1983 Waynesburg Yellow Jackets football team

The 1983 Waynesburg Yellow Jackets football team was an American football team that represented the Waynesburg University during the 1983 NAIA Division II football season. In their first year under head coach William Tornabene, the Yellow Jackets compiled a record of 6–3–1 record.^[1]

In 1983, Waynesburg secured the program's 300th victory. The program was also placed on probation by the NAIA for providing improper financial aid to two football players.^[2]

Waynesburg's passing leader in 1983 was quarterback Tim Garry with 1,775 passing yards.^[3] Running back Otto Birkhead led the team with 509 rushing yards, averaging 9.3 yards per carry.^[4] Otto Birkhead and Matt Toney each led the team with 28 receptions, but Toney led all receivers with 495 receiving yards. Mike Zeglen, the kicker, led the team in scoring with 29 points.^[3]

Waynesburg's defensive leaders in 1983 were defensive back Steven Burchianti and Linebacker Kevin Jozwiakowski.^[5][6][7]

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 3	Glenville State	John F. Wiley Stadium Waynesburg, PA	T 7–7	[8]
September 10	IUP	George P. Miller Stadium Indiana, PA	L 0–21	[9]
September 17	Fairmont State	John F. Wiley Stadium Waynesburg, PA	W 14–13	[10][11][12]
September 24	Geneva	Reeves Field Beaver Falls, PA	W 17–6	[13]
October 1	at Duquesne	South High Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	W 23–6	[14][15][16]
October 8	Emory and Henry	John F. Wiley Stadium Waynesburg, PA	W 24–7	[17]
October 15	Frostburg State	Bobcat Stadium Frostburg, MD	W 24-17	[18]
October 23	at Westminster (PA)	New Wilmington, PA	L 2–20	[19][20]
October 29	Grove City	Robert E. Thorn Field Grove City, PA	W 14–9	[21]
November 5	Salem	Catalano Stadium Salem, WV	L 21–6	[22][23]
Homecoming

Waynesburg College opened its 1983 football season with a hard-fought 7–7 tie against Glenville State, in a game marked by stout defense and timely plays on both sides.^[24] Glenville State struck first, capitalizing on a second-quarter drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Metheny to Jim Bird. Mark Szklennik’s extra point gave the Pioneers a 7–0 lead that held until the final quarter. Waynesburg responded in the fourth quarter.^[24] With 10:14 remaining, quarterback Tim Garry connected with Matt Toney on a 22-yard touchdown pass, and Mike Zeglen nailed the extra point to even the score. Neither team would find the end zone again as the defenses held firm to preserve the tie.^[24] Statistically, Glenville outgained Waynesburg with 306 yards of total offense, including 159 rushing yards on 51 attempts. Running back Byron Brooks led all rushers with 117 yards on 28 carries. Metheny completed 13 of 27 passes for 147 yards but was intercepted three times by a resilient Waynesburg defense, which also blocked a key field goal to help keep the game within reach. Waynesburg totaled 230 offensive yards, with 113 coming on the ground and 117 through the air.^[24] Gary finished 17 of 31 passing with one interception. Despite falling behind early, the Yellow Jackets showed resolve and defensive strength in earning the road draw to open their season.^[25]

Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) defeated Waynesburg College 21–0. The game was a defensive stalemate at half with neither team posting any points. In the third quarter, IUP’s offense eventually wore down the Waynesburg defensive line with its consistent rushing attack while Waynesburg's offense was unable to find its footing. In total, Waynesburg’s offense was limited to just 106 total yards on the day and the Yellow Jackets' running backs were held to just 21 rushing yards on twelve attempts.

On the other hand, IUP marched down the field in the second half with three scoring drives of 48, 70, and 90 yards. Despite entering the Waynesburg 35-yard line on eight separate occasions, the Crimson Hawks capitalized for just three touchdowns. IUP Quarterback Jeff Ingold led the aerial attack, completing 19 of 30 passes for 254 yards. On the ground, IUP tailback Seidel powered the run game with 133 yards on 21 carries.^[26]

In a tightly contested home game, Waynesburg College erased a 13-point halftime deficit to edge Fairmont State 14–13.^[12] The Yellow Jackets scored twice in the second half and converted a crucial two-point attempt to seal the comeback win.^[27]

Fairmont controlled the first half behind quarterback Mark Johnson, who completed 14 of 19 passes for 185 yards, including a four-yard touchdown to Joe Thompson.^[12] Kicker Eric Soliday added field goals of 39 and 37 yards in the second quarter to give the Falcons their 13-point advantage at the break.^[28]

