1957 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
| 1957 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 4–5 (3–4 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Ron Hanson |
| Captain | Dale Smith |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ohio State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan State | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Iowa | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Wisconsin | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1957 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1957 Big Ten season. In their 16th year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Illini compiled a 4–5 record (3–4 in conference games), finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 167 to 133.[1]
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Tom Haller (675 passing yards, 51.0% completion percentage), fullback Ray Nitschke (514 rushing yards, 6.5 yards per carry), and end Rich Kreitling (12 receptions for 203 yards).[2] End Ron Hanson was selected as the team's most valuable player.[3]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | at UCLA* | L 6–16 | 48,714 | |||
| October 5 | Colgate* | W 40–0 | 41,594 | [4] | ||
| October 12 | at Ohio State | L 7–21 | 82,239 | |||
| October 19 | No. 4 Minnesota |
| W 34–13 | 69,619 | ||
| October 26 | at No. 8 Michigan State | No. 16 | L 14–19 | 64,353 | [5] | |
| November 2 | Purdue |
| L 6–21 | 47,690 | ||
| November 9 | No. 11 Michigan |
| W 20–19 | 46,007 | [6] | |
| November 16 | at Wisconsin | No. 15 | L 13–24 | 52,384 | ||
| November 23 | Northwestern |
| W 27–0 | 27,017 | ||
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References
- ^ "1957 Illinois Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "1957 Illinois Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- ^ Bertine, Bert (October 6, 1957). "Illinois Triumphs, 40 to 0; Nitschke Gets 3 Touchdowns Against Colgate". Decatur Sunday Herald and Review. Decatur, Ill. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ George S. Alderton (October 27, 1957). "Kowalczyk's Late Touchdown Gives Spartans 19-14 Victory". Lansing State Journal. p. 59 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fighting Illini Gain 20-10 Victory Over Michigan in Big Ten Fray". The Pantagraph. November 10, 1957. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.