| Western Illinois Leathernecks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Western Illinois University |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference (primary) Big South–OVC Football Association |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Paul Bubb |
| Location | Macomb, Illinois |
| Varsity teams | 20 (8 men's, 12 women's) |
| Football stadium | Hanson Field |
| Basketball arena | Western Hall |
| Baseball stadium | Alfred D. Boyer Stadium |
| Softball stadium | Mary Ellen McKee Softball Stadium |
| Soccer stadium | MacKenzie Alumni Field |
| Other venues | Harry Mussatto Golf Course Spring Lake Course Brophy Courts |
| Mascot | Colonel Rock (Live Bulldog), Rocky the Bulldog (Costumed Bulldog) |
| Nickname | Leathernecks |
| Fight song | We're Marching On |
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] |
| Website | goleathernecks |
 | |
The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Ohio Valley Conference; its football team is a member of the Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA) Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) and its men's soccer team plays in the Summit League, in which the school had been a member since that conference's formation in 1982. Western Illinois announced on May 12, 2023 its departure from the Summit League to become a full member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in most sports beginning seven weeks subsequent on July 1. Two Leathernecks teams will play outside the OVC in the fall 2023 season before joining the rest of the school's teams in the OVC in 2024—the football team in the MVFC,[2] and the men's soccer team in the Summit League.[3]
- ^ Western Illinois Leathernecks Athletics 2017–18 Branding & Style Guidelines (PDF). July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports," Western Illinois University Athletics, Friday, May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ "Western Illinois University Begins New Era in Ohio Valley Conference" (Press release). Western Illinois Leathernecks. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.