| 1983 Big Ten Conference football season | |
| League: | NCAA Division I-A |
| Sport: | Football |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Top Pick: | Carl Banks |
| Season Champs: | Illinois |
| Season Champ Name: | Champion |
| Second Place: | Ohio State |
| Mvp: | Don Thorp |
| Top Scorer: | Keith Byars |
| Seasonslistnames: | Football |
| Prevseason Year: | 1982 |
| Nextseason Year: | 1984 |
The 1983 Big Ten Conference football season was the 88th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season.
The 1983 Big Ten champion was Illinois. The Illini compiled a 10-2 record (9-0 against Big Ten opponents). They were led quarterback Jack Trudeau with 2,446 passing yards, running back Thomas Rooks with 842 rushing yards, and wide receiver David Williams with 870 receiving yards. The 1983 Illini are the only Big Ten team to go 9-0 in regular season conference play, until Wisconsin went 9-0 in 2017.[1]
| Conf. Rank | Team | Head coach | AP final | AP high | Overall record | Conf. record | PPG | PAG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | Mike White |
|
| 10–2 | 9–0 | 28.9 | 17.8 |
| 2 | Michigan | Bo Schembechler |
|
| 9–3 | 8–1 | 29.6 | 13.3 |
| 3 | Iowa | Hayden Fry |
|
| 9–3 | 7–2 | 31.7 | 15.8 |
| 4 | Ohio State | Earle Bruce |
|
| 9–3 | 6–3 | 34.2 | 17.2 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | Dave McClain | NR | NR | 7–4 | 5–4 | 32.6 | 22.0 |
| 6 | Purdue | Leon Burtnett | NR | NR | 3–7–1 | 3–5–1 | 22.8 | 33.3 |
| 7 | Michigan State | George Perles | NR | NR | 4–6–1 | 2–6–1 | 14.7 | 21.2 |
| 8 (tie) | Indiana | Sam Wyche | NR | NR | 3–8 | 2–7 | 18.3 | 32.7 |
| 8 (tie) | Northwestern | Dennis Green | NR | NR | 2–9 | 2–7 | 9.2 | 36.2 |
| 10 | Minnesota | Joe Salem | NR | NR | 1–10 | 0–9 | 16.5 | 47.1 |
Four Big Ten teams played in bowl games as follows:
The Big Ten's individual statistical leaders include the following:[2]
1. Jack Trudeau, Illinois (2,446)
2. Chuck Long, Iowa (2,434)
3. Randy Wright, Wisconsin (2,329)
4. Steve Bradley, Indiana (2,298)
5. Scott Campbell, Purdue (2,031)[2]
1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (1,199)
2. Rick Rogers, Michigan (1,002)
3. Mel Gray, Purdue (849)
4. Thomas Rooks, Illinois (842)
5. Gary Ellerson, Wisconsin (777)[2]
1. Dave Moritz, Iowa (912)
2. Al Toon, Wisconsin (881)
3. David Williams, Illinois (870)
4. Duane Gunn, Indiana (815)
5. Len Kenebrew, Indiana (687)[2]
1. Randy Wright, Wisconsin (2,418)
2. Steve Bradley, Indiana (2,406)
3. Chuck Long, Iowa (2,404)
4. Jack Trudeau, Illinois (2,353)
5. Mike Tomczak, Ohio State (2,192)[2]
1. Chuck Long, Iowa (160.4)
2. Jack Trudeau, Illinois (136.4)
3. Mike Tomczak, Ohio State (131.2)
4. Steve Smith, Michigan (123.0)
5. Randy Wright, Wisconsin (122.4)[2]
1. Steve Smith, Michigan (6.5)
2. Eric Jordan, Purdue (6.4)
3. Owen Gill, Iowa (6.0)
4. Keith Byars, Ohio State (5.4)
5. Thomas Rooks, Illinois (5.4)[2]
1. Ronnie Harmon, Iowa (22.0)
2. Cedric Anderson, Ohio State (20.2)
3. Daryl Turner, Michigan State (19.6)
4. Al Toon, Wisconsin (19.6)
5. Dave Moritz, Iowa (18.2)[2]
1. Keith Byars, Ohio State (132)
2. Tom Nichol, Iowa (80)
3. Chris White, Illinois (78)
4. Bob Bergeron, Michigan (76)
5. Gary Ellerson, Wisconsin (66)
5. Thomas Rooks, Illinois (66)[2]
The 1984 NFL draft was held May 1–2, 1984. The following Big Ten players were selected in the first round of the draft:[3]
| Name | Position | Team | Round | Overall pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Banks | Linebacker | Michigan State | 1 | 3 |
| John Alt | Offensive tackle | Iowa | 1 | 21 |
| William Roberts | Guard | Ohio State | 1 | 27 |