American college football season
The 1982 Northwestern Wildcats team represented Northwestern University during the 1982 Big Ten Conference football season . In their second year under head coach Dennis Green , the Wildcats compiled a 3–8 record (2–7 against Big Ten Conference opponents) and finished in a tie for eighth place in the Big Ten Conference .[ 2]
On September 25, Northwestern defeated Northern Illinois , 31–6, to end the Wildcats' 34-game losing streak, which remains the longest losing streak in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history.[ 3]
Green was awarded Big Ten Coach of the Year for the 1982 season. While the team's record is still the worst of any winner's team, the three wins equaled the team's total over the previous six seasons.[ 4]
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback Sandy Schwab with 2,735 passing yards, Ricky Edwards with 688 rushing yards, and Jon Harvey with 807 receiving yards.[ 5] Offensive tackle Chris Hinton received first-team All-Big Ten honors from both the Associated Press and the United Press International .[ 6] [ 7]
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 4 at Illinois L 13–4967,036 September 11 at Indiana L 0–3038,595 September 18 Miami (OH) * L 13–27 September 25 Northern Illinois * Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL W 31–6 October 2 at Iowa L 7–4559,750 October 9 Minnesota Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL W 31–2120,875 October 16 at Purdue L 21–3467,659 October 23 Michigan Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry ) L 14–4934,121 [ 8] [ 9] October 30 at Wisconsin L 20–5464,388 November 6 at Michigan State W 28–2453,513 November 13 Ohio State Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL L 28–4030,074
1982 Northwestern Wildcats football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense Special teams Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt
^ "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF) . 2007. p. 149. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2019 . ^ "1982 Northwestern Wildcats Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 22, 2016 . ^ Damer, Roy (February 2, 2024). "Dream come true! NU ends 34-game nightmare" . Chicago Tribune . ^ "Big Ten Coach of the Year Winners" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 14, 2018 . ^ "1982 Northwestern Wildcats Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 22, 2016 . ^ Joe Mooshil (November 30, 1982). "Carter, Bostic, Lukens Top All-Big Ten Football Team" . The Blade, Toledo, Ohio (AP story) . p. 26. ^ Barry Minkoff (November 23, 1982). "Michigan dominates All-Big Ten squads" . The Bryan Times (UPI story) . p. 13. ^ Roy Damer (October 24, 1982). "45-for-71! NU quarterback has a big day – but Michigan's is even bigger" . Chicago Tribune . pp. IV-1, IV-13 – via Newspapers.com . ^ Joe Lapointe (October 24, 1982). "U-M whips Wildcats" . Detroit Free Press . pp. 1E, 6E – via Newspapers.com .
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