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Western Illinois Leathernecks football

(Redirected from Western Illinois Purple and Gold football)

The Western Illinois Leathernecks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois.[2][3] The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). They are members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), and play their games as part of the OVC–Big South Football Association, which combines teams from the Ohio Valley and Big South conferences. The team plays its home games at the 16,368 seat Hanson Field.

Western Illinois Leathernecks football
2025 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team
First season1902; 124 years ago
Athletic directorPaul Bubb
Head coachJoe Davis
2nd season, 8–16 (.333)
LocationMacomb, Illinois
StadiumHanson Field
(capacity: 16,368)
NCAA divisionDivision I FCS
ConferenceOVC–Big South
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
All-time record556–533–37 (.510)
Bowl record2–1 (.667)
Conference championships
IIAC: 1939, 1942, 1949, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1969
AMCU: 1981
GCAC: 1988
Gateway: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002
Fight songWe're Marching On
MascotColonel Rock (live Bulldog), Rocky (costumed Bulldog)
Marching bandWestern Illinois University Marching Leathernecks
OutfitterAdidas
Websitegoleathernecks.com
Western Illinois Leathernecks

History

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Western Illinois had an unofficial football team in 1902, the year the school was established. The team played four games against regional high schools and the Western Illinois Normal & Business Institute going 2–2. In 1903, the school formed an athletic association for the fall football season, which is considered the official beginning of Western Illinois football by the school.[4]

The team adopted its nickname in 1927 when coach Ray Hanson, a decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps, asked the U.S. Navy for permission to use the Corps' Fighting Leathernecks nickname and logo for his team. Western Illinois is the only college which officially takes its nickname from a branch of the U.S. military.[5]

From 2008 through 2023, the Leathernecks were members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The football team joined the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2024. The other Leathernecks athletic programs transitioned to the OVC one year prior, on July 1, 2023.[6]

Conference affiliations

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Years Conference Classification
1902–1913 Independent
1914–1949 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic
1950–1969 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic NCAA College Division
1970–1972 Independent
1973–1977 Independent Division II
1978–1980 Mid-Continent
1981–1984 Division I-AA
1985–2005 Gateway Football
2006–2007 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
2008–2023 Missouri Valley Football
2024–future Ohio Valley

Championships

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Conference championships

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Years Conference Overall Record Conference Record
1939Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference5–1–12–0–1
1942Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference5–0–23–0–1
1949Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–1–04–0
1958Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference6–1–15–1
1959Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference9–0–06–0
1964†Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference6–3–03–1
1969Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference8–2–03–0
1981†Mid-Continent5–62–1
1988Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference10–2–06–0
1997Gateway Football Conference8–34–1
1998Gateway Football Conference11–26–0
2000Gateway Football Conference9–35–1
2002†Gateway Football Conference11–26–1

† Co-championship

Playoffs and bowls

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Playoffs

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Season Result Classification Note
1973First RoundNCAA Division II Playoffs
1988First RoundNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs
1991First RoundNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs
1996First RoundNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs
1997QuarterfinalsNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs(Pecan Bowl)
1998SemifinalsNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs(Pecan Bowl)
2000First RoundNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs
2002QuarterfinalsNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs(Pecan Bowl)
2003QuarterfinalsNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs(Pecan Bowl)
2010Second RoundNCAA Division I FCS Playoffs
2015Second RoundNCAA Division I FCS Playoffs
2017First RoundNCAA Division I FCS Playoffs

*Note: Since 1981, the NCAA Division I-AA/Division I FCS Playoffs Regional Championships were commonly referred to as the Boardwalk Bowl (East Region Championship), Pecan Bowl (Midwest Region Championship), Grantland Rice Bowl (South Region Championship), and Camellia Bowl (West Region Championship).

Bowl games

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Season Bowl Opponent Result
1949Corn BowlWheatonW 13–0
1953Corn BowlIowa WesleyanW 32–0
1955Corn BowlLutherL 20–24

Head coaches

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Years Name
1902–1903 Unknown
1904 L. H. Laughlin
1905 A. Laughlin
1906, 1910 Oliver Morton Dickerson
1907–1908 Charles A. Barnett
1909 Francis Taft
1911 Albert Walrath
1912–1913 Unknown
1914 Edward S. Dowell
1915 Unknown
1916–1917, 1919 Erskine Jay
1918 No team
1920–1921 W. A. Cleveland
1922–1925 Howard Hawkes
1926–1941 Ray Hanson
1942–1943 Wix Garner
1944 Bob Barnwell
1945–1947 Wix Garner
1948 Harold Ave
1949–1953 Vince DiFrancesca
1954–1956 Wes Stevens
1957–1959 Lou Saban
1960–1968 Art Dufelmeier
1969–1973 Darrell Mudra
1974–1975 Brodie Westen
1976–1978 Bill Shanahan
1979–1982 Pete Rodriguez
1983–1989 Bruce Craddock
1990–1998 Randy Ball
1999–2009 Don Patterson
2008–2012† Mark Hendrickson
2013–2015 Bob Nielson
2016–2017 Charlie Fisher
2018–2021 Jared Elliott
2022–2023 Myers Hendrickson
2024–present Joe Davis

† Acting head coach first seven games of 2008 season and last eight games of 2009 season.

