1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Gateway champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 32–35 vs. Western Kentucky
Conference	Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record	10–2 (6–0 Gateway)
Head coach	Bruce Craddock (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Randy Ball (6th season)
Home stadium	Hanson Field
Seasons ←  1987 1989  →

1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Western Illinois $^	6	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Southwest Missouri State	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Indiana State	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Northern Iowa	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Eastern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Southern Illinois	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Bruce Craddock and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with a 10–1 record overall and a 6–0 record in conference play, making them the conference champions. Senior and 4-year starter Paul Singer was the Leathernecks' quarterback. He was selected to five All-American teams, as well as being a GTE and NCAA Academic All-American, the Conference Player of the Year, and the national Player of the Year runner-up. He held nearly every WIU passing and offensive record, as well as several conference records. The 10 wins were the most in the nearly 100-year history of WIU football.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Southern Illinois	No. 12	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 17–13	9,226	[1]
September 10	Grand Valley State *	No. 12	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 55–0	11,123	[2]
September 17	at Southwest Missouri State	No. 12	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO	W 35–31	7,655	[3]
September 24	at Indiana State	No. 4	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 24–21	8,034	[4]
October 1	at Northern Iowa	No. 4	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 28–27	12,321	[5]
October 8	Northwest Missouri State *	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 63–3	13,392	[6]
October 15	Eastern Illinois	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 45–8	9,680	[7]
October 22	at Liberty *	No. 2	Lynchburg City Stadium Lynchburg, VA	W 36–35	11,400	[8]
October 29	Illinois State	No. 3	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 13–10	13,833	[9]
November 5	at Northern Illinois *	No. 2	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	L 6–16	7,556	[10]
November 12	at Delaware State *	No. 4	Alumni Stadium Dover, DE	W 22–13	3,000	[11]
November 26	No. 13 Western Kentucky *	No. 3	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 32–35	6,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

References

1. Monserud, Scott (September 4, 1988). "SIU falls one second short". The Southern Illinoisan . p. C17. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Western Ill. 55, Grand Valley 0". The Dispatch-Argus . UPI. September 11, 1988. p. E2. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Western Illinois rally stops Southwest Missouri". The Kansas City Star . September 18, 1988. p. 12 Sports. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Western Illinois tops Indiana State". Evansville Courier & Press . Associated Press. September 25, 1988. p. C3. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. Denney, Bob (October 2, 1988). "Dropped 2-point conversion hangs loss on UNI". The Gazette . p. 5B. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Leathernecks' Singer stings NW Missouri". Quad-City Times . Associated Press. October 9, 1988. p. 2C. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
7. Carlson, Chuck (October 16, 1988). "Turnovers devastate Eastern". Herald and Review . p. B5. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Western Illinois 36, Liberty 35". The Dispatch-Argus . October 23, 1988. p. E7. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Western Illinois Rallies For 9th Victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . October 30, 1988. p. 6D. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
10. Wesselhoff, Bill (November 6, 1988). "Huskies spoil Western Illinois' undefeated season". The Daily Chronicle . p. 15. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
11. Bryson, Gene (November 13, 1988). "Hornets stumble 22-13". The News Journal . p. C1. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
12. Branch, Bruce W. (November 27, 1988). "6th interception does it as Western survives Western Illinois comeback". The Courier-Journal . p. C5. Retrieved November 11, 2021– via Newspapers.com.