1975 Arizona State Sun Devils football team
The 1975 Arizona State Sun Devils football team represented Arizona State University in the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. The offense scored 347 points, while the defense allowed 127 points. Led by head coach Frank Kush, the Sun Devils were undefeated in the regular season (11–0), perfect in Western Athletic Conference play (7–0), and won the Fiesta Bowl. After beating Nebraska, 17–14, Kush said, "From the players' standpoint, this was probably the most important game since I have been here. Not only was the game important for the recognition this team will receive, but it also helps gain recognition for the great teams and players we have had here in the past." They finished the season (12–0) overall and were ranked # 2 in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. On January 17, 1976 Sporting News Ranked ASU as the #1 team in College Football for the 1975 season. This was the only poll that recognized ASU as the National Champions.[1] This remains the highest ranked finish in Arizona State football history in both the AP and Coaches Poll.
| 1975 Arizona State Sun Devils football | |
|---|---|
WAC champion Fiesta Bowl champion | |
Fiesta Bowl, W 17–14 vs. Nebraska | |
| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 2 |
| AP | No. 2 |
| Record | 12–0 (7–0 WAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Defensive coordinator | Larry Kentera (5th season) |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Sun Devil Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Arizona State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Arizona | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 13 | Washington* | W 35–12 | 50,194 | |||
| September 13 | at TCU* | No. 18 | W 33–10 | |||
| September 27 | BYU | No. 13 |
| W 20–0 | 50,944 | |
| October 4 | Idaho* | No. 14 |
| W 29–3 | 44,262 | |
| October 11 | at New Mexico | No. 11 | W 16–10 | |||
| October 18 | at Colorado State | No. 11 | W 33–3 | 28,191 | ||
| October 25 | UTEP | No. 11 |
| W 24–6 | ||
| November 1 | at Utah | No. 10 | W 40–14 | 15,833 | ||
| November 8 | Wyoming | No. 10 |
| W 21–20 | 43,038 | [2] |
| November 15 | Pacific (CA)* | No. 8 |
| W 55–14 | ||
| November 29 | No. 12 Arizona | No. 8 |
| W 24–21 | ||
| December 26 | vs. No. 6 Nebraska* | No. 7 |
| W 17–14 | 51,396 | |
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Roster
| 1975 Arizona State Sun Devils football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Game summaries
Arizona
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1975 team players in the NFL
The following players were claimed in the 1976 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Mike Haynes | Defensive back | 1 | 5 | New England Patriots |
| Larry Gordon | Linebacker | 1 | 17 | Miami Dolphins |
| Randy Moore | Defensive tackle | 12 | 334 | Denver Broncos |
| Chris Lorenzen | Defensive tackle | 16 | 438 | Cleveland Browns |
References
- "azcentral.com – ASU's undefeated 1975 team: No. 2 ranking still stings after 40 years". azcentral.com. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- Bob Eger (November 9, 1975). "Sun Devils squeak by Wyoming, 21-20". Arizona Republic. pp. D1, D5 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Sun Devils go unbeaten, make Fiesta." Eugene Register-Guard. 1975 Nov 30.
- "1976 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.