The 1983 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho

University of Idaho

The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...

 in the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Vandals

Idaho Vandals football

The Idaho Vandals are a college football team that represents the University of Idaho. The Vandals currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I...

, led by second-year head coach Dennis Erickson

Dennis Erickson

Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...

, were members of the Big Sky Conference

Big Sky Conference

The Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I, with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the states of Arizona,...

 and played their home games at the Kibbie Dome

Kibbie Dome

The William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium in Moscow, Idaho, on the campus of the University of Idaho...

, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow

Moscow, Idaho

Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

.

Led by senior quarterback Ken Hobart

Ken Hobart

Kenneth Charles "Ken" Hobart is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the USFL and CFL, where he played from 1985-90.-Collegiate career:...

, the Vandals finished 8-3 in the regular season and 4-3 in the Big Sky to tie for third with rival , whom they defeated for the second straight year and for the first time in six tries in Moscow; it was the second of twelve straight over the Broncos.

The Vandals won four of five home games in 1983, losing to nemesis , the 1983 Big Sky champion, for the fifth year in a row. The Vandals also lost to the conference runner-up, Idaho State; both of whom were selected for the 12-team I-AA playoffs. Idaho won all four of its non-conference games, but three were against Division II and NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 opponents.

Although Idaho missed the I-AA playoffs, the 1983 season marked the first time in over four decades that the Vandals had consecutive winning seasons in football; it was last accomplished in 1938.

Notable players

Senior quarterback Ken Hobart

Ken Hobart

Kenneth Charles "Ken" Hobart is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the USFL and CFL, where he played from 1985-90.-Collegiate career:...

 led the 1983 Vandals to an 8-3 record and named a Division I-AA All-American. Selected in the second round of 1984 USFL

United States Football League

The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...

 Draft by Jacksonville

Jacksonville Bulls

The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985...

, he was traded to Denver

Denver Gold

The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985...

 during the season and then spent six seasons (1985-90) in the CFL

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

. He was selected tenth in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft

1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL Players

The National Football League held a draft of United States Football League and Canadian Football League players on June 5, 1984. In an attempt to head off a bidding war in its own ranks for USFL and CFL players. NFL teams chose 84 players from 224 available during the three-round selection meeting...

 by the New York Jets

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

, but never played in the NFL

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

.

1983 season schedule