1928 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 1928 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1928 college football season. In their 16th season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Illini compiled a 7–1 record and finished in first place in the Big Ten Conference.^[1] Tackle Albert J. Nowack was the team captain.^[2] The team was ranked No. 6 in the nation in the Dickinson System ratings released in December 1928.^[3]

1928 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Big Ten champion
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	7–1 (4–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robert Zuppke (16th season)
Captain	Butch Nowack
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 1927 1929 →

1928 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Illinois $	4	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Wisconsin	3	–	1	–	1			7	–	1	–	1
Minnesota	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
No. 6 Iowa	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
Ohio State	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	1
Purdue	2	–	2	–	1			5	–	2	–	1
Northwestern	2	–	3	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Michigan	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	4	–	1
Indiana	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	4	–	0
Chicago	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from Dickinson System

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 6	2:30 p.m.	Bradley*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 33–6	21,477	[4][5]
October 13		Coe*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 31–0	8,562
October 20		Indiana	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	W 13–7	26,683
October 27		at Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	W 6–0	59,871
November 3		Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 0–3	78,229
November 10		at Butler*	Butler Bowl Indianapolis, IN	W 14–0	9,448
November 17		Chicago	Stagg Field Chicago, IL	W 40–0	48,714
November 24		at Ohio State	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy)	W 8–0	35,712
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

Roster

Player	Position
Butch Nowack (Captain)	Tackle, Kicker
Russ Crane	Guard
Oliver M. 'Pete' Langhorst
Judson Timm	Halfback
Fritz Humbert	Fullback
Rinquist
Dwight Stuessy	Quarterback
Doug Mills	Fullback, Punter
Frank Walker	Fullback
Tom Nickol	Fullback
John Tarwain	End
James Lewis
Forrest 'Frosty' Peters	Kicker, Quarterback
Walter Jolley	End
Carl H. Bergeson
Keston J. Deimling	Guard
Rouse
Ken Fields	Quarterback
Louis Gordon	Guard
L. J. Wietz	Tackle
L. S. Burdick	Tackle
Norman McClure	Guard
Chuck Hall	Halfback
Robert Z. Hickman
H. E. Richman
Otto R. Hills
Olaf Robinson	Halfback
Lou Gordon	Tackle, Guard, End

• Head coach: Robert Zuppke (15th year at Illinois)

References

1. "1928 Illinois Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
2. "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 156. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
3. "Trojans Rated as Leading College Team in Country". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 9, 1928. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Bradley Gridders Hope To Uphold Reputation". Belleville Daily Advocate. Belleville, Illinois. Associated Press. September 22, 1928. p. 5. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
5. "Bradley Opens With Win Over Macomb, 25 To 6". Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. Associated Press. September 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved June 25, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .