Well, now, lemme tell ya about the 1971 Richmond football team. They wasn’t the fanciest bunch, but they sure did play with heart! They was out there representin’ the University of Richmond, playin’ football like it was a fight for survival, y’know? They were part of the Southern Conference back then, which, I reckon, wasn’t as big as the ones from them big cities, but it still meant somethin’.
Now, that year, the Richmond Spiders, that’s what they called ’em, they had a rough time, I tell ya. They didn’t win all their games, but they sure didn’t give up. Their record for that season ended up 5-6, which is a little bit of a struggle, but they still had some fight left in ‘em. I mean, it wasn’t like they just let folks walk all over ’em. They fought like dogs out there!
Here’s a quick look at some of the games they played:
- September 11th, 1971: North Carolina at City Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. Result: Richmond 0 – 28 North Carolina.
- September 25th, 1971: West Virginia at City Stadium, Richmond. Result: Richmond 3 – 16 West Virginia.
- October 2nd, 1971: Boston College at City Stadium, Richmond. Result: Richmond 0 – 24 Boston College.
- October 9th, 1971: At East Carolina, Ficklen Memorial Stadium, Greenville. Result: Richmond 0 – 42 East Carolina.
That was a tough stretch, ya know, with all them losses. But it wasn’t all bad, no sir. The team had some real fighters in it. The Southern Conference wasn’t easy to deal with, and Richmond’s record against them wasn’t the best, but they sure didn’t just lay down and die. They put up a good fight, even if they didn’t win every game.
Now, let’s talk about them players. Ain’t nobody can play the game without a good bunch of folks behind ‘em, and I reckon this team had some real talent. You got your quarterback, your running backs, and them big ol’ boys up front blockin’ for ‘em. Every one of ’em had their role to play. Now, I ain’t no expert, but I can tell you, they played like they meant it, even if the scoreboard didn’t always show it.
The coach, Frank Jones, he done his best to lead them boys through the season, too. He might not have had the record he wanted, but I’ll give him credit. He worked hard to keep the team together. They was a bunch of young men who wanted to make somethin’ of themselves, and he was right there with ’em every step of the way.
Now, the whole season wasn’t all about losses. They did have some wins, sure as sugar. It just didn’t always come easy. You gotta understand, this wasn’t the same kind of football that folks watch on TV nowadays, with them big ol’ stadiums and fancy crowds. No sir. This was hard-nosed, down-in-the-dirt football, the kind where ya gotta fight for every inch.
Richmond’s football team, the Spiders, they didn’t have no superstars, but they had a lotta heart. They played tough, and that’s somethin’ ya can’t take away from ‘em. They might not have made it to no big bowl games or won a whole lot, but they sure did make their mark in the Southern Conference.
When you think back to the 1971 Richmond Spiders football team, don’t just think about the losses. Think about the effort, think about the heart, and think about how they represented that little ol’ university out there on that field. Sometimes, it’s not about the wins or the losses, but about how hard you fight, and by gum, they fought hard!
Tags:[1971 Richmond football, Richmond Spiders football, Southern Conference football, University of Richmond football, football roster, 1971 football season]
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