1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

Last updated

1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Gateway champion
Conference Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
Record10–2 (6–0 Gateway)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Randy Ball (6th season)
Home stadium Hanson Field
Seasons
  1987
1989  
1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 3 Western Illinois $^ 6 0 010 2 0
Southwest Missouri State 4 2 05 5 0
Indiana State 4 2 05 6 0
Northern Iowa 3 3 05 6 0
Eastern Illinois 2 4 05 6 0
Southern Illinois 2 4 04 7 0
Illinois State 0 6 01 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

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 3 Southern Illinois No. 12W 17–139,226 [1]
September 10 Grand Valley State *No. 12
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
W 55–011,123 [2]
September 17at Southwest Missouri State No. 12W 35–317,655 [3]
September 24at Indiana State No. 4W 24–218,034 [4]
October 1at Northern Iowa No. 4W 28–2712,321 [5]
October 8 Northwest Missouri State *No. 2
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
W 63–313,392 [6]
October 15 Eastern Illinois No. 2
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
W 45–89,680 [7]
October 22at Liberty *No. 2W 36–3511,400 [8]
October 29 Illinois State No. 3
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
W 13–1013,833 [9]
November 5at Northern Illinois *No. 2L 6–167,556 [10]
November 12at Delaware State *No. 4W 22–133,000 [11]
November 26No. 13 Western Kentucky *No. 3
L 32–356,000 [12]

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.