The 1983 Indiana State Sycamores football team represented Indiana State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Sycamores were led by fourth-year head coach Dennis Raetz and played their home games at Memorial Stadium. Indiana State finished the season 8–3 overall and 3–2 in MVC play to tie for third place. They were invited to the NCAA I-AA playoffs, where they defeated Eastern Illinois (16–13 in double overtime) in the first round before losing (23–7) in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Southern Illinois.