The 1983 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1983 Big Ten football season. In their first season under head coach George Perles, the Spartans compiled a 4–6–1 record (2–6–1 in conference games), finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 233 to 162. In four games against ranked opponents, they defeated No. 4 Notre Dame, and lost to No. 14 Michigan, No. 17 Ohio State, and No. 12 Iowa.
On offense, the Spartans gained an average of 102.4 rushing yards and 116.8 passing yards per game. On defense, and with Nick Saban in his first season as the Spartans' defensive coordinator, they held opponents to an average of 136.5 rushing yards and 192.5 passing yards per game. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Clark Brown with 837 passing yards, Carl Butler with 549 rushing yards, Daryl Turner with 28 receptions and 549 receiving yards, and kicker Ralf Mojsiejenko with 46 points scored (11 of 17 field goals, 13 of 17 extra points).
Linebacker Carl Banks received first-team honors from the Associated Press (AP), the United Press International (UPI), NEA and Sporting News on the 1983 All-America college football team. Three Spartans were recognized by the AP and/or the UPI on the 1983 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Banks (AP-1; UPI-1); defensive back Phil Parker (AP-2; UPI-1); and kicker Mojsiejenko (AP-2). Banks was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player for the 1982 season.2025 Media Guide, p. 300.
The team played its home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.
Schedule
Game summaries Purdue
Source:
Roster
Team players drafted into the NFL Carl BanksLinebacker1 3 New York GiantsDaryl TurnerWide receiver2 49 Seattle SeahawksScott AuerTackle9 229 Kansas City Chiefs
References