1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Gateway champion
ConferenceGateway Collegiate Athletic Conference
Record10–2 (6–0 Gateway)
Head coach
Home stadiumHanson Field
Seasons
← 1987
1989 →
1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
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 10–2 record overall and a 6–0 record in conference play, making them conference champions. The team received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they lost to Western Kentucky in the first round.[1]

Schedule

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

References

  1. ^ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 72. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Monserud, Scott (September 4, 1988). "SIU falls one second short". The Southern Illinoisan. p. C17. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Western Ill. 55, Grand Valley 0". The Dispatch-Argus. UPI. September 11, 1988. p. E2. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Western Illinois rally stops Southwest Missouri". The Kansas City Star. September 18, 1988. p. 12 Sports. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Western Illinois tops Indiana State". Evansville Courier & Press. Associated Press. September 25, 1988. p. C3. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Denney, Bob (October 2, 1988). "Dropped 2-point conversion hangs loss on UNI". The Gazette. p. 5B. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Leathernecks' Singer stings NW Missouri". Quad-City Times. Associated Press. October 9, 1988. p. 2C. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Carlson, Chuck (October 16, 1988). "Turnovers devastate Eastern". Herald and Review. p. B5. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Western Illinois 36, Liberty 35". The Dispatch-Argus. October 23, 1988. p. E7. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Western Illinois Rallies For 9th Victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 30, 1988. p. 6D. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Wesselhoff, Bill (November 6, 1988). "Huskies spoil Western Illinois' undefeated season". The Daily Chronicle. p. 15. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Bryson, Gene (November 13, 1988). "Hornets stumble 22-13". The News Journal. p. C1. Retrieved November 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ 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.


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