1980 NCAA Rifle Championships
# 1980 NCAA Rifle Championships

The 1980 NCAA Rifle Championship was the first annual tournament to determine the national champion of co-ed NCAA collegiate rifle shooting. The championship was held at the ETSU Athletic Center at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee during March 1980. Prior to 1980, a collegiate rifle championship was held yearly by the National Rifle Association.

Tennessee Tech, with a team score of 6,201, claimed their first national title. West Virginia finished in second with 6,150. The Golden Eagles were coached by James Newkirk.

Rod Fitz-Randolph, from Tennessee Tech, claimed the individual titles for both smallbore and air rifle.

## Qualification

Since there is only one national collegiate championship for rifle shooting, all NCAA rifle programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 10 teams ultimately contested this championship.

| Team | Appearance | Previous |
| - | - | - |
| Air Force | 1st | Never |
| Alaska–Fairbanks | 1st | Never |
| Army | 1st | Never |
| Eastern Kentucky | 1st | Never |
| East Tennessee State | 1st | Never |
| Navy | 1st | Never |
| Murray State | 1st | Never |
| Tennessee Tech | 1st | Never |
| West Virginia | 1st | Never |
| Western Kentucky | 1st | Never |

## Results

* Scoring: The championship consisted of 120 shots by each competitor in smallbore and 40 shots per competitor in air rifle.

### Team title

| Rank | Team | Points |
| - | - | - |
| | Tennessee Tech | 6,201 |
| | West Virginia | 6,150 |
| | East Tennessee State | 6,118 |
| 4 | Murray State | 6,097 |
| 5 | Eastern Kentucky | 5,959 |
| 6 | Navy | 5,957 |
| 7 | Army Western Kentucky | 5,901 |
| 8 | Alaska–Fairbanks | 5,878 |
| 9 | Air Force | 5,797 |

### Individual events

| Event | Winner | Score |
| - | - | - |
| Smallbore | Rod Fitz-Randolph, Tennessee Tech | 1,176 |
| Air rifle | Rod Fitz-Randolph, Tennessee Tech | 389 |
