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, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

, located in

Macomb, Illinois Macomb () is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois, about southwest of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the c ...

, in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I sports. The school is a member of the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

. Its

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team is a member of the

Division I FCS The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate ...

(formerly Division I-AA)

OVC–Big South Football Association The OVC–Big South Football Association is an association of football members of the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The OVC–Big South covers the American Midwest and South with member institutions located in Illinois, ...

. Previously Western Illinois was a member of the

Summit League The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...

, with its football team playing in the

Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the National Collegiate A ...

(MVFC). On May 12, 2023 the school announced its departure from the Summit League to become a full member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in most sports beginning seven weeks subsequent on July 1. Two Leathernecks teams played outside the OVC in the fall 2023 season before joining the rest of the school's teams in the OVC in 2024—the football team in the MVFC, and the men's soccer team in the Summit League.

History and nickname

WIU's nickname, the

Leatherneck Leatherneck is a military slang term in the U.S. 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 fr ...

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 a stocky, muscular dog of medium size, with a large head, thick folds of skin around the face and shoulders and a rel ...

, are taken from the traditions of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. The university has had permission to use the official nickname and mascot of the Corps since 1927, when Ray Hanson, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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. On December 18, 2020 Western Illinois officially discontinued their men’s and women’s swimming programs citing budgetary and COVID-19 concerns. On May 12, 2023 Western Illinois accepted an invitation to join the

starting the 2023-24 season. Prior to Western Illinois joining the Ohio Valley Conference, they were members of the

Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) was a college athletic conference that existed from 1908 to 1970 in the United States. At one time the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or IIAC, was a robust league that cla ...

from 1914–1970 and the

from 1982–2023. Western leaves the

after being the last charter member of the conference since it was founded in 1982. A week later on May 18, 2023 Western Illinois announced the addition of three more sports for women, this includes beach volleyball, bowling, and STUNT.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

The baseball team represents the university in

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

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

. The team is a member of the

. It plays its home games at the 500-seat Alfred D. Boyer Stadium and are coached by Andy Pascoe.

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team competes in

Division I men's

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

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 (appro ...

competition. The school's team is a member of the

. The team plays it home games at 5,139-seat Western Hall and are coached by Chad Boudreau.

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team is a member of the

, which is part of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 5,139-seat Western Hall and are coached by JD Gravina.

Men's cross country

The men's cross country team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team runs at Spring Lake Course. The team won the 1991

conference championship.

Football

The football program competes in the

NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate ...

(FCS) and are members of the

(OVC). WIU football plays in the

, a football-only alliance between the Ohio Valley and Big South conferences that shares a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. The team has made numerous FCS (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 Hanson Field is a 16,368-seat multi-purpose stadium in Macomb, Illinois, US. The stadium which opened in 1950 is home to the Western Illinois Leathernecks football team and track and field team. The field is named after former WIU football coac ...

and are coached by

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game is ...

Men's golf

The men's golf team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home meets at Harry Mussatto Golf Course. The team has won eight

championships in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008. They have made four NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship appearances in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Men's soccer

The men's soccer team played one final Summit League season in 2023 before joining the rest of the university's sports in the

in 2024. Both conferences are 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 is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Its football team is a member ...

and are coached by Dr. Eric Johnson. at Harry Mussatto Golf Course. The team has won nine

championships in 1995, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014. The team has also made six NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament appearances in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2012.

Women's soccer

The women's soccer team, like its men's counterpart, is a member of the

's Division I

. The team plays its home games at 500-seat

and are coached by Dr. Eric Johnson. The team won the 2007

conference championship.