Season records

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Year Overall record Conference record Standing (Total teams)
19030–3––
19045–2––
19054–2––
19061–4––
19072–3––
19082–3–1––
19092–3––
19104–1–1––
19114–3––
19124–3––
19135–3––
19143–2–10–1T-14th (15)
19151–50–4T-16th (28)
19161–7–10–5T-18th (19)
19172–41–413th (18)
1918No games playedN/AN/A
19195–21–216th (19)
19200–3–10–2–1T-17th (21)
19213–3–11–2T-16th (23)
19226–22–1T-6th (23)
19231–6–11–4–120th (23)
19244–33–38th (22)
19254–3–14–3–19th (22)
19264–3–14–38th (19)
19276–3–14–3–19th (16)
19282–3–32–3–214th (22)
19293–5[Note A]2–518th (23)
19304–43–415th (22)
19312–62–418th (22)
19324–2–14–2–17th (21)
19333–52–416th (21)
19345–34–2T-6th (20)
19352–61–617th (20)
19363–2–23–2–1T-7th (21)
19373–4–13–1–16th (21)
19386–22–14th (8)
19395–1–12–0–11st (5)
19401–6–10–3–14th (5)
19413–4–11–2–14th (5)
19425–0–23–0–11st (5)
19431–60–44th (5)
19440–80–44th (5)
19451–5–10–3–1T-3rd (5)
19462–60–44th (5)
19474–4–10–44th (5)
19484–41–33rd (5)
19499–14–01st (5)
19507–14–12nd (7)
19517–1–14–1–12nd (7)
19527–25–12nd (7)
19538–25–12nd (7)
19546–1–33–1–23rd (7)
19555–4–12–3–1T-4th (7)
19566–34–22nd (7)
19575–44–2T-2nd (7)
19586–1–15–11st (7)
19599–06–01st (7)
19606–25–12nd (7)
19615–34–2T-2nd (7)
19625–32–23rd (5)
19636–33–12nd (5)
19646–33–1T-1st (5)
19654–52–23rd (5)
19661–7–11–23rd (4)
19672–61–2T-3rd (4)
19682–7–11–2T-3rd (4)
19698–23–01st (4)
19707–3––
19718–2––
19729–2––
19737–4––
19747–3––
19755–4–1––
19767–3––
19773–7––
19783–6–11–3–1T-4th (6)
19793–81–45th (6)
19804–60–45th (5)
19815–62–12nd (4)
19822–80–34th (4)
19833–80–34th (4)
19846–4–10–2–14th (4)
19856–52–33rd (6)
19866–52–45th (7)
19877–45–12nd (7)
198810–26–01st (7)
19894–71–56th (7)
19903–83–35th (7)
19917–4–14–23rd (7)
19927–44–22nd (7)
19934–74–23rd (7)
19948–34–22nd (7)
19954–72–46th (7)
19969–33–22nd (6)
199711–26–01st (7)
199811–35–11st (7)
19997–42–44th (7)
20009–35–11st (7)
20015–54–34th (8)
200211–26–11st (8)
20039–45–23rd (8)
20044–72–55th (8)
20055–63–45th (8)
20065–62–56th (8)
20076–53–34th (7)
20086–54–44th (9)
20091–100–89th (9)
20108–55–32nd (9)
20112–91–79th (9)
20123–81–79th (10)
20134–82–69th (10)
20145–73–58th (10)
20157–65–35th (10)
20166–64–46th (10)
20178–45–34th (10)
20185–64–45th (10)
20191–111–710th (10)
20201–51–59th (10)
20212–92–611th (11)
20220–110–811th (11)
20230–110–811th (11)
20244–83–5T-6th (9)
20254–83–5T-6th (9)
^A. Adjusted record is 0–8 (3 wins vacated). After the season Western was forced to vacate their wins due to an ineligible player.

[7][8]

Individual accomplishments

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Award winners

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  • Walter Payton Award finalists
    Paul Singer – 1988 . . . 2nd
    Aaron Stecker – 1997...2nd
    Charles Tharp – 2000...8th
    Russ Michna – 2003...6th
    Herb Donaldson – 2007...13th
    Herb Donaldson – 2008...3rd
  • Buck Buchanan Award
    James Milton – 1998
    Edgerton Hartwell – 2000
  • Buck Buchanan Award finalists
    Cyron Brown – 1997...3rd
    Edgerton Hartwell – 1999...5th
    Lee Russell – 2002...6th
    Lee Russell – 2003...5th
    Jason Williams – 2008...4th
    Kyle Glazier – 2010...T-2nd
    Brett Taylor – 2016...7th
    Brett Taylor – 2017...2nd
    Darius Joiner – 2021...6th
  • Eddie Robinson Award finalists
    Randy Ball – 1997...6th
    Randy Ball – 1998...5th
    Don Patterson – 2000...13th
    Don Patterson – 2002...3rd
    Mark Hendrickson – 2010...2nd

College Football Hall of Fame members

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Name Position Years Inducted Ref.
Darrell MudraCoach1969–19732000[9]

Future non-conference opponents

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Announced schedules as of January 13, 2026.[10]

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031
Northwestern (IA) at Oklahoma State at Purdue at Wyoming at Indiana State at Northwestern
Illinois State Dayton Indiana State
at Wisconsin
Morehead State
at North Alabama

Notable former players

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Western Illinois Leathernecks Athletics 2017–18 Branding & Style Guidelines (PDF). July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Western Illinois Athletics Leathernecks Football". goleathernecks.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Western Illinois Leathernecks College Football Clubhouse". ESPN. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 66. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  5. ↑ "The Leatherneck Nickname". Western Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports," Western Illinois University Athletics, Friday, May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Missouri Valley Football Conference Records" (PDF). Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). goleathernecks.com. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Darrell Mudra (2000) – Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation.
  10. ↑ "Western Illinois Leathernecks Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
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