1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team
| 1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football | |
|---|---|
Gateway champion | |
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 32–35 vs. Western Kentucky | |
| Conference | Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 3 |
| Record | 10–2 (6–0 Gateway) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Randy Ball (6th season) |
| Home stadium | Hanson Field |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Western Illinois $^ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana State | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Illinois | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1988 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Bruce Craddock and played their home games at Hanson Field. The Leathernecks finished the season with a 10–1 record overall and a 6–0 record in conference play, making them the conference champions. Senior and 4-year starter Paul Singer was the Leathernecks' quarterback. He was selected to five All-American teams, as well as being a GTE and NCAA Academic All-American, the Conference Player of the Year, and the national Player of the Year runner-up. He held nearly every WIU passing and offensive record, as well as several conference records. The 10 wins were the most in the nearly 100-year history of WIU football.