HANSON FIELD - Western Illinois University Athletics

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LEATHERNECKS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 10 Jeff Hecklinski’s senior season in 1998 ended as the then-highest scoring season and the most successful rushing season in Leatherneck Football history. 1988 (10-2) 1997 (11-2) 1998 (11-3) Coach Bruce Craddock Gateway Champions (6-0) Coach Randy Ball Gateway Champions (6-0) Coach Randy Ball Gateway Champions (5-1) *Southern Illinois W 17-13 Grand Valley State W 55-0 *at Missouri State W 35-31 *at Indiana State W 24-21 *at UNI W 28-27 Northwest Missouri State W 63-3 *Eastern Illinois W 45-8 at Liberty W 36-35 *Illinois State W 13-10 at Northern Illinois L 6-16 at Delaware State W 22-13 NCAA I-AA Playoffs Western Kentucky L 32-35 The 1988 squad set six offensive school records, produced the third-highest scoring team in school history, and recorded the eighth-best total defense mark. The offense averaged 388 yards per game, while the defense allowed just over 290. The recordbreaking Gateway Conference champions concluded the season as the third-ranked I-AA team in the nation after having been ranked as high as number two for the previous four weeks. Seven players were selected to all-America teams, as senior quarterback Paul Singer concluded his career as the school’s all-time signal caller. The 6-3, 195-pounder, who was an eight-time Gateway Conference Player of the Week during his tenure, not only set 17 school records, but was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. He passed for 8,257 career yards and 62 touchdowns. The strongarmed Singer was picked for six all-America teams and was a runner-up in the Coach’s Choice Player of the Year Award. Head coach Bruce Craddock, who won his second consecutive Gateway Conference Coach of the Year honor and was named the 1988 Kodak I-AA Regional Coach of the Year, led the Leathernecks to an undefeated 6-0 league record. *Eastern Illinois W 41-0 Truman State W 45-18 at Alcorn State W 31-17 at Marshall L 7-48 at Southern Utah W 45-6 *UNI W (OT) 29-22 *at Indiana State W 37-3 *Missouri State W 37-7 *Southern Illinois W 31-26 *at Illinois State W 37-23 *at Youngstown State W 24-21 NCAA I-AA Playoffs Jackson State W 31-24 McNeese State L 12-14 Capturing Western Illinois’ first-ever I-AA postseason victory, the 1997 Leathernecks became the first squad to win 11 games, after matching the record for most wins in a regular season. Junior running back Aaron Stecker helped establish the highestscoring offense and most successful rushing team in Western’s Division I history. Stecker rushed for 2,293 yards in 13 games, led the nation in scoring and rewrote the record books on his way to numerous player of the year and all-America honors. He finished second on the Walter Payton Award ballot. Gateway Coach of the Year Randy Ball led the Leathernecks to just the second outright Gateway title in school history (also 1988) with a spotless 6-0 league record. The season’s only loss came to I-A Marshall as the Leathernecks climbed as high as No. 2 in the national polls. A defense that allowed just 17.3 points per game throughout the regular season was in top form for the postseason. Despite not giving up a touchdown to the McNeese State offense, the Leathernecks’ hopes of advancing to the national semifinals were cut short with a two-point loss to the Cowboys. St. Cloud State W 23-7 at Central Michigan L 14-35 at Elon College W 17-7 Southern Utah W 31-3 *Youngstown State W 14-0 *at Missouri State W 20-13 *at Southern Illinois W 13-3 *Illinois State W 37-10 at Buffalo W 41-6 *Indiana State W 26-9 *at UNI L 6-10 NCAA I-AA Playoffs Montana W 52-9 Florida A&M W 24-21 at Georgia Southern L 14-42 With back-to-back Gateway titles behind them, the 1998 Leathernecks advanced to the semifinals for the first time in school history. The defense paved the way, allowing a nation-best 9.4 points per game during the regular season. Central Michigan (I-A) was the only opponent to score more than one touchdown while Western held eight opponents to under 10 points, while the 12.5 points allowed per game overall was the best school mark since 1959. Linebacker James Milton became the first Leatherneck to win the Buck Buchanan Award, and defensive lineman David Bowens was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Western climbed to as high as No. 2 in the national polls and finished the season at No. 4. After a rout of Montana and a 3-point win over Florida A&M in the first two rounds of the I-AA playoffs, the Leathernecks suffered a semifinal loss at Georgia Southern. Head coach Randy Ball, who was named the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year, ended his nine-year Leatherneck career with a record of 63-40-1, including a 35-18 mark against Gateway Conference competition. www.GoLeathernecks.com 53
