1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football
NCAA Division II champion
Zia Bowl, W 38–21 vs. Youngstown State
Conference	Independent
Record	13–1
Head coach	Tubby Raymond (14th season);
Offensive coordinator	Ted Kempski (12th season)
Home stadium	Delaware Stadium
	Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 NCAA Division II independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Delaware ^		–		13	–	1	–	0
Towson State		–		9	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Morgan State ^		–		9	–	2	–	0
Eastern Washington		–		7	–	2	–	0
Nicholls State		–		8	–	3	–	0
United States International		–		8	–	3	–	0
American International		–		6	–	3	–	0
No. 10 Santa Clara		–		6	–	3	–	0
Kentucky State		–		6	–	5	–	0
Central State (OH)		–		5	–	5	–	0
Central Connecticut		–		4	–	5	–	0
James Madison		–		4	–	5	–	0
West Chester		–		4	–	7	–	0
Southern Connecticut State		–		3	–	7	–	0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		–		2	–	8	–	0

^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1979 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as an independent during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by 14th year head coach Tubby Raymond and played their home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.

The Fightin' Blue Hens had a record of 13–1 and became the NCAA Division II champion following a 38–21 win over Youngstown State in the Zia Bowl on December 8. The team was named the Lambert Cup Eastern Champions for being the best NCAA Division II football team in the East,^[1] and the team also earned Eastern College Athletic Conference Team of the Year honors. Delaware led Division II football in attendance, with 19,644 attendees per regular season home game.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Rhode Island		Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	W 34–14	7,141	^[3]
September 15	West Chester		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 42–6	18,975	^[4]
September 22	Temple		Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 14–31	22,068	^[5]
September 29	Merchant Marine	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 65–0	17,081	^[6]
October 6	Lehigh	No. 2	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 21–14	20,636	^[7]
October 13	at Villanova	No. 1	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (rivalry)	W 21–20	14,500	^[8]
October 20	C.W. Post	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 47–19	20,343	^[9]
October 27	William & Mary	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (rivalry)	W 40–0	19,728	^[10]
November 3	Maine	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	W 31–14	18,679	^[11]
November 10	at No. 2 Youngstown State	No. 1	Rayen Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 51–45	13,142	^[12]
November 17	at Colgate	No. 1	Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY	W 24–16	5,000	^[13]
November 24	No. 6 Virginia Union	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	W 58–28	14,357	^[14]
December 1	No. 5 Mississippi College	No. 1	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE (NCAA Division II Semifinal)	W 60–10	13,787	^[15]
December 8	vs. No. 2 Youngstown State	No. 1	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM (NCAA Division II Championship Game—Zia Bowl)	W 38–21	4,000	^[16]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[17]

Post-season honors

After the season, senior quarterback Scott Brunner earned American Football Coaches Association first-team All-America honors, Associated Press (AP) second-team All-America honors, All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year honors, and first-team All-ECAC honors. Guard Herb Beck earned AP first-team All-America honors. Fullback Bo Dennis, tight end Jaime Young, center Mike Donnalley, linebacker Mike Wisniewski, cornerback Vince Hyland, and safety Guy Ramsey earned AP honorable mention All-America honors. Dennis, Young, Beck, Donnalley, Wisniewski, Hyland, Ramsey, and kicker Brandt Kennedy earned first-team All-East (ECAC) honors.^[18]