The 1979 Northwestern Wildcats team represented

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

during the 1979 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach

Rick Venturi Rick Venturi (born February 23, 1946) is a former American football player, coach and current broadcaster. He served as the head coach at Northwestern University and as longtime National Football League assistant coach known for his defense. ...

, the Wildcats compiled a 1–10 record (0–9 against

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

opponents) and finished in last place in the

. The team's offensive leaders were quarterback

Mike Kerrigan Michael Joseph Kerrigan (born April 27, 1960) is an American former professional gridiron football quarterback. College Kerrigan played high school football at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago. He was recruited by Yale, Weber State, and Utah, ...

with 961 passing yards, Jeff Cohn with 426 rushing yards, and Todd Sheets with 614 receiving yards. Northwestern's 21–54 loss to Syracuse on September 22 began what would eventually become a 34-game losing streak, the longest in FBS history. They wouldn't win another game until September 25, 1982.

Schedule

Roster

Team players in the NFL

References

Northwestern Northwestern Wildcats football seasons

Northwestern Wildcats football The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University as an NCAA Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern began playing fo ...

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