20 LEATHERNECKS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2000 (9-3) Coach Don Patterson Gateway Champions (5-1) at Missouri L 20-50 at Ball State W 24-14 Sam Houston State W 31-0 Nicholls State W 44-3 *Indiana State W 49-7 *at Southern Illinois W 42-17 *at Missouri State W 14-10 *Youngstown State W 24-10 Morgan State W 73-17 *Illinois State L 18-25 *at UNI W 44-41 NCAA I-AA Playoffs Lehigh L 7-37 The Leathernecks took the 2000 Gateway title in exciting fashion as punter Mike Scifres turned his first career field goal attempt into a school-record 56-yard field goal as time expired in the UNI-Dome. The win completed a 5-1 Gateway schedule, after Western Illinois was predicted to finish fifth, and gave head coach Don Patterson his first league crown in just his second season. The Leathernecks entered the season ranked No. 23 and climbed as high as No. 3. They earned their fourth trip to the I-AA playoffs in five years, but fell to Lehigh in the first round. Western was the only team with finalists for all three national postseason awards, as linebacker Edgerton Hartwell won the Buck Buchanan Award, Charles Tharp was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, and Patterson was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. Each of the three won Gateway player/coach of the year awards and Patterson was named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. Hartwell and defensive back Will Peterson later became the first two I-AA players selected in the 2001 NFL Draft. Western averaged 32.5 points per game as Patterson strung together the best two-year record for any I-AA Leatherneck coach. 2002 (11-2) Coach Don Patterson Gateway Champions (6-1) Drake W 64-7 *at Western Kentucky W 14-0 at Northern Illinois W 29-26 Sam Houston State W 41-13 *at Southern Illinois L 52-54 *Illinois State W 22-17 *Indiana State W 52-21 *Youngstown State W 19-0 *at Missouri State W 28-23 *at UNI W 35-12 at Southern Utah W 38-28 NCAA I-AA Playoffs Eastern Illinois W 48-9 Western Kentucky L 28-31 After being picked fourth in the Gateway preseason polls and 40th in the national rankings, the 2002 Leathernecks surprised everyone but themselves by climbing to No. 2 in the national polls. The Leathernecks had a perfect regular season spoiled by a Southern Illinois touchdown at the buzzer, leading to a 10-1 regular season, which included a win over I-A Northern Illinois. As the No. 2 seed in the I-AA playoffs, they rolled past Eastern Illinois in round one. However, eventual champion Western Kentucky, which the Leathernecks had shut out earlier in the season, kicked a field goal with 40 seconds remaining to upset the Leathernecks by three points in the quarterfinals. Scifres, a consensus All-American became the first I-AA punter ever placed on the Ray Guy Award Watch List. Gateway Offensive Player of the Year Russ Michna set a Leatherneck record for single-season total offense and fell just nine yards shy of the school’s passing record. Don Patterson earned his second Gateway Coach of the Year award, as well as his second AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honor. Western averaged 36.2 points, the second-highest mark in school history, and nearly 400 yards of total offense. Western Illinois’ 2002 Gateway Conference championship squad. 54 WESTERN ILLINOIS FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS
Page 1 and 2: 20 FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS HANSON FIE
Page 3: 20 LEATHERNECKS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS
Page 7 and 8: 20 NCAA DIVISION I PLAYOFF HISTORY
Page 9 and 10: 20 ALL-TIME ASSISTANT COACHES Lou S
Page 11 and 12: 20 LEATHERNECK ALL-AMERICANS Bryan
Page 13 and 14: 20 BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD WINNERS Jame
Page 15 and 16: 20 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS A Adams,
Page 17 and 18: 20 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS Kreczmer,
Page 19 and 20: 20 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS 68 Waldro
Page 21 and 22: 20 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS 28 John W
Page 23 and 24: 20 ALL-TIME LETTERWINNERS 66 Ray Wa
Page 25 and 26: 20 ALL-TIME COACHING YEARS 74 Year
Page 27 and 28: 20 RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR Homecoming
Page 29 and 30: 20 RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR 1952 (7-2)
Page 31 and 32: 20 RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR Shutouts (s
Page 33 and 34: 20 RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR On Commerci
Page 35 and 36: 20 SERIES RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR Akro
Page 37 and 38: 20 SERIES RESULTS YEAR-BY-YEAR Miss
Page 39 and 40: 20 ‘TOP 25’ POLL HISTORY 1987 P

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