The 1980 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
team that represented the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
during the
1980 Big Ten Conference football season. The Illini finished in three-way tie for sixth place in the
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 ...
(Big Ten), compiled a 3–7–1 record (3–5 against Big Ten opponents), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 326 to 241. The team played its home games at
Memorial Stadium in
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
.
In December 1979, Illinois hired
Mike White to replace
Gary Moeller
Gary Oscar Moeller (; January 26, 1941 – July 11, 2022) was an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 f ...
. Moeller's teams had gone 3-16-3 in the prior two seasons. White had been an assistant coach with the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in 1978 and 1979 and was the head coach for the
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
from 1972 to 1977.
The 1980 season was Illinois' first under coach White.
The team's offensive leaders were quarterback
Dave Wilson with 3,154 passing yards, running back Mike Holmes with 305 rushing yards, wide receiver
Mike Martin with 555 receiving yards, and placekicker Mike Bass with 45 points. Wilson was selected as the team's most valuable player.
Several Illinois players also ranked among the Big Ten leaders in various statistical categories, including the following:
* Dave Wilson led the Big Ten with 245 pass completions, 463 pass attempts, and 503 total plays and ranked second with 3,154 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 2,960 total yards.
* Mike Martin ranked second in the Big Ten with 17.9 yard per reception and 8.2 yards per punt return, fourth with 123 punt return yards, and 10th with 555 receiving yards.
[
]
Preseason
In December 1979, Illinois hired Mike White to replace Gary Moeller
Gary Oscar Moeller (; January 26, 1941 – July 11, 2022) was an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 f ...
. Moeller's teams had gone 3–16–3 in the prior two seasons. White had been an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in 1978 and 1979 and was the head coach for the California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
from 1972 to 1977.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Northwestern
On September 6, in the first game of the Big Ten season, Illinois defeated Northwestern, 35–9, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois
Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
. It was Illinois' first game under new head coach Mike White and its first victory at Memorial Stadium since October 1977.
Michigan State
On September 13, Illinois defeated Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, 20–17, to spoil Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...
debut as the Spartans' head coach. Mike Bass kicked the game-winning field goal as time ran out.
At Missouri
On September 20, in the Illinois–Missouri football rivalry
The Illinois–Missouri football rivalry, also known as the Arch Rivalry, is an American college football rivalry between the Illinois Fighting Illini football team of the University of Illinois and Missouri Tigers football team of the Universit ...
game, Illinois lost to Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
(AP No. 15), 52–7, in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
. The lopsided game was Illinois' first loss under new head coach Mike White. Missouri totaled 486 yards of total offense, including 105 rushing yards by running back James Wilder Sr.
James Curtis Wilder Sr. (born May 12, 1958) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Li ...
Air Force
On September 27, Illinois and Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
played to a 20–20 tie before a crowd of 45,638 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. An inadvertent whistle saved the game for Illinois in the fourth quarter. With 6:12 left in the game and Illinois trailing, 20-17, Illinois quarterback fumbled into the arms of a defender, but the play was negated when officials ruled that the play should be replayed as the result of an "inadvertent" whistle blown during the play. Illinois then continued its drive which culminated in a Mike Bass field goal with 3:13 left in the game.
Mississippi State
On October 4, Illinois lost to Mississippi State
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...
, 28–21, before a crowd of 60,889 in Champaign. Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson set an Illinois single-game record with 23 completions and passed for 283 yards. Mississippi State scored its four touchdowns off two Illinois fumbles, an interception, and a blocked punt.
At Iowa
On October 11, Illinois defeated Iowa, 20–14, before a crowd of 59,780 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Illinois led, 20-0, early in the third quarter when Illinois cornerback Rick George returned a fumble 13 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the second half. Iowa then mounted a comeback that fell short. Keith Chappelle led the comeback effort, catching two touchdown passes in the second half. Chappelle broke an Iowa single-game record with 191 receiving yards and tied another with 11 receptions.
Purdue
On October 18, Purdue defeated Illinois, 45–20, before a crowd of 62,121 in Champaign. In a remarkable passing exhibition, the Big Ten single-game record for passing yardage was broken twice in the same game. Mark Herrmann
Mark Donald Herrmann (born January 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Herrmann played college football for the ...
broke the record first with 371 yards, surpassing the mark set two years earlier by Eddie Smith. Hermann went to the bench halfway through the fourth quarter, only to watch his record broken by Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson who tallied 425 passing yards as the Illini passed with abandon through the final minutes. Wilson also broke Big Ten single-game records with 58 passes and 35 completions.
At Michigan
On October 25, Michigan defeated Illinois, 45–14, before a homecoming crowd of 105,109 in Ann Arbor. The game had special significance, because Michigan assistant coaches Gary Moeller
Gary Oscar Moeller (; January 26, 1941 – July 11, 2022) was an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 f ...
and Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolverines compiled a record ...
had been fired by Illinois after the 1979 season. Rumors spread before the game that coach Schembechler wanted to "make Illinois pay" for the firings. Michigan back Stan Edwards
Stanley J. Edwards (born May 20, 1959) is a former American football running back. A native of Detroit, Edwards played college football at the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1981 and for six years in the National Football League (NFL) for t ...
and Lawrence Ricks
Lawrence Tallmagde Ricks (born June 4, 1961) is a former American football player. He played college football as a tailback for the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1982 and was selected as a first-team running back on the 1982 All-Big Ten ...
rushed for 152 and 97 yards, respectively. Anthony Carter caught five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the first half. After the game, the Michigan players presented game balls to assistant coaches Moeller and Carr.[
]
Minnesota
On November 1, Minnesota defeated Illinois, 21–18, before a homecoming crowd of 51,202 in Champaign. Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson completed 22 of 59 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. The game was marred by 12 fumbles and 22 penalties. Minnesota's running backs, Marion Barber, Jr. and Garry White rushed for 162 and 103 yards, respectively.
At Ohio State
On November 8, Ohio State (AP No. 7) narrowly defeated Illinois, 49–42, in Columbus. Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson set an NCAA single-season record with 621 passing yards. Art Schlichter
Arthur Ernest Schlichter (, born April 25, 1960) is an American former gridiron football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Colts franchise. He also played one Can ...
threw four touchdown passes and broke the Ohio State career total yards record previously held by Archie Griffin
Archie Mason Griffin (born August 21, 1954) is a former American football running back. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. As college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, he is considered one of the grea ...
.
At Indiana
On November 15, Indiana defeated Illinois, 26–24, in Bloomington. Indiana tailback Lonnie Johnson rushed for a school record 237 yards on 37 carries. Illinois quarterback Dave Wilson kept the game close as he passed for 403 yards and three touchdowns.
References
{{Illinois Fighting Illini football navbox
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
Illinois Fighting Illini football seasons
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini football program represents the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. The Fighting Illini are a founding member of ...