Quarterback Tim Garry led the Waynesburg response, throwing for 174 yards on 17 of 27 passing with two touchdowns. Sherley Hairston caught an 11-yard touchdown and later ran in the decisive two-point conversion after Cline Hunt hauled in the game-tying score.^[12] Defensively, cornerback Steve Burchianti was named “Jacket of the Week” after recording 13 tackles, including seven solo stops.^[12] Joe Persichetti forced a fumble at the Fairmont three-yard line, and John Higgins recovered another at the Falcon 11 to help set up scoring drives.^[28]

Waynesburg College posted a convincing 23–6 win over Duquesne University on October 3 at South High Stadium, powered by an efficient aerial attack and a defense that forced seven turnovers. Quarterback Tim Garry led the Yellow Jackets with 280 passing yards and two long touchdown passes, one a 46-yard strike to Matt Toney and the other a 52-yard pass to David Zilli; the latter being his first of the year after starting the season at fullback.^[7] Toney finished with five catches for 110 yards, while running back Sherley Hairston added 95 yards on the ground. However, it was team captain offensive lineman Ralph Pantalone that earned Offensive Jacket of the Week honors for leading the rushing attack with his blocking hitting on 87% of his assignments.^[7] Mike Zeglen chipped in with field goals of 31 and 32 yards, and Jeff Standish recovered a fumble in the endzone for another score.^[29]

On the defensive side, Waynesburg clamped down hard on the Duquesne offense, limiting the Dukes to just 9 completions in 28 attempts. Defensive back Steve Burchianti led the charge with two interceptions, a fumble recovery, two pass deflections (including one that lead to an interception), and six tackles, which earned him Defensive Jacket of the Week honors.^[7] Coach Tornabene said Steven "almost came away with a third... but a receiver stripped the ball from him" and "he looked like he had a safety on that one play [Dukes' tailback was tackled for a loss on the 1 yard line]."^[7][14] These actions earned him another Jacket of the Week honors.^[16] Bob Abbiatici and Craig Harris also recorded interceptions, while Joe Persichetti forced a fumble and Jeff Standish added a recovery to stifle the Dukes' opening drive. Despite the loss, Duquesne’s Pedro Bowman managed 110 rushing yards, and Scott Henson connected with Jim Radermacher for a 79-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt failed, and a 33-yard field goal attempt by Jim Parey was also missed.^[30]

Waynesburg celebrated its homecoming game with a 24–7 victory over Emory and Henry. Tailback Otto Birkhead amassed 112 yards on 11 carries. His performance, which included a 37-yard touchdown run, earned him "Jacket of the Week" honors, highlighting a strong offensive showing that also featured a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tim Garry to tight end David Tucci and a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Pete Long. The Yellow Jacket defense was stout, holding Emory and Henry to just one score in the fourth quarter against the second-team defense, with safety Craig Harris contributing eight tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. ^[31]

Waynesburg College secured a 24-17 victory over Frostburg in a non-conference college football game. Offensive contributions for Waynesburg included a 72-yard touchdown pass from Tim Garry to Otto Birkhead, and Garry completed 15 passes in total. Frostburg's scoring took place primarily in the fourth quarter and included 66 yard deep pass from Quarterback Mohler to receiver Tony Walker and another 22 yard pass to Theis. The game came down to the final play. Frostburg's game tying rushing touchdown was called back due to a penalty and the Waynesburg defense rallied to make a goal line stand to secure Yellow Jacket's fifth win of the season.

The game was a defensive battle and remained close until the close of the 3rd quarter in spite of quarterback Tim Garry hitting on 42% of his passing attempts and throwing four interceptions. Westminster finally scored two touchdowns in the fourth to secure the win. The victory raised Westminster to No.2 in the NAIA Division II and kept Waynesburg at No. 20 in the NAIA Division II.^[32]

Waynesburg’s season came to a frustrating close as they fell to Salem, 21–6, in the final game of the year. Salem’s Joe Montouth proved to be the difference-maker, carrying the ball 28 times for 147 yards and scoring all three of his team’s touchdowns.^[33] Waynesburg leaned heavily on the passing game, attempting 51 passes, but managed to complete only 18 for 210 yards. The offense was severely weakened due to runningback, Otto Birkhead, suffering a separated shoulder and fullback Pete Long's suspension.^[4] Mike Zeglen was awarded Jacket of the Week honors for posting the team's only scores. Despite the loss, the Yellow Jackets capped a strong campaign with a 6-3-1 overall record.