The 1963 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

in the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twel ...

(MAC) during the

1963 NCAA University Division football season The 1963 NCAA University Division football season was played by American football teams representing 120 colleges and universities recognized the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as major programs. The remaining 299 colleges and un ...

. In their seventh and final season under head coach

Merle Schlosser Merle Schlosser (born October 17, 1926) is an American former college football player and coach. He played football at the end position for the University of Illinois from 1948 to 1949. After graduating from Illinois, Schlosser was an assistant f ...

, the Broncos compiled a 2–7 record (2–4 against MAC opponents), finished in fifth place in the MAC, and were outscored by their opponents, 201 to 111. The team played its home games at Waldo Stadium in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

. The team's statistical leaders included Ken Barnhill with 668 passing yards, George Archer with 397 rushing yards, and Tom Patterson with 269 receiving yards. Halfback Allen Gibbs and end Bill Somerville were the team captains. End Bill Somerville received the team's most outstanding player award. At the end of the 1963 season, Schlosser was reportedly hung in effigy twice, and ''The Holland Evening Sentinel'' reported that every player had signed a petition seeking his removal. Schlosser was fired as coach on December 28, 1963, and assigned to other duties in the physical education department. The team compiled a record of 28-33-3 in seven seasons under Schlosser.

Schedule

References

Western Michigan Western Michigan Broncos football seasons Western Michigan Broncos football {{collegefootball-1960s-season-stub