Illinois State Redbirds football
| Illinois State Redbirds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1887 | ||
| Head coach |
Brock Spack 8th year, 62–35 (.639) | ||
| Other staff |
Kurt Beathard (OC) Spence Nowinsky (DC) | ||
| Stadium | Hancock Stadium | ||
| Seating capacity | 13,391 | ||
| Location | Normal, Illinois | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference | ||
| All-time record | 451–510–68 (.471) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–0 (–) | ||
| Conference titles | 3 | ||
| Colors |
Red and White[1] | ||
| Website | goredbirds.com | ||
- For information on all Illinois State University sports, see Illinois State Redbirds
The Illinois State Redbirds football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the Illinois State University located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 13,391 seat Hancock Stadium. They are coached by Brock Spack.
History
Classifications
- 1937–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–1975: NCAA Division II
- 1976–1977: NCAA Division I
- 1978–1981: NCAA Division I–A
- 1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
- 1887–1924: Independent
- 1925–1949: Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1950–1969: Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- 1970–1972: Independent
- 1973–1975: Division II Independent
- 1976–1977: Division I Independent
- 1978–1980: Division I–A Independent
- 1981–1985: Missouri Valley Conference
- 1986–2007: Gateway Football Conference
- 2008–present: Missouri Valley Football Conference
Mid-America Classic
The Mid-America Classic is the rivalry game between the Illinois State and Eastern Illinois. The rivalry began in 1901 and is the oldest in the state of Illinois. The two teams have played 100 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 51-40-9 advantage in the all-time series. With the 100th game in the series on the horizon, representatives from both schools met in the spring and developed the Mid-America Classic renaming for the rivalry. The two schools also collaborated on a traveling trophy, which holds plaques with the results of the previous 100 games in the series and has room for results of future games in the series.[2]
Championships
Missouri Valley Football Conference title: 1999, 2014 (Co-Champions), 2015 (Co-Champions)
NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs: 1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015
Bowl Games
| Date played | Bowl | Champion | Runner-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 23, 1950 | Corn Bowl | Missouri-Rolla | 7 | Illinois State | 6 |
| December 4, 1999 | Pecan Bowl | Illinois State | 37 | Hofstra | 20 |
| December 1, 2006 | Pecan Bowl | Youngstown State | 28 | Illinois State | 21 |
- The 1999 & 2006 the Midwest Region Championship (FCS Quarterfinal) was referred to as the Pecan Bowl.
- In 1999 the Redbirds football advanced Final Four and receiving 3rd in the AP poll.
- Illinois State holds the NCAA Division I-AA record for the most tied football games with 66.[3]
NCAA Division I FCS Playoffappearances
Illinois State has made seven appearances in the I-AA/FCS playoffs since 1978.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | First Round | Northwestern State | L 28–48 | |
| 1999 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Colgate Hofstra Georgia Southern | W 56–13 W 37–20 L 17–31 | |
| 2006 | First Round Quarterfinals | Eastern Illinois Youngstown State | W 24–13 L 21–28 | |
| 2012 | Second Round Quarterfinals | Appalachian State Eastern Washington | W 38–37 OT L 35–51 | |
| 2014 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Northern Iowa Eastern Washington New Hampshire North Dakota State | W 41–21 W 59–46 W 21–18 L 27–29 | |
| 2015 | Second Round Quarterfinals | Western Illinois Richmond | W 36–19 L 27–39 | |
| 2016 | First Round | Central Arkansas | L 24–31 | |
| Playoff Record | 8–7 | |||
Redbirds drafted to the NFL
| Draft Year | Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Team |
| 2015 | James O'Shaughnessy | TE | 5 | 173 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2014 | Shelby Harris | DE | 7 | 235 | Oakland Raiders |
| 2013 | Nate Palmer | LB | 6 | 193 | Green Bay Packers |
| 2007 | Laurent Robinson | WR | 3 | 75 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2006 | Brent Hawkins | DE | 5 | 160 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2005 | Boomer Grigsby | LB | 5 | 138 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1990 | Bill Miller | WR | 10 | 258 | Detroit Lions |
| 1986 | Jim Meyer | T | 7 | 167 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1985 | Mike Prior | DB | 7 | 176 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1984 | Clarence Collins | WR | 3 | 62 | San Diego Chargers |
| 1978 | Estus Hood | DB | 3 | 62 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1976 | Calvin Harper | T | 6 | 172 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1973 | Ron Bell | RB | 6 | 140 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1970 | Guy Homoly | DB | 15 | 385 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1969 | Dennis Nelson | T | 3 | 77 | Baltimore Colts |
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
References
- ↑ ISU Graphic Standards (PDF). 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ↑ DeLassus, David. "Division I-AA All-Time Wins". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved April 12, 2011.