1976 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

The 1976 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Under first-year head coach Rey Dempsey, the team compiled a 7–4 record.^[2] The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.

1976 Southern Illinois Salukis football
Conference	Independent
Record	7–4
Head coach	Rey Dempsey (1st season)
Home stadium	McAndrew Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Pittsburgh			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 17 Rutgers			–					11	–	0	–	0
San Diego State			–					10	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Notre Dame			–					9	–	3	–	0
Colgate			–					8	–	2	–	0
Boston College			–					8	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati			–					8	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					7	–	4	–	0
North Texas State *			–					7	–	4	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					7	–	4	–	0
Penn State			–					7	–	5	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	5	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	5	–	0
Army			–					5	–	6	–	0
Florida State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Illinois State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Richmond			–					5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia			–					5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					4	–	6	–	1
Temple			–					4	–	6	–	0
Air Force			–					4	–	7	–	0
Dayton			–					4	–	7	–	0
Louisville			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Indiana State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Hawaii			–					3	–	8	–	0
Holy Cross			–					3	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					3	–	8	–	0
Utah State			–					3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana			–					2	–	9	–	0
Southern Miss			–					2	–	9	–	0
Tulane			–					2	–	9	–	0
North Texas State (originally 6–5) was awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.[1] Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	at McNeese State	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	L 0–38	15,000	[3]
September 18	at Drake	Drake Stadium Des Moines, IA	W 27–15
September 25	West Texas State	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 21–7
October 2	Lamar	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 19–7
October 9	at East Carolina	Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	L 14–49	16,200	[4]
October 16	Arkansas State	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 10–41	6,200	[5]
October 23	Northern Illinois	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 54–0
October 30	at Indiana State	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 21–2
November 6	Illinois State	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 17–3
November 13	at Bowling Green	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	L 7–35
November 20	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 44–16

References

1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1976-standings.html
2. "Southern Illinois Saluki Football 2019 Media Guide" (PDF). Southern Illinois University. 2019. p. 117. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
3. "McNeese St. coasts past Salukis, 38–0". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 12, 1976. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Salukis fall". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 10, 1976. Retrieved May 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Arkansas State overwhelms Southern". Herald and Review. October 17, 1976. Retrieved October 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.