1931 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 1931 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1931 college football season. In their 19th season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Illini compiled a 2–6 record and finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference.^[1] End Fred Frink was selected as the team's most valuable player.^[2] Halfback Gil Berry was the team captain.^[3]

1931 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	2–6 (0–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robert Zuppke (19th season)
MVP	Fred Frink
Captain	Gilbert Berry
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1930 1932 →

1931 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Purdue +	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
Michigan +	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	1
No. 4 Northwestern +	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	1	–	1
Ohio State	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Minnesota	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	1
Indiana	1	–	4	–	1			2	–	5	–	1
Chicago	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	1
Iowa	0	–	3	–	1			1	–	6	–	1
Illinois	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from Dickinson System

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 3	Saint Louis*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 20–6	13,535	[4]
October 10	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	L 0–7	15,825	[5]
October 17	Bradley*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 20–0	31,505	[6]
October 24	Michigan	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 0–35	33,496	[7]
October 31	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	L 6–32	35,783	[8]
November 7	Wisconsin	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 6–7	15,313	[9]
November 14	Chicago	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 6–13	10,721	[10]
November 21	at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	L 0–40	20,642	[11]
*Non-conference game

References

1. "1931 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. 155. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
3. 2015 Fighting Illini Football Record Book, p. 156.
4. "Illinois University opens football season with win over St. Louis U. 20 to 6". The Jacksonville Daily Journal. October 4, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Purdue unveils new star; Beats Illinois, 7 to 0". The Chicago Tribune. October 11, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Illinois shuts out Bradley, 20–0". The Wisconsin State Journal. October 18, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Harvey Woodruff (October 25, 1931). "Wolverines Swamp Illini; Worst Defeat Under Zuppke". Chicago Tribune. p. 2-1.
8. "N.U. routs Illinois, 32–6". Chicago Tribune. November 1, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Badgers take Illini to ride". The State. November 8, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Maroons defeat old rival in battle for Big Ten cellar". Waterloo Sunday Courier. November 15, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Zuppke's team is routed by Ohio, 40 to 0". The Richmond Item. November 22, 1931. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.