1955 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
Corn Bowl, L 20–24 vs. Luther
ConferenceInterstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record5–4–1, 1 win forfeited (2–3–1 IIAC, 1 win forfeited)
Head coach
Home stadiumHanson Field
1955 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Central Michigan + 5 –1 –08 –1 –0
Michigan State Normal + 5 –1 –07 –2 –0
Southern Illinois 4 –1 –14 –4 –2
Western Illinois 2 –3 –15 –4 –1
Illinois State Normal 2 –3 –13 –4 –2
Eastern Illinois 1 –5 –03 –6 –0
Northern Illinois State 0 –5 –10 –8 –1
  • + – Conference co-champions

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

DateTimeOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 17at Loras*Dubuque, IAW 15–0[6]
September 29Bradley*
W 25–6[7]
October 7Michigan State Normal
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
L 2–6[8]
October 15at Central Michigan
L 0–206,400[9]
October 22at Northern Illinois State
W 39–6[10]
October 29Southern Illinoisdagger
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
T 13–138,000[11]
November 4at Illinois State NormalNormal, ILL 32–13 (forfeit)[12]
November 11St. Ambrose*
  • Hanson Field
  • Macomb, IL
W 19–13[13]
November 191:30 p.m.at Eastern IllinoisCharleston, ILW 13–7[14][15]
November 24Luther*
L 20–245,000[16]

[17]

References

  1. ↑ "SIU Defeats Northern, 20-0". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. Associated Press. November 21, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  2. ↑ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Macomb, Illinois: Western Illinois University. September 2021. p. 69. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "Williams First Team IIAC End". Southern Illinoisan. December 2, 1955. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Central Tops in Statistics". The Daily Chronicle. December 2, 1955. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Western Has Romp; Whips Loras, 29-0". The Rock Island Argus. September 19, 1955. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Teachers Win From Bradley For 1st Time". Quad City Times. September 30, 1955. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Michigan Normal Beats Western". Belleville News-Democrat. United Press. October 8, 1952. p. 8. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Central Michigan Wins, 20 to 0". Lansing State Journal. October 16, 1955 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Huskies Find Leathernecks Mighty Tough; Lose 39-6". The DeKalb Daily Chronicle. October 24, 1955. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Salukis Fight Back, Tie Western 13-13". The Southern Illinoisan. October 31, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Young, Fred (November 5, 1955). "Western Defeats State Normal". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. p. 9. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  13. ↑ "Bees Lose In Thriller, 19 To 13". The Daily Times. November 12, 1955. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "EICS Host To Western Today". Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. November 19, 1955. p. 9. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ↑ "Western TopS Easter, 13-7". Decatur Sunday Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. November 20, 1955. p. 18. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  16. ↑ "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 Open access icon.
  17. ↑ "Brief Summary of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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