1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

The 1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities during the 1979 NCAA Division II football season. They were led by first-year head coach Pete Rodriguez and played their home games at Hanson Field.

1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Conference	Association of Mid-Continent Universities
Record	3–8 (1–4 Mid-Con)
Head coach	Pete Rodriguez (1st season)
Home stadium	Hanson Field
Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 2 Youngstown State $^	5	–	0	–	0			11	–	2	–	0
Northern Iowa	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Akron	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Eastern Illinois	1	–	4	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Northern Michigan	1	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Western Illinois	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1		Wisconsin–Whitewater*	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 12–7	9,400
September 8		at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	L 7–24	32,113
September 15	7:30 p.m.	Indiana State*	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 14–17	7,549
September 22		Saginaw Valley State*	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 27–7	5,218
September 29		at Northern Michigan	Marquette, MI	L 21–24	5,605
October 6		at No. 1 Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	W 10–7	7,500
October 13		Northern Iowa	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 25–38	11,596–11,597	[1]
October 20		at United States International*	San Diego, CA	L 7–14	1,300
October 27		at Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	L 8–29	7,100
November 3		at Illinois State*	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	L 7–35	13,397	[2]
November 10		No. 3 North Dakota*	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	L 7–28	8,300
*Non-conference game Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3][4]

Roster

1979 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class G 72 Don Greco Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Pete Rodriguez Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
2. Bloodworth, Bryan (November 4, 1979). "Fenn carries Redbirds to 35-7 win". The Pantagraph. p. B1. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Final 1979 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
4. "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 70. Retrieved November 13, 2021.