1919 Illinois Fighting Illini football
National champion (Billingsley, Boand)
Co-national champion (CFRA, Davis, Sagarin-ELO)
Big Ten champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record6–1 (6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive schemeT formation[1]
CaptainWilliam Kopp
Home stadiumIllinois Field
Uniform
Seasons
← 1918
1920 →
1919 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Illinois $ 6 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 0
Ohio State 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 1 – 0
Chicago 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0
Minnesota 3 – 2 – 0 4 – 2 – 1
Iowa 2 – 2 – 0 5 – 2 – 0
Michigan 1 – 4 – 0 3 – 4 – 0
Northwestern 1 – 4 – 0 2 – 5 – 0
Indiana 0 – 2 – 0 3 – 4 – 0
Purdue 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 4 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion

The 1919 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois in the Big Ten Conference during the 1919 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–1 record (6–1 against Big Ten opponents) and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 91 to 48.[2]

There was no contemporaneous system in 1919 for determining a national champion. However, Illinois was retroactively named as the national champion for 1919 by the Billingsley Report and Boand System, and as a co-national champion by the College Football Researchers Association, Parke H. Davis, and Jeff Sagarin (using his alternate ELO-Chess methodology).[3]

Fullback William Kopp was the team captain.[4] Three Illinois players received mention on the 1919 All-America college football team: end Dick Reichle (first-team choice by the Reno Evening Gazette);[5] tackle Burt Ingwersen (second-team choice by Walter Camp); and guard Jack Depler (second-team choice by Camp).[6]

Seven Illini players were included on the 1919 All-Big Ten Conference football team: quarterback Robert H. Fletcher; halfback Laurie Walquist; fullback Jack Crangle; end Chuck Carney; tackle Burt Ingerwesen; and guards Jack Depler and Clarence Applegran.[7][8]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
October 11at Purdue
W 14–74,000[9]
October 18Iowa
W 9–76,470[10]
October 25Wisconsin
  • Illinois Field
  • Champaign, IL
L 10–147,260[11]
November 1Chicagodagger
  • Illinois Field
  • Champaign, IL
W 10–016,000–17,000[12]
November 83:30 p.m.at Minnesota
W 10–620,000[13]
November 15Michigan
  • Illinois Field
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 29–79,622–14,000[14]
November 22at Ohio State
W 9–714,925[15]

Roster

Player Position
William Kopp (Captain) Fullback
Burt Ingwersen Tackle
John C. Depler Halfback
Clarence Applegran Right guard
Robert Fletcher Quarterback
Ralph Fletcher Kicker
Chuck Carney End, receiver, punter
Lawrence Walquist Halfback, quarterback
Albert Mohr Guard
Richard W. Reichle Left end, kicker
Milton Olander Guard, tackle
R. A. "Lief" Lifvendahl Tackle
George Koch Tackle
Otis Petty Right tackle
Harry Shlaudeman Center
Jack Crangle Fullback
C. Ernest Lovejoy Quarterback
Stuyvesant Smith End

Awards and honors

  • Second-team selection by Walter Camp for the 1919 All-America team[17]

References

  1. ^ "Football".
  2. ^ "1919 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results".
  3. ^ 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. pp. 112–114. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 156. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "All-American Team Picked by Hahn for Gazette". Reno Evening Gazette. December 5, 1919.
  6. ^ "Walter Camp's All-American Team". Fitchburg Daily Sentinel. December 13, 1919.
  7. ^ Walter Camp, ed. (1920). Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide 1920. A. G. Spalding & Brothers (Spalding's Athletic Library). p. 41.
  8. ^ "Walter Eckersall Selects His First and Second All-Conference Football Elevens For Past Season". Detroit Free Press. November 30, 1919. p. 21.
  9. ^ "Heavy Illinois Eleven Held by Purdue to 14-7". Chicago Tribune. October 12, 1919. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Illinois Downs Hawkeyes In Great Battle". The Champaign Daily News. October 19, 1919. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Illinois Is Eliminated From Big Ten Race". The Champaign Daily News. October 26, 1919. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Revamped Illini Down Maroons: Ralph Fletcher Gets All Points; Score 10 to 0". The Champaign Daily News. November 2, 1919. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Fred R. Coburn (November 9, 1919). "Illinois' Forward Passes Baffle and Beat Minnesota". The Minneapolis Sunday Tribune. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Illini Crush Wolverines, 29 to 7". The Champaign Daily News. November 16, 1919. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Illinois Wins Big Ten Championship: Sternaman Runs 50 Yards for Touchdown". The Champaign Daily News. November 23, 1919. pp. 5, 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "All-American Team Picked by Hahn for Gazette". Reno Evening Gazette. December 4, 1919.
  17. ^ a b "Walter Camp's All-American Team". Fitchburg Daily Sentinel. December 13, 1919.


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