American college football season
1978 Ball State Cardinals football Conference Mid-American Conference Record 10–1 (8–0 MAC) Head coach Dwight Wallace (1st season) Captain Ken Kremer, Rick Morrison, Bill Stahl Home stadium Ball State Stadium Seasons
1978 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.
Overall
Team
W
L
T
W
L
T
Ball State $
8
–
0
–
0
10
–
1
–
0
Central Michigan
8
–
1
–
0
9
–
2
–
0
Miami (OH)
5
–
2
–
0
8
–
2
–
1
Western Michigan
5
–
4
–
0
7
–
4
–
0
Bowling Green
3
–
5
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Ohio
3
–
5
–
0
3
–
8
–
0
Northern Illinois
2
–
4
–
0
5
–
6
–
0
Kent State
2
–
6
–
0
4
–
7
–
0
Toledo
2
–
7
–
0
2
–
9
–
0
Eastern Michigan
1
–
5
–
0
3
–
7
–
0
The 1978 Ball State Cardinals football team was an American football team that represented Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its first season under head coach Dwight Wallace, the team compiled a 10–1 record (8–0 against conference opponents) and won the MAC championship. Ball state did not have another 10-win season until 2008, when they started the season at 12-0 before losing their conference championship game and their bowl game.[ 1] [ 2] The team played its home games at Ball State Stadium in Muncie, Indiana.
The team's statistical leaders included Dave Wilson with 1,037 passing yards, Archie Currin with 735 rushing yards, Ray Hinton with 417 receiving yards, and Mark O'Connell with 60 points scored.[ 3] Brady Hoke was a member of the team.
Schedule [ edit ]
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 9 Miami (OH) Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN W 38–1417,875 [ 4]
September 16 Kent State Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN W 27–315,225 [ 5]
September 23 Toledo Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN W 20–015,630 [ 6]
September 30 at Central Michigan Perry Shorts Stadium Mount Pleasant, MI W 27–020,216 [ 7]
October 7 Indiana State* Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN (Blue Key Victory Bell) W 7–018,323 [ 8]
October 14 at Louisiana Tech* Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA L 7–1712,526 [ 9]
October 21 at Illinois State* Hancock Stadium Normal, IL W 14–78,500 [ 10]
October 28 at Eastern Michigan Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI W 21–05,505 [ 11]
November 4 at Bowling Green Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH W 39–1415,069 [ 12]
November 11 Western Michigan Ball State Stadium Muncie, IN W 20–1417,110 [ 13]
November 18 at Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL (rivalry) W 31–138,041 [ 14]
References [ edit ]
^ "2007 Ball State Football Media Guide" . Ball State University. 2007. p. 98. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
^ "1978 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sport Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
^ "1978 Ball State Cardinals Statistics" . SR/College Football . Sport Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
^ "Ball State overwhelms Miami, 38–14" . Chronicle Tribune . September 10, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Kent dilemma continues" . The Akron Beacon Journal . September 17, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Wilson's aerials give Ball State 11th straight win" . Palladium-Item . September 24, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ball State gives Central a 27–0 whippin' in MAC" . The Flint Journal . October 1, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Cards survive ISU, 7–0, for 13th straight" . The Star Press . October 8, 1978. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Louisiana Tech scoots past BSU" . The Star Press . October 15, 1978. Retrieved July 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ball State holds on for 14–7 win" . Chronicle Tribune . October 22, 1978. Retrieved October 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Abney grabs TD pass for Cardinals" . The Kokomo Tribune . October 29, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ball State 39, B. Green 14" . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . November 5, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Wilson-to-Hinton TD saves BSU" . The Star Press . November 12, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "NIU loses chance at finishing .500" . Chicago Tribune . November 19, 1978. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Venues
Ball State Field (1924–1967)
Scheumann Stadium (1967–present)
Bowls & rivalries
Bowl games
Indiana State (Blue Key Victory Bell)
Northern Illinois (Bronze Stalk Trophy)
Culture & lore
Charlie Cardinal
The Pride of Mid-America Marching Band
People
Head coaches
NFL draftees
Statistical leaders
Seasons
Cincinnati (1947)
Miami (OH) (1948)
Cincinnati (1949)
Miami (OH) (1950)
Cincinnati (1951)
Cincinnati (1952)
Ohio (1953)
Miami (OH) (1954)
Miami (OH) (1955)
Bowling Green (1956)
Miami (OH) (1957)
Miami (OH) (1958)
Bowling Green (1959)
Ohio (1960)
Bowling Green (1961)
Bowling Green (1962)
Ohio (1963)
Bowling Green (1964)
Bowling Green & Miami (OH) (1965)
Miami (OH) & Western Michigan (1966)
Ohio & Toledo (1967)
Ohio (1968)
Toledo (1969)
Toledo (1970)
Toledo (1971)
Kent State (1972)
Miami (OH) (1973)
Miami (OH) (1974)
Miami (OH) (1975)
Ball State (1976)
Miami (OH) (1977)
Ball State (1978)
Central Michigan (1979)
Central Michigan (1980)
Toledo (1981)
Bowling Green (1982)
Northern Illinois (1983)
Toledo (1984)
Bowling Green (1985)
Miami (OH) (1986)
Eastern Michigan (1987)
Western Michigan (1988)
Ball State (1989)
Central Michigan & Toledo (1990)
Bowling Green (1991)
Bowling Green (1992)
Ball State (1993)
Central Michigan (1994)
Toledo (1995)
Ball State (1996)
Marshall (1997)
Marshall (1998)
Marshall (1999)
Marshall (2000)
Toledo (2001)
Marshall (2002)
Miami (OH) (2003)
Toledo (2004)
Akron (2005)
Central Michigan (2006)
Central Michigan (2007)
Buffalo (2008)
Central Michigan (2009)
Miami (OH) (2010)
Northern Illinois (2011)
Northern Illinois (2012)
Bowling Green (2013)
Northern Illinois (2014)
Bowling Green (2015)
Western Michigan (2016)
Toledo (2017)
Northern Illinois (2018)
Miami (OH) (2019)
Ball State (2020)
Northern Illinois (2021)
Toledo (2022)
Miami (OH) (2023)
Ohio (2024)