Softball

The softball team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 500-seat Mary Ellen McKee Softball Stadium and are coached by Alisa Goler. The team has won ten

championships in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, and 2009. The team has appeared in eight

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

, 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 Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

. The team has also made four

NCAA Division I softball tournament The NCAA Division I softball tournament is held annually in May/June and features 64 college softball teams in the United States, culminating in the Women's College World Series (WCWS), which is played in Oklahoma City. Tournament play and team ...

appearances in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, and

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Men's track and field

The team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team competes its home meets at

. The team has won two Indoor Track and Field

championships in 2001 and 2002. The team has also won two Outdoor Track and Field

championships in 2001 and 2002.

Women’s track and field

The team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team competes its home meets at

. The team has won two Outdoor Track and Field

championships in 1996 and 2005.

Volleyball

The team is a member of the

, which is part of the

's Division I. The team plays its home games at 5,139-seat Western Hall and are coached by Ben Staupe.

Athletic facilities

* Alfred D. Boyer Stadium — Baseball * Brophy Courts — Women's tennis *

— Football, Men's and women's track and field * Harry Mussatto Golf Course — Men's and women's golf * MacKenzie Alumni Field — Men's and women's soccer * Mary Ellen McKee Softball Stadium — Softball * Spring Lake Course — Men's and women's cross country * Western Hall — Men's and women's basketball, Volleyball

Western Illinois 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 play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

which represents Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.

Rocky the Bulldog

"Rocky the Bulldog" is the costumed athletics mascot for the Western Illinois Leathernecks. He first appeared in 1959.

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

* Raymond Haley, Major League Baseball * Gene Lamont,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

Paul Reuschel Paul Richard Reuschel (born January 12, 1947) is an American 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 th ...

, Major League Baseball * Rick Reuschel, Major League Baseball * Rick Short – Major League Baseball

Men's basketball

* Eulis Báez, Overseas * Ceola Clark III, Overseas * Joe Dykstra, drafted by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

* Obi Emegano, Overseas * Brandon Gilbeck, Overseas *

Kristjan Makke Kristjan Makke (born March 12, 1981, in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia) is an Estonian professional basketballer. He is currently playing for TTÜ KK at the center/forward position. Makke started his senior club career at the age of fifteen with "BC Ka ...

, Overseas * Mike Miklusak, Overseas * Al Miksis, National Basketball Association * Terell Parks, basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Women's basketball

Tuğba Palazoğlu Emine Tuğba Palazoğlu (born 4 December 1980) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Honors ;Galatasaray Women's Basketball Team, Galatasaray *Turkish Presidents Cup **Winners (1): 2008 *EuroCup Women **Winners (1): 2008–2009 ;F ...

, Overseas *

Zane Tamane Zane Tamane (née Teilāne; born September 24, 1983) is a Latvian women's basketball player currently playing for Nadezhda Orenburg and Latvia women's national basketball team. Tamane, who is 2.00m tall, was the first female basketball player i ...

, Women's National Basketball Association

American football

* Jaelon Acklin, Canadian Football League * Jack Atchason, American Football League * Todd Auer, National Football League *

Don Beebe Donald Lee Beebe (born December 18, 1964) is an American college football coach and former wide receiver. He is the head football coach for Aurora University, a position he has held since 2019. He previously played in the National Football Leag ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

David Bowens David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 1999 NFL draft ...

, National Football League * Fabien Bownes, National Football League * Albert Brown, Canadian Football League * Cyron Brown, National Football League * Steve Carpenter, National Football League * Sam Clemons, Arena Football League *

Bryan Cox Bryan Keith Cox Sr. (born February 17, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former player who currently serves as the assistant defensive line coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a l ...

, National Football League * Terriun Crump, National Football League * Wayne DeSutter, National Football League * Herb Donaldson, National Football League * John Earle, National Football League * Booker Edgerson, National Football League * Harry Gamage, Coach *

Larry Garron Lawrence Jr. Garron (May 23, 1937 – September 13, 2019) was an American professional football player. A fullback, he played college football at Western Illinois University, then played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) fo ...

, American Football League * Reggie Gray, Arena Football League * Don Greco, National Football League *

Rodney Harrison Rodney Scott Harrison (born December 15, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in ...

, National Football League *

Edgerton Hartwell Edgerton "Ed" Hartwell II (born May 27, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Western Illinois Leathernecks and was selected by the B ...

, National Football League * Jeff Hecklinski, Coach * Myers Hendrickson, Coach * Dennis Houston, National Football League * Frisman Jackson, National Football League * Leroy Jackson, National Football League *

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

, National Football League *

Doug Kay Doug Kay is a retired American football coach who was most recently assistant head coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL), which league ceased operations after the 2017 season. He has more than 55 years of football expe ...

, Coach * Jon Kowalyshen, Indoor Football League * Rob Lazeo,

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

Lance Lenoir Lance Lenoir (born February 9, 1995) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Western Illinois. Early life Lenoir attended Crete-Monee High School, where he was a three-time All-Conference and a t ...

, National Football League * LaCale London, National Football League * 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 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

* Bruce McCray, National Football League * Mike McEachern, Canadian Football League * Lamar McGriggs, National Football League * Sean McGuire, Canadian Football League * Russ Michna, Canadian Football League *

Red Miller Robert "Red" Miller (October 31, 1927 – September 27, 2017) was an American professional football coach. He served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1980. In his first year as Denver' ...

, Coach *

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner; December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one ob ...

, National Football League * Peter Mueller, Canadian Football League * Peter Muller, Canadian Football League * J.R. Niklos, National Football League * Bill O'Boyle, Coach * Taylor Rowan, Arena Football League * Khalen Saunders, National Football League *

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

, National Football League *

Rich Seubert Richard Thomas Seubert (; born March 30, 1979) is an American former professional football guard who played his entire career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Early life Born in Stratford, Wisconsin, Seubert atten ...

, National Football League * Paul Singer, Arena Football League * Aaron Stecker, National Football League * Bill Strickland, National Football League * John Teerlinck, National Football League *

Marco Thomas Marco Thomas (born November 27, 1983) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Western Illinois. Thomas was also a member ...

, Arena Football League * David Tipton, National Football League * Gunnard Twyner, National Football League *

Mike Wagner Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Illino ...

, National Football League * David Watson, Coach * Jason Williams, National Football League *

Frank Winters Frank Mitchell Winters (born January 23, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Green Bay Packe ...

, National Football League

Soccer

Kosuke Kimura (born 14 May 1984) is a Japanese former professional footballer and 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 Kimu ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

Tom Soehn Tom Soehn (born April 15, 1966) is an American soccer coach who was the head coach of USL Championship club Birmingham Legion. A former player, his career as a defender spanned seven clubs across 12 seasons, both indoors and outdoors. Playi ...

, director of soccer operations for

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

* Ted Eck, former

player and member of

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

Softball

Lu Harris-Champer Lu Harris-Champer (born June 16, 1967) is an American former softball coach who most recently served as the head coach at Georgia Bulldogs softball, Georgia. Early life and education Lu Harris-Champer was born in San Diego, California on June 1 ...

, Coach * Gary Lagesse, Hall of Fame Softball Coach

Track

Lee Calhoun Lee Quincy Calhoun (February 23, 1933 – June 21, 1989) was an American athlete, a double winner of 110 m hurdles at the Olympic Games. Biography Born in Laurel, Mississippi, Lee Calhoun graduated from Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana ...

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 bet ...

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 b ...

winner

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, Western Illinois Leathernecks, color=white , list = {{Ohio Valley Conference navbox {{Illinois Sports

History and nickname

Sports sponsored

Baseball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Men's cross country

Football

Men's golf

Men's soccer

Women's soccer

Softball

Men's track and field

Women’s track and field

Volleyball

Athletic facilities

Western Illinois traditions

Western Loyalty

We're Marching On

Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks

Rocky the Bulldog

Colonel Rock

Western Illinois Cheerleaders

Notable former athletes

Baseball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

American football

Soccer

Softball

Track

See also

References

External links