1955 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team
| 1955 Western Illinois Leathernecks football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
| Record | 5–4–1, 1 win forfeited (2–3–1 IIAC, 1 win forfeited) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Hanson Field |
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State Normal + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State Normal | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1955 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1955 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Wes Stevens, the Leathernecks finished the season with an overall record of 6–3–1 and a mark of 3–2–1 in conference play, placing fourth in the IIAC.[1] Western Illinois later forfeited its win over Illinois State Normal, dropping its season record to 5–4–1 overall and 2–3–1 in the IIAC, putting the team into a fourth-place tie with Illinois State.[2] The forfeit came as a result of Western Illinois using an ineligible player, quarterback Sam Esposito; while Esposito also played in other games for the team, Illinois State Normal was the only school to protest their result.[3]
Western Illinois back Don Lashmet was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team player on the 1955 All-Interstate Conference football team.[4] Lashmet led the conference in pass receiving with 16 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns. As a team, Western Illinois led the conference with 40 pass completions for 611 yards. Bill Vandermerkt was credited with 30 of the team's completed passes.[5]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17 | at Loras* | Dubuque, IA | W 15–0 | [6] | ||
| September 29 | Bradley* | W 25–6 | [7] | |||
| October 7 | Michigan State Normal |
| L 2–6 | [8] | ||
| October 15 | at Central Michigan |
| L 0–20 | 6,400 | [9] | |
| October 22 | at Northern Illinois State | W 39–6 | [10] | |||
| October 29 | Southern Illinois |
| T 13–13 | 8,000 | [11] | |
| November 4 | at Illinois State Normal | Normal, IL | L 32–13 (forfeit) | [12] | ||
| November 11 | St. Ambrose* |
| W 19–13 | [13] | ||
| November 19 | 1:30 p.m. | at Eastern Illinois | Charleston, IL | W 13–7 | [14][15] | |
| November 24 | Luther* |
| L 20–24 | 5,000 | [16] | |
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References
[edit]- ^ "SIU Defeats Northern, 20-0". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. Associated Press. November 21, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com
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- ^ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Macomb, Illinois: Western Illinois University. September 2021. p. 69. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Western Illinois Forfeits Football Game to Normal". The Rock Island Argus. Associated Press. December 6, 1955. p. 37. Retrieved October 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Williams First Team IIAC End". Southern Illinoisan. December 2, 1955. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Central Tops in Statistics". The Daily Chronicle. December 2, 1955. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Western Has Romp; Whips Loras, 29-0". The Rock Island Argus. September 19, 1955. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Teachers Win From Bradley For 1st Time". Quad City Times. September 30, 1955. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Michigan Normal Beats Western". Belleville News-Democrat. United Press. October 8, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Central Michigan Wins, 20 to 0". Lansing State Journal. October 16, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Huskies Find Leathernecks Mighty Tough; Lose 39-6". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. October 24, 1955. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Salukis Fight Back, Tie Western 13-13". The Southern Illinoisan. October 31, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Young, Fred (November 5, 1955). "Western Defeats State Normal". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 9. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Bees Lose In Thriller, 19 To 13". The Daily Times. November 12, 1955. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "EICS Host To Western Today". Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. November 19, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Western TopS Easter, 13-7". Decatur Sunday Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. November 20, 1955. p. 18. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Luther Nips Western in 'Corn' Bowl'". The Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Illinois. November 25, 1955. p. 20. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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