| Illinois State Redbirds football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| First season | 1887; 137 years ago (1887) | ||
| Head coach | Brock Spack 14th season, 101–70 (.591) | ||
| Stadium | Hancock Stadium (capacity: 13,391) | ||
| Location | Normal, Illinois | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | MVFC | ||
| All-time record | 486–526–68 (.481) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| Playoff appearances | 8 1998, 1999, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | ||
| Conference titles | 10 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1950, 1967, 1968, 1999, 2014, 2015 | ||
| Rivalries | Eastern Illinois (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Red and white[1] | ||
| Website | goredbirds.com | ||
The Illinois State Redbirds football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Illinois State University located in the U.S. state of Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The school's first football team was fielded in 1887. The team plays its home games at the 13,391 seat Hancock Stadium. They are coached by Brock Spack.
Prior to 1923, the Illinois State football team was known as the Teachers or Fighting Teachers. When Clifford E. Horton began coaching the team in 1923, he proposed the Cardinals as the team's new nickname, after its red and white colors. The Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young changed the name to the Redbirds to distinguish the team from the nearby St. Louis Cardinals.[2]
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Illinois State has won 10 conference titles, four outright.
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937† | Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Howard Hancock | 5–1–2 | 3–1–1 |
| 1940 | 5–3–1 | 3–0–1 | ||
| 1941† | 3–4–1 | 3–0–1 | ||
| 1945 | Edwin Struck | 4–3 | 3–0 | |
| 1950 | Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 7–1–2 | 5–0–1 | |
| 1967† | Larry Bitcon | 8–2 | 2–1 | |
| 1968† | 6–4 | 2–1 | ||
| 1999 | Missouri Valley Football Conference | Todd Berry | 11–3 | 6–0 |
| 2014† | Brock Spack | 13–2 | 7–1 | |
| 2015† | 10–3 | 7–1 |
† Co-championship
Illinois State has made eight appearances in the Division I–AA/FCS playoffs, garnering a record of 10–8.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | First Round | Northwestern State | L 28–48 |
| 1999 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Colgate Hofstra Georgia Southern |
W 56–13 W 37–20 L 17–31 |
| 2006 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Eastern Illinois Youngstown State |
W 24–13 L 21–28 |
| 2012 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
Appalachian State Eastern Washington |
W 38–37 OT L 35–51 |
| 2014 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship |
Northern Iowa Eastern Washington New Hampshire North Dakota State |
W 41–21 W 59–46 W 21–18 L 27–29 |
| 2015 | Second Round Quarterfinals |
Western Illinois Richmond |
W 36–19 L 27–39 |
| 2016 | First Round | Central Arkansas | L 24–31 |
| 2019 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals |
Southeast Missouri State Central Arkansas North Dakota State |
W 24–6 W 24–14 L 3–9 |
Illinois State has one bowl appearance, going 0-1.[3]
| Year | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Edwin Struck | Corn Bowl | Missouri-Rolla | L 6–7 |
| Season | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Western Michigan | 20–6 |
| 1991 | Akron | 25–3 |
| 2012 | Eastern Michigan | 31–14 |
| 2016 | Northwestern | 9–7 |
| 2018 | Colorado State | 35–19 |
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1895 | George Dygert |
| 1896 | Louis H. Galbreath |
| 1897 | B. C. Edwards |
| 1903–1906 | John P. Stewart |
| 1907 | John A. H. Keith |
| 1908–1909 | George Binnewies |
| 1912–1922 | Harrison Russell |
| 1923–1924 | Clifford E. Horton |
| 1925–1926 | Don Karnes |
| 1927–1930 | Joe Cogdal |
| 1931–1944 | Howard Hancock |
| 1945–1964 | Edwin Struck |
| 1965–1971 | Larry Bitcon |
| 1972–1976 | Gerry Hart |
| 1977–1980 | Charlie Cowdrey |
| 1981–1987 | Bob Otolski |
| 1988–1995 | Jim Heacock |
| 1996–1999 | Todd Berry |
| 2000–2008 | Denver Johnson |
| 2009–present | Brock Spack |
The Mid-America Classic is the rivalry game between Illinois State and Eastern Illinois. The rivalry began in 1901 and is the oldest in the state of Illinois. With the 100th game in the series, representatives from both schools met and developed the Mid-America Classic renaming for the rivalry. The two schools also collaborated on a traveling trophy, which holds plaques with the results of the previous 100 games in the series and has room for results of future games in the series.[5] The two teams have played 111 times in total, with Illinois State holding a 59–43–9 advantage in the all-time series as of the 2023 season.
Mosi Tatupu Award
The Mosi Tatupu Award was given annually to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year by the Maui Quarterback Club and the Hula Bowl, from 1997 to 2006.
Buck Buchanan Award
The Buck Buchanan Award is given annually to the College Football Best Defensive Player in the FCS by Stats Perform, from 1995 to present.
Notable alumni include:
| Draft Year | Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Team |
| 2018 | Davontae Harris | CB | 5 | 151 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 2015 | James O'Shaughnessy | TE | 5 | 173 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2014 | Shelby Harris | DE | 7 | 235 | Oakland Raiders |
| 2013 | Nate Palmer | LB | 6 | 193 | Green Bay Packers |
| 2007 | Laurent Robinson | WR | 3 | 75 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 2006 | Brent Hawkins | DE | 5 | 160 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 2005 | Boomer Grigsby | LB | 5 | 138 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1990 | Bill Miller | WR | 10 | 258 | Detroit Lions |
| 1986 | Jim Meyer | T | 7 | 167 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1985 | Mike Prior | DB | 7 | 176 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1984 | Clarence Collins | WR | 3 | 62 | San Diego Chargers |
| 1978 | Estus Hood | DB | 3 | 62 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1976 | Calvin Harper | T | 6 | 172 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1973 | Ron Bell | RB | 6 | 140 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1970 | Guy Homoly | DB | 15 | 385 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1969 | Dennis Nelson | T | 3 | 77 | Baltimore Colts |
Announced schedules as of June 9, 2024.[7]
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| atIowa | atOklahoma | atNorthern Illinois | atMissouri | atIllinois |
| atNorth Alabama | Morehead State | |||
| Western Illinois | atEastern Illinois | |||
| Eastern Illinois | North Alabama |
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