The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

, located in Macomb, Illinois, in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Summit League; its

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is a member of the Division I FCS (formerly Division I-AA)

Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...

Nickname

WIU's nickname, the

Leatherneck Leatherneck is a military slang term in the USA for a member of the United States Marine Corps. It is generally believed to originate in the wearing of a "leather stock" that went around the neck. Its original purpose was to protect the neck fro ...

s, and its mascot, the

English bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. The university has had permission to use the official nickname and mascot of the Corps since 1927, when

Ray Hanson Raymond Willis "Rock" Hanson (October 5, 1895 – January 4, 1982) was an American military officer and college sports coach and administrator. He was a United States Marine Corps Colonel (United States), colonel and highly decorated veteran of ...

, then-athletic director and coach of the baseball, basketball and football teams, gained permission to use the symbols as an homage to his service in that military branch during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The university holds the distinction of being the only non-military institution to officially have its nickname derived from a branch of the military service. Since the fall semester of 2009, the men's and women's teams have been unified under the Leathernecks name; previously, the women's teams and athletes at the school had been known as the Westerwinds.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

The Western Illinois Leathernecks baseball team represents the university in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

. The team is a member of the Summit League. It plays its home games at the 500-seat

Alfred D. Boyer Stadium Alfred D. Boyer Stadium is a baseball venue in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Western Illinois Leathernecks baseball team of the NCAA Division I Ohio Valley Conference. The stadium opened on May 6, 2006 and has a seating ...

and are coached by

Andy Pascoe Andrew Pascoe (born 1988) is an American baseball coach and former catcher and infielder. Pascoe played college baseball at the University of Evansville from 2007 to 2010 for coach Wes Carroll. He served as the head coach of the Western Illinois ...

Men's basketball

The Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team competes in

Division I men's

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

competition. The school's team is a member of the Summit League. The team plays it home games at 5,139-seat

Western Hall LeRoy A. Ufkes Court at Western Hall is a 5,139-seat multi-purpose arena in Macomb, Illinois. It was built in 1964. It is home to the Western Illinois University Leathernecks men's and women's basketball teams and the women's volleyball team. ...

and are coached by Rob Jeter.

Women's basketball

The Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team is a member of the Summit League, which is part of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 5,139-seat

and are coached by

JD Gravina J. D. Gravina is an American college basketball coach and the coach of the Western Illinois women's basketball team. In his 9th season at the helm of Western Illinois Women's Basketball, Gravina has transformed the Leathernecks into one of the hi ...

Football

The Western Illinois Leathernecks football program competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the

. The team has made numerous NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoff appearances. The Leathernecks have been ranked as high as number one and ranked number two numerous times. The team plays its home games at the 16,368 seat Hanson Field and are coached by Jared Elliott.

Men's soccer

The Western Illinois Leathernecks men's soccer team is a member of the Summit League, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 500-seat

MacKenzie Alumni Field The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Summit League; its football t ...

and are coached by Dr. Eric Johnson.

Women's soccer

The Western Illinois Leathernecks women's soccer team is a member of the Summit League, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 500-seat

and are coached by Dr. Eric Johnson.

Softball

The Western Illinois Leathernecks softball team is a member of the Summit League, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 500-seat

Mary Ellen McKee Softball Stadium The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Summit League; its football t ...

and are coached by Alisa Goler. The team has appeared in eight Women's College World Series, in 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1980 and

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Volleyball

The Western Illinois Leathernecks volleyball team is a member of the Summit League, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 5,139-seat

and are coached by

Ben Staupe Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

Athletic facilities

— Baseball * Hanson Field — Football, Men's and women's track and field *

Harry Mussatto Golf Course The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Summit League; its football t ...

— Men's and women's golf *

— Men's and women's soccer *

— Softball * Spring Lake Course — Men's and women's cross country *

— Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball *

WIU Tennis Facility The Western Illinois Leathernecks are the teams and athletes that represent Western Illinois University, located in Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I sports. The school's primary conference affiliation is with the Summit League; its football t ...

— Women's tennis

Western Illinois Leathernecks traditions

Western Loyalty

The name of the "official" Alma Mater for Western Illinois University is "Western Loyalty".

We're Marching On

The name of the "official" fight song for Western Illinois University is "We're Marching On".

Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks

The "Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks" is the

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

which represents Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.

Rocky the Bulldog

"Rocky the Bulldog" is the costumed athletics mascot for the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

Colonel Rock

"Colonel Rock" is the live athletics mascot for the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

Western Illinois Cheerleaders

The "Western Illinois Cheerleaders" are the co-ed cheerleading squad for the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

Notable former athletes

Baseball

Gene Lamont Gene William Lamont (born December 25, 1946) is an American special assistant to the general manager of the Kansas City Royals. He was a catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Chicago White Sox (1992–1995) and Pittsburgh P ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Paul Reuschel Paul Richard Reuschel (born January 12, 1947) is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1979. Reuschel began his professional career when he was drafted by the Chicago C ...

, Major League Baseball * Rick Reuschel, Major League Baseball

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

American Football

* Don Beebe,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

David Bowens David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

, National Football League * Bryan Cox, National Football League *

Don Greco Donald Greco (born April 1, 1959 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former American football offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). Greco was selected in the third round by the Detroit Lions out of Western Illinois University in the 19 ...

, National Football League * Rodney Harrison, National Football League * Edgerton Hartwell, National Football League * Frisman Jackson, National Football League *

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

, National Football League *

Rob Lazeo Robert "Rob" Lazeo (born March 23, 1973 in Abbotsford, British Columbia) is a retired professional Canadian football offensive lineman who spent 14 seasons playing in the Canadian Football League. He spent the last four years of his career with th ...

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

* Jeff Loots,

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

Bruce McCray Bruce Edward McCray (born October 27, 1963) is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. McCray attended Wichita East High School in Wichita, Kansas. He first enrolled a ...

, National Football League *

Mike McEachern Michael McEachern (born June 8, 1986) is a current professional Flag Football player in the Dynasty Football league for team Southside & former professional Canadian football defensive back who played for the BC Lions. He was drafted by the Lions ...

, Canadian Football League *

Russ Michna Russell Walter Michna (born February 3, 1981) is a former arena football quarterback. A two-time league champion of the United Football League (UFL), he is the only player that has been signed to a team in every current major professional footb ...

, Canadian Football League * Peter Mueller, Canadian Football League *

J.R. Niklos John Russell Niklos II (born, June 19, 1979) is a former American football fullback. Early years J.R. played high school football and track for Thomas Worthington High School where he was an All American in both Track and Football. J.R. won the ...

, National Football League *

Mike Scifres Michael T. Scifres (born October 8, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers and is included on the Cha ...

, National Football League * Rich Seubert, National Football League *

Aaron Stecker Aaron Stecker (born November 13, 1975) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Western Illinois and Wisconsin. Stecker also played for the ...

, National Football League *

Mike Wagner Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is a former professional football player, a safety for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He won four Super Bowls as a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense. Pl ...

, National Football League * Jason Williams, National Football League * Frank Winters, National Football League

Soccer

Kosuke Kimura (born May 14, 1984) is a Japanese footballer and a coach. A long-time veteran of Major League Soccer, he has also played in Poland. He was the first player in MLS history who was born in Japan. Career College and amateur Kimura's career in o ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

Track

* Lee Calhoun,

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

winner

References

External links

Official website
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