1975 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1975 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record5–6 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPs
  • Stu Levenick
  • Bruce Beaman
Captains
  • Dean March
  • Stu Levenick
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1975 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 4 Ohio State $ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
No. 8 Michigan 7 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 2
Michigan State 4 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Illinois 4 – 4 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Purdue 4 – 4 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 4 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Iowa 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Indiana 1 – 6 – 1 2 – 8 – 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1975 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1975 Big Ten season. In their fifth year under head coach Bob Blackman, the Illini compiled a 5–6 record (4–4 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 260 to 229.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Kurt Steger (1,136 passing yards, 48.2% completion percentage), running back Lonnie Perrin (907 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry, seven touchdowns), and wide receiver Frank Johnson (349 receiving yards).[2] Offensive tackle Stu Levenick and defensive back Bruce Beaman were selected as the team's most valuable players.[3]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 13at Iowa
W 27–1257,200[4]
September 20No. 5 Missouri*
L 20–3057,059[5]
September 27at No. 8 Texas A&M*
L 13–4345,524[6]
October 4Washington State*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 27–2151,060[7]
October 11Minnesota
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 42–2346,162[8]
October 18Purdue
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 24–2661,204[9]
October 25at No. 16 Michigan State
W 21–1966,223[10]
November 1at Wisconsin
L 9–1878,868[11]
November 8No. 1 Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
L 3–4067,571[12]
November 15No. 4 Michigan
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 15–2145,077[13][14]
November 22at Northwestern
W 28–719,800[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1975 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 76 Burt Owens So
OT 74 Kevin Pancratz Jr
SE 40 John Peach Jr
TB 33 Lonnie Perrin Sr
TB 23 Jim Phillips Jr
QB 16 Ray Pokorny Jr
TB 14 Dirk Schnittker So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
S 15 Jeff Stewart Jr
LB 67 Scott Studwell Sr
LB 97 John Sullivan So
LB 51 Chris Williams Jr
LB 37 Rick Williams Sr
DB 21 John Yanoshik Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1975 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1975 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Illinois bulldozes Iowa". The Lima News. September 14, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Missouri wins". Rapid City Journal. September 21, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Texas A&M displays power in 43–13 win over Illini". The Odessa American. September 28, 1975. Retrieved March 29, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Illini bounce back". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 5, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Illini offense bumps Gophers". The Indianapolis Star. October 12, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Late field goal foiled as Purdue spoils Illinois homecoming, wins 26–24". Southern Illinoisan. October 19, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Illinois upsets Michigan State, 21–19". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 26, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Marek's ground binge lifts Wisconsin over Illini, 18–9". The Pantagraph. November 2, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Buckeyes jump on errors in walloping Illini, 40–3". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 9, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Curt Sylvester (November 16, 1975). "Bring On Bucks! 'M' Wins, 21-15: Gordon Bell Rings Up 2 TDs". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1E, 2E – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Jeff Schiller (November 16, 1975). "Michigan repels inspired Illini: Conquers fumbles, late threat en route to crucial 21-15 win". The Michigan Daily. pp. 1, 8 – via Bentley Historical Library.
  15. ^ "Lonnie Perrin leads Illini to 28–7 decision". The Terre Haute Tribune-Star. November 23, 1975. Retrieved September 16, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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