The 1973 football team is looked at as the first under Head Coach Ken Gibler to be a National title contending team, finishing 9-1. This team set the stage for what was to become one of the most successful decades of any college football program in the NAIA.

The season started with non-conference wins over Washburn (Mo.), Iowa Wesleyan and Culver-Stockton (Mo.) by an average score of 26-7. The team then outlasted Ottawa (Kan.) in the Heart opener, 14-6, but followed with a 32-16 win over Central Methodist (Mo.), and a 28-0 win against Baker (Kan.). The lone blemish came against William Jewell (Mo.), in a 28-23 defeat. The team rebounded to with a 63-0 win against Tarkio (Mo.), 42-7 victory over Graceland (Iowa) and a 70-10 defeat of Emporia (Kan.). This team just missed out on an appearance in the NAIA playoffs, ranked No. 5 to end the season. Only the top four teams advanced to the playoffs.

The team featured a pair of 1,000 yard rushers in Kevin Hammill, who totaled over 1,500 yards, and Greg Farris, who ran for over 1,200 yards. Stan Jones had over 1,000 yards receiving and Craig Conklin had nearly 1,500 yards passing. Four members of the team were eventually drafted by professional organizations. Jones and Jim Morris were drafted by the Oakland Raiders, Hammill by the Calagary Stampede and Roman Jaworowicz was drafted by the Chicago Fire of the World Football League.

To date, a total of 19 members of the team have been inducted as individuals to the Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame.