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1983 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

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1983 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Big Ten champion
Rose Bowl, L 9–45 vs. UCLA
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 10
APNo. 10
Record10–2 (9–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
Captains
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1982
1984 →
1983 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Illinois $ 9 – 0 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
No. 8 Michigan 8 – 1 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 14 Iowa 7 – 2 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
No. 9 Ohio State 6 – 3 – 0 9 – 3 – 0
Wisconsin 5 – 4 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 1 3 – 7 – 1
Michigan State 2 – 6 – 1 4 – 6 – 1
Indiana 2 – 7 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Northwestern 2 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
Minnesota 0 – 9 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the Big Ten football season. In their fourth year under head coach Mike White, the Fighting Illini compiled a 10–2 record (9–0 in conference games), won the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 338 to 168. Illinois represented the Big Ten in the 1984 Rose Bowl, losing to UCLA by a 45–9 score. The Illini were ranked No. 4 in the AP poll at the end of the regular season, but dropped to No. 10 in the final poll after losing the Rose Bowl.[1]

Quarterback Jack Trudeau led the Big Ten with 203 complete passes, a 62.7% completion percentage, and 2,446 passing yards. The team's other statistical leaders included running back Thomas Rooks (842 rushing yards), wide receiver David Williams (59 receptions for 870 yards), and kicker Chris White (78 points, 39 of 40 extra points, 13 of 22 field goals).[2]

Defensive end Don Thorp was selected as the team's most valuable player and also received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference.[3]

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

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 101:30 pmat Missouri*
L 18–2853,744[4]
September 176:00 pmStanford*
W 17–772,852[5]
September 2411:30 amat Michigan State
ABCW 20–1075,867[6]
October 11:00 pmNo. 4 Iowa
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 33–073,351[7]
October 81:30 pmat WisconsinNo. 19
W 27–1578,307[8]
October 151:00 pmNo. 6 Ohio StateNo. 19
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
W 17–1373,414[9]
October 221:30 pmat PurdueNo. 11
W 35–2169,328[10]
October 2911:30 amNo. 8 MichiganNo. 9
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
CBSW 16–676,127[11]
November 57:00 pmat MinnesotaNo. 6
W 50–2335,514[12]
November 121:00 pmIndianaNo. 5
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 49–2173,612[13]
November 191:00 pmat NorthwesternNo. 4
W 56–2452,333[14]
January 24:00 pmvs. UCLA*No. 4
NBCL 9–45103,217[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[16]

Awards and honors

[edit]

Seven Illinois players received first-team honors on the 1983 All-Big Ten Conference football team: running back Dwight Beverly (AP-1, UPI-1); guard Jim Juriga (AP-1, UPI-1); tackle Chris Babyar (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive linemen Mark Butkus (AP-1, UPI-1) and Don Thorp (AP-1, UPI-1); defensive back Craig Swoope (AP-1, UPI-1); and kicker Chris White (AP-2, UPI-1).[17][18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1983 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "1983 Illinois Fighting Illini Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  3. ^ "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Bad start wrecks Illinois". The Rock Island Argus. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Illinois discovers running game in victory". The Pantagraph. September 18, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Spartans lose 1st; Illinois ends MSU streak". The Times Herald. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Illini pay back Hawks with shutout". The Dispatch. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Mistakes critical for Wisconsin". The La Crosse Tribune. October 9, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Late Illinois march sinks Buckeyes, 17–13". The Des Moines Register. October 16, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Illini top Purdue, eye Michigan". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 23, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Joe Lapointe (October 30, 1983). "Illinois on the road to Roses after dominating U-M, 16-6". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1F, 7F – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Illini explode after scare". Chicago Tribune. November 6, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Illinois officially wraps up Rose Bowl bid". The Belleville News-Democrat. November 13, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Illinois brushes aside NU". Chicago Tribune. November 20, 1983. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Neuheisel leads UCLA past stunned Illini 45–9". USA Today. January 3, 1984. Retrieved February 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ DeLassus, David. "Illinois Yearly Results: 1980–1984". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  17. ^ "Hawkeyes represented well on AP all-Big 10 football teams". The Daily Reporter. December 1, 1983. p. 6.
  18. ^ Barry Minkoff (November 22, 1983). "All-Big Ten". The Bryan Times (UPI story). p. 12.
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