1997 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

1997 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
1997 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Gateway champion
NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal, L 12–14 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 2
Record	11–2 (6–0 Gateway)
Head coach	Randy Ball (8th season);
Home stadium	Hanson Field
	Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Gateway Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 Western Illinois $^	6	–	0	11	–	2
Northern Iowa	5	–	1	7	–	4
No. 4 Youngstown State ^	4	–	2	13	–	2
Southwest Missouri State	3	–	3	5	–	6
Indiana State	2	–	4	3	–	8
Southern Illinois	1	–	5	3	–	8
Illinois State	0	–	6	2	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1997 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by eighth-year head coach Randy Ball and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with an 11–2 record overall and a 6–0 record in conference play, making them conference champions. The team received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where they defeated Jackson State before losing to McNeese State in the quarterfinals.^[1]

Running back Aaron Stecker, a transfer from Wisconsin, finished the year with 1,957 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, which ranked second and first in Division I-AA respectively. Stecker was named the Gateway Conference's offensive player of the year.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 28	No. 6 Eastern Illinois*	No. 9	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 41–0	6,700	^[3]
September 6	Truman State*	No. 5	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 45–18	7,000	^[4]
September 13	at Alcorn State*	No. 5	Jack Spinks Stadium Lorman, MS	W 31–17	4,121	^[5]
September 20	at Marshall*	No. 4	Marshall University Stadium Huntington, WV	L 7–48	26,724	^[6]
October 4	at Southern Utah*	No. 9	Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	W 45–6	4,445	^[7]
October 11	No. 17 Northern Iowa	No. 5	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 29–22 ^2OT	13,446	^[8]
October 18	at Indiana State	No. 5	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	W 37–3	2,381	^[9]
October 25	Southwest Missouri State	No. 3	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 37–7	10,874	^[10]
November 1	Southern Illinois	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	W 31–26	5,241	^[11]
November 8	at Illinois State	No. 2	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	W 37–23	6,512	^[12]
November 22	at No. 4 Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	W 24–21	12,134	^[13]
November 29	No. 14 Jackson State*	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	W 31–24	8,980	^[14]
December 6	No. 7 McNeese State*	No. 2	Hanson Field Macomb, IL (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	L 12–14	5,000	^[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

References

^ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 72. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
^ Bryant, C.B. (November 28, 1997). "Leathernecks charge up hill behind Stecker". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western Illinois tops Eastern in opener". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. August 29, 1997. p. B4. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Leathernecks rout Truman State 45-18". Belleville News-Democrat. Associated Press. September 7, 1997. p. 2D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Record-setting Stecker runs over Alcorn". The Clarion-Ledger. Associated Press. September 14, 1997. p. 5D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Marshall easily pins first loss on Western Illinois". Herald and Review. Associated Press. September 21, 1997. p. C5. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western Illinois 45, Southern Utah 6". Quad-City Times. October 5, 1997. p. 3F. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "2 OTs: UNI stumbles". Des Moines Register. Associated Press. October 12, 1997. p. 6D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western Illinois 37, Indiana State 3". Quad-City Times. Associated Press. October 19, 1997. p. 2F. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Scranton, Lyndal (October 26, 1997). "Stecker, W. Illinois stun SMS". Springfield News-Leader. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hardwig, Greg (November 2, 1997). "Stecker sticks it to SIU". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Reinhardt, Randy (November 9, 1997). "Redbirds go out with a bang, loss". The Pantagraph. p. F1. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Leathernecks capture Gateway championship". The Southern Illinoisan. Associated Press. November 23, 1997. p. 3C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Cooper, Craig (November 30, 1997). "WIU wins a wild one". Quad-City Times. p. 10S. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Western Illinois falls to McNeese State in quarters". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. December 7, 1997. p. F3. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

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[1] "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 72. Retrieved November 6, 2021.

[2] Bryant, C.B. (November 28, 1997). "Leathernecks charge up hill behind Stecker". Clarion-Ledger. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Western Illinois tops Eastern in opener". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. August 29, 1997. p. B4. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Leathernecks rout Truman State 45-18". Belleville News-Democrat. Associated Press. September 7, 1997. p. 2D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Record-setting Stecker runs over Alcorn". The Clarion-Ledger. Associated Press. September 14, 1997. p. 5D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Marshall easily pins first loss on Western Illinois". Herald and Review. Associated Press. September 21, 1997. p. C5. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Western Illinois 45, Southern Utah 6". Quad-City Times. October 5, 1997. p. 3F. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "2 OTs: UNI stumbles". Des Moines Register. Associated Press. October 12, 1997. p. 6D. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Western Illinois 37, Indiana State 3". Quad-City Times. Associated Press. October 19, 1997. p. 2F. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] Scranton, Lyndal (October 26, 1997). "Stecker, W. Illinois stun SMS". Springfield News-Leader. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] Hardwig, Greg (November 2, 1997). "Stecker sticks it to SIU". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 1C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] Reinhardt, Randy (November 9, 1997). "Redbirds go out with a bang, loss". The Pantagraph. p. F1. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "Leathernecks capture Gateway championship". The Southern Illinoisan. Associated Press. November 23, 1997. p. 3C. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] Cooper, Craig (November 30, 1997). "WIU wins a wild one". Quad-City Times. p. 10S. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "Western Illinois falls to McNeese State in quarters". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. December 7, 1997. p. F3. Retrieved November 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

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1997 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

Schedule

References

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