The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1983 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[4]
Southern Illinois Salukis
Southern Illinois finished their regular season with a 10–1 record (5–1 in conference); their only loss was to Wichita State in their final regular season game.[5] Ranked first in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and seeded first in the tournament, the Salukis received a first-round bye then defeated Indiana State and Nevada to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Southern Illinois in a Division I-AA championship game.
Western Carolina Catamounts
Western Carolina finished their regular season with an 8–2–1 record (5–0–1 in conference); their two losses were to Division I-A programs, Clemson and Wake Forest; the tie came against conference rival Furman.[7] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[6] and unseeded in the tournament, the Catamounts defeated Colgate, second-seed Holy Cross, and third-seed Furman to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Western Carolina in a Division I-AA championship game.
Game summary
After a scoreless first quarter, Southern Illinois took a 10–0 lead into halftime, then broke the game open with 23 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Salukis' defense intercepted seven passes, with four of the interceptions made by safety Greg Shipp.[8][9]
^ abc"S. Illinois 43, W. Carolina 7". Chicago Tribune. December 18, 1983. pp. 3–13. Retrieved May 7, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^"Coaches expect I-AA title game to be close". Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. UPI. December 17, 1983. p. B-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^Stracener, William (December 17, 1983). "Southern Illinois capitalized on eight Western Carolina turnovers". UPI. Retrieved May 7, 2018 – via upi.com/Archive.
^Sutton, Stan (November 21, 1983). "Eastern, minus a bye, to face Boston U. in playoff opener". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. D1. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^"Southern Illinois Salukis 1983 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.[permanent dead link]
^ abcMonserud, Scott (December 18, 1983). "Salukis win national championship (cont'd)". The Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, Illinois. p. 18. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^Kiley, Mike (December 18, 1983). "SIU sinks teeth info I-AA title". Chicago Tribune. p. 3-3. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
Further reading
"1983 National Championship". siusalukis.com. Retrieved May 7, 2019.