1973 Illinois State Redbirds Football Team - Wikipedia

The 1973 Illinois State Redbirds football team finished their independent season under head coach Gerry Hart with a 5–6 record.

Operating in their second season under head coach Gerry Hart, the Redbirds compiled a 5–6 record during an autumn schedule, Wikipedia reported.

The campaign opened on September 8 with a 34–29 loss to Milwaukee before a crowd of 8,327. A week later, Stephen F. Austin defeated Illinois State 9–7 in front of 9,000 spectators.

The team secured its first victory on September 22 by defeating The Citadel 24–6 at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois, relying on a strong ground attack in front of 9,000 fans, according to The Pantagraph. Another road win followed on September 29 as the Redbirds outscored Southwest Missouri State 20–3.

October brought a tight defensive struggle on October 6 resulting in a 6–3 loss at Central Michigan before 18,822 attendees. The team rebounded in the annual rivalry game on October 20 at Hancock Stadium, shutting out Eastern Illinois 17–0 in front of an 18,500-person crowd.

The schedule grew tougher as October closed, with Northern Illinois securing a 28–14 victory in Normal on October 27 before 6,000 fans. Arkansas State then defeated the Redbirds 20–3 on November 3 in front of 38,700 spectators.

Late November brought a bounce-back win when Illinois State held off Indiana State 21–17 on November 10 before 4,400 people. A week later on November 17, Ball State used a ground attack to defeat the Redbirds 27–18 in front of 4,570 attendees.

The season concluded on November 24 at Hancock Stadium with a 10–8 victory over Southern Illinois witnessed by 4,000 fans, a game that wasted a strong defensive effort from the Salukis.