1973 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

1973 Kent State Golden Flashes football
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record9–2 (4–1 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDick Scesniak (3rd season)
Defensive coordinatorDennis Fitzgerald (3rd season)
Home stadiumDix Stadium
1973 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 15 Miami (OH) $ 5 0 011 0 0
Kent State 4 1 09 2 0
Bowling Green 2 3 07 3 0
Ohio 2 3 05 5 0
Western Michigan 1 4 06 5 0
Toledo 1 4 03 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1973 Kent State Golden Flashes football team was an American football team that represented Kent State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. In their third season under head coach Don James, the Golden Flashes compiled a 9–2 record (4–1 against MAC opponents), finished in second place in the MAC, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 300 to 131. Nick Saban, a defensive back for the Golden Flashes the previous three seasons, was a graduate assistant on James' staff during the 1973 season.

The team included brothers Larry Poole, a tailback, and Tommie Poole, a defensive tackle.

Don James was credited with turning a "mediocre" Kent State program into a MAC power in his four years as head coach. The team's 9–2 record in 1973 was the best in program history.