 1978 championship Rory Sharrock Tallahassee Democrat June 22, 2018 May 12, 2019 https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2018/09/16/rattlers-title-season-never-repeated/1318544002/ FAMU's 1978 national title: The first and last of its kind Rory Sharrock Tallahassee Democrat September 16, 2018 May 12, 2019 Championship Game Category:NCAA Division I Football Championship Games Category:Florida A&M Rattlers football games Category:UMass Minutemen football games Category:American football competitions in Texas Category:Sports in Wichita Falls, Texas NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game