1983 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

1983 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	3–8 (1–6 SoCon)
Head coach	Buddy Sasser (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Ayers (1st season)
Home stadium	Memorial Center

1983 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Furman $^	6	–	0	–	1			10	–	2	–	1
No. 9 Western Carolina ^	5	–	0	–	1			11	–	3	–	1
Chattanooga	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Appalachian State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Marshall	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
VMI	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
The Citadel	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
East Tennessee State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1983 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team was an American football team that represented East Tennessee State University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by first-year head coach Buddy Sasser, the Buccaneers compiled and overall record of 3–8, with a mark of 1–6 in conference play, and finished tied for seventh in the SoCon.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	at Eastern Kentucky*	Hanger Field Richmond, KY	L 15–21	9,200	[1]
September 10	Tennessee Tech*	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	W 14–7	8,253	[2]
September 24	at Western Carolina	E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	L 16–17		[3]
October 1	No. 14 Appalachian State	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	L 11–27	9,565	[4]
October 8	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	L 10–13	7,889	[5]
October 15	Georgia Southern*	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	W 24–7	7,248	[6]
October 22	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	L 12–24	3,200	[7]
October 29	at East Carolina*	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	L 9–21	33,767	[8]
November 5	at No. 4 Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	L 7–28	12,165	[9]
November 12	The Citadel	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	W 45–0	4,469	[10]
November 19	Chattanooga	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN	L 10–13	4,113	[11]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "ETSU falls to powerful EKU, 21–15". Kingsport Times-News. September 4, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sasser wins first at East Tennessee". The Greenville News. September 11, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bucs lose, 17–16". Kingsport Times-News. September 25, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "ETSU falls, 27–11". Kingsport Times-News. October 2, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Marshall 13, E. Tennessee State 10". The State. October 9, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Bucs take long time to gain win". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 16, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bridges sparks VMI Keydets to first victory of year". The Daily News Leader. October 23, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Bucs gain moral win in defeat". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 30, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Big plays send Bucs to defeat". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 6, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bucs blast Citadel 45–0". Bristol Herald Courier. November 13, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "UT–Chattanooga 13, ETSU 10". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 20, 1983. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.