1958 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
| 1958 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 4–5 (4–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Gene Cherney |
| Captain | Jack Delveaux |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Iowa $ | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Wisconsin | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Ohio State | 4 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Purdue | 3 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 1 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1958 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 1958 Big Ten season. In their 17th year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Fighting Illini compiled a 4–5 record (4–3 in conference game), finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 150 to 144.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback John Easterbrook (656 passing yards, 51.5% completion percentage), Marshall Starks (303 rushing yards, 4.7 yards per carry), and Rich Kreitling (23 receptions for 688 yards, 29.9 yards per reception).[1] Center Gene Cherney was selected as the team's most valuable player.[2] Kreitling and guard Bill Burrell received first-team honors on the 1958 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[3][4]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 27 | UCLA* | L 14–18 | 46,775 | ||
| October 4 | at Duke* | L 13–15 | 25,000 | [5] | |
| October 11 | No. 5 Ohio State |
| L 13–19 | 50,416 | |
| October 18 | at Minnesota | W 20–8 | 58,174 | ||
| October 25 | No. 20 Michigan State |
| W 16–0 | 68,811 | |
| November 1 | at No. 10 Purdue | L 8–31 | 46,357 | ||
| November 8 | at Michigan | W 21–8 | 58,788 | [6] | |
| November 15 | No. 5 Wisconsin |
| L 12–31 | 45,937 | |
| November 22 | No. 20 Northwestern |
| W 27–20 | 32,390 | |
| |||||
References
- ^ "1958 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.
- ^ Jerry Liska (November 28, 1958). "Even Big 10 All-Star Team Is Mixed Up". Sarasota Journal (AP story). p. 16.
- ^ "Kelley Again On All-Big Ten Team". The Sandusky Register. November 28, 1958. p. 19.
- ^ "Illinois rally fails; Duke wins, 15 to 13". Chicago Tribune. October 5, 1958. Retrieved January 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Tommy Devine (November 9, 1958). "How The Mighty Have Fallen! U-M, Spartans Beaten Again; Illini Bomb Wolverines Out, 21-8". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.