1968 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1968 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record1–9 (1–6 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorEllis Rainsberger (2nd season)
MVPRich Johnson
Captains
  • Carson Brooks
  • Tony Pleviak
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1968 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Ohio State $ 7 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0
No. 12 Michigan 6 – 1 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
No. 10 Purdue 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
Minnesota 5 – 2 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Indiana 4 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Iowa 4 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Michigan State 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Northwestern 1 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
Wisconsin 0 – 7 – 0 0 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 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 1968 Big Ten season. In their second year under head coach Jim Valek, the Illini compiled a 1–9 record (1–6 in conference games), finished in a tie for eighth place in the Big Ten, and were outcored by a total of 333 to 107.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Bob Naponic (813 passing yards, 39.0% completion percentage), fullback Rich Johnson (973 rushing yards, 4.0 yards per carry), and wide receiver Doug Dieken (21 receptions for 223 yards).[2] Johnson was also selected as the team's most valuable player.[3]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 21Kansas*
L 7–4746,359
September 28Missouri*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
L 0–4448,127
October 5at Indiana
L 14–2850,241–50,996[4]
October 12at Minnesota
L 10–1749,864
October 19at No. 6 Notre Dame*
L 8–5859,075
October 26No. 2 Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
L 24–3156,174
November 2at No. 6 Purdue
L 17–3562,321
November 9at No. 7 Michigan
L 0–3656,775
November 16Northwestern
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 14–042,099
November 23Iowa
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 13–3735,055
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

Team photo of the 1968 Illinois Fighting Illini.
Team photo of the 1968 Illinois Fighting Illini.
1968 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
E 82 Doug Dieken So
QB 12 Bob Naponic Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1968 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1968 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Indiana Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). Indiana University. p. 14. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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