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| Western Illinois Leathernecks | |
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| University | Western Illinois University |
|---|---|
| Conference | The Summit League |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Tim Van Alstine |
| Location | Macomb, IL |
| Varsity teams | 16 |
| Football stadium | Hanson Field |
| Basketball arena | Western Hall |
| Nickname | Leathernecks |
| Fight song | |
| Colors | Purple and Gold
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| Homepage | Official Athletics Website |
The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with The Summit League; its football team is a member of the Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA) Missouri Valley Football Conference. Beginning in the Fall of 2009 the men's and women's teams will be unified under the Leathernecks name.[1] Previously, the women's teams and athletes at the school were known as Westerwinds.
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Men's basketball
The Leathernecks basketball team team has never played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The Leathernecks were coached by Derek Thomas before his resignation on March 11, 2008; they are now coached by Jim Molinari.
From 1954 to 1963 the Leathernecks appeared in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Although never winning the National Title, the Leathernecks did walk away with national runner-up titles, and third place finishes.
Football
The football program has had several NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoff appearances. They play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. From 1999 to 2008 the team was coached by Don Patterson, who resigned on September 25, 2009 for health reasons. Mark Hendrickson is now acting coach.[2]
Western Illinois has been ranked number one once and ranked number two numerous times. The two best chances for an FCS championship were in 1997, when they lost to runner-up McNeese State by two points and beat the FCS champion Youngstown State (coached by Jim Tressel at the time) during the regular season. In 2002, WIU beat national champions Western Kentucky during the regular season 14-0 and lost to that same team at home 31-28 after a missed 63-yard field goal attempt by Mike Scifres that fell just short.
Baseball
The baseball program was coached by Stan Hyman until his sudden death from leukemia in September 2009.[3]
The Leathernecks are one of the few mid-major teams to play every team in the Big 12 Conference. The program's three biggest wins were a 5-4 win over Oklahoma in 2004 when they were ranked #18 in the country; a 3-0 win over #7 Long Beach State in 2008; and a 5-3 win over #4 Missouri, also in 2008.
Notable/distinguished alumni
- Don Beebe, National Football League
- Lee Calhoun, Olympic gold medal winner
- Bryan Cox, National Football League
- Rodney Harrison, National Football League
- Edgerton Hartwell, National Football League
- Gene Lamont, Major League Baseball
- Rick Reuschel, Major League Baseball
- Paul Reuschel, Major League Baseball
- Mike Scifres, National Football League
- Aaron Stecker, National Football League
- Mike Wagner, National Football League
- J.R. Niklos, National Football League
- Frank Winters, National Football league
- Rob Lazeo, Canadian Football League
- Russ Michna, United Football League
- Rich Seubert, National Football League
- Jason Williams, National Football League
- Mike McEachern, Canadian Football League
- Don Greco, National Football League
- David Bowens, Natioanl Football League
- William James, National Football League
References
- ^ University Relations (2009-06-05). "University comes to decision on nickname unification". Western Illinois University. http://www.wiuathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=3746930. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ Western Illinois Athletics (2009-09-25). "Patterson Steps Down as Head Football Coach Citing Health Concerns". Western Illinois University. http://wiu.edu/newsrelease.sphp?release_id=7554. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ^ Western Illinois Athletics (2009-09-05). "Baseball coach Stan Hyman passes away at age 50". Western Illinois University. http://wiu.edu/newsrelease.sphp?release_id=7491. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
External links
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