Year: | 1982 |
Team: | Plymouth State Panthers |
Sport: | football |
Conference: | New England Football Conference |
Short Conf: | NEFC |
Record: | 10–0 |
Conf Record: | 9–0 |
Head Coach: | Jay Cottone |
Hc Year: | 2nd |
Off Coach: | Charlie Currier |
Oc Year: | 9th |
Def Coach: | Lou Desloges |
Dc Year: | 5th |
Stadium: | Panther Field |
Champion: | NEFC champion Lambert Trophy |
The 1982 Plymouth State Panthers football team was an American football team that represented Plymouth State University as a member of the New England Football Conference (NEFC) during the 1982 NCAA Division III football season. In their second year under head coach Jay Cottone, the Panthers compiled a perfect 10–0 record (9–0 against NEFC opponents), won the NEFC championship, outscored opponents by a total of 414 to 48, and received the Lambert Trophy as the best Division III team in the east. The team had a nine-game winning streak at the end of the 1981 season and extended that streak to 19 games.[1] [2] [3] At the time, it was the longest active winning streak at any level of college football.[4]
The team gave up only 122.2 yards and 4.8 points per game on defense while the offense averaged 41.4 points per game.[5] Freshman running back Joe Dudek rushed for 1,094 yards on 123 carries (121.6 yards per game), scored 16 touchdowns, and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.[6] Other statistical leaders included quarterback Kevin Bradley with 1,151 passing yards and Scott Anson with 37 catches for 529 receiving yards.
The team played its home games at Panther Field in Plymouth, New Hampshire.