1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Conference	Association of Mid-Continent Universities
Record	3–8 (1–4 Mid-Con)
Head coach	Pete Rodriguez (1st season)
Home stadium	Hanson Field
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Youngstown State $^	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
Northern Iowa	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Akron	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Eastern Illinois	1	–	4	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Michigan	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Western Illinois	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll

The 1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Pete Rodriguez and played their home games at Hanson Field.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1		Wisconsin–Whitewater *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 12–7	9,400
September 8		at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 7–24	32,113
September 15	7:30 p.m.	Indiana State *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 14–17	7,549
September 22		Saginaw Valley State *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 27–7	5,218
September 29		at Northern Michigan	Marquette, MI	L 21–24	5,605
October 6		at No. 1 Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 10–7	7,500
October 13		Northern Iowa	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 25–38	11,596–11,597	[1]
October 20		at United States International *	San Diego, CA	L 7–14	1,300
October 27		at Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 8–29	7,100
November 3		at Illinois State *	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	L 7–35	13,397	[2]
November 10		No. 3 North Dakota *	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 7–28	8,300
*Non-conference game Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^{[3] [4]}

Roster

1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class G 72 Don Greco Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Pete Rodriguez Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Northern Iowa)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
2. Bloodworth, Bryan (November 4, 1979). "Fenn carries Redbirds to 35-7 win". The Pantagraph . p. B1. Retrieved December 18, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (Western Illinois)". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved December 10, 2022.
4. "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 70. Retrieved November 13, 2021.