1971 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1971 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record5–6 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
MVPTerry Masar
Captains
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1971 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Michigan $ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Northwestern 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Ohio State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Michