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1955 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

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American college football season

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
Seasons← 19541956 →
1955 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
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
  • + – 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. 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. 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.

Western Illinois back Don Lashmet was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team player on the 1955 All-Interstate Conference football team. 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.

Schedule

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

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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