1959 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

1959 Western Illinois Leathernecks football
IIAC champion
ConferenceInterstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Record9–0 (6–0 IIAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumHanson Field
Seasons
← 1958
1960 →
1959 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 Western Illinois $ 6 0 0 9 0 0
No. 17 Northern Illinois State 4 2 0 7 2 0
Central Michigan 4 2 0 7 3 0
Southern Illinois 4 2 0 5 4 0
Eastern Illinois 1 4 1 3 5 1
Eastern Michigan 1 5 0 1 7 0
Illinois State Normal 0 5 1 3 5 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll

The 1959 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1959 college football season. They were led by third-year head coach Lou Saban and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with a perfect 9–0 record overall and a 6–0 record in conference play, winning the IIAC title.[1] Despite its record, the team was unable to participate in a postseason bowl game, as the Illinois state teachers college board banned its schools from participating in postseason sporting events.[2]

  1. ^ "Western Illinois Football Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University Athletics. p. 69. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Stratton in Favor of Dropping Ban on Post-Season Games". Herald and Review. Associated Press. November 11, 1959. p. 9. Retrieved November 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.