1945 Illinois State Normal Redbirds football team

1945 Illinois State Normal Redbirds football
IIAC champion
Conference	Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record	4–3 (3–1 IIAC)
Head coach	Edwin Struck (1st season)
MVP	Melvin Kuethe
Home stadium	McCormick Field
Seasons ←  1944 1946  →

1945 Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Illinois State Normal $	3	–	1	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	1	–	1			4	–	1	–	2
Northern Illinois State	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	3	–	0
Eastern Illinois	1	–	1	–	2			2	–	3	–	2
Western Illinois	0	–	3	–	1			1	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion

The 1945 Illinois State Normal Redbirds football team represented Illinois State Normal University—now known as Illinois State University—as a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1945 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Edwin Struck, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 4–3 with a mark of 3–1 in conference play, winning the IIAC title. ^[1] Illinois State Normal played home games at McCormick Field in Normal, Illinois.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Source
September 29	at DePauw *	Greencastle, IN	L 0–32	[2]
October 6	Indiana State *	McCormick Field Normal, IL	W 13–6	[3]
October 13	at Southern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 19–33	[4]
October 20	at Western Illinois	Morgan Field Macomb, IL	W 20–7	[5]
October 27	Northern Illinois State	McCormick Field Normal, IL	W 19–7	[6]
November 10	Eastern Illinois	McCormick Field Normal, IL (rivalry)	W 12–6	[7]
November 17	Illinois Wesleyan *	McCormick Field Normal, IL	L 6–24	[8]
*Non-conference game Homecoming

References

1. "2021 Redbird Football Media Guide" (PDF). Illinois State University Athletics Department. p. 65. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
2. "DePauw Batters State Normal, 32-0". The Pantagraph . Associated Press. September 30, 1945. p. 8. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "State Normal Redbirds Defeat Indiana State Normal, 13 to 6". The Pantagraph . October 7, 1945. p. 8. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "SINU Defeats Normal, 33-19". The Pantagraph . October 14, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Young, Fred (October 21, 1945). "Birds Dampen Western Homecomers With Win". The Pantagraph . p. 10. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Normal Hits Huskie String". The Daily Chronicle . October 29, 1945. p. 6. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Redbirds Edge Eastern Panthers in Close Game". The Pantagraph . November 11, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. Young, Fred (November 18, 1945). "Wesleyan Outpowers ISNU In 73rd Reneway of Old Feud". The Pantagraph . p. 8. Retrieved October 13, 2021– via Newspapers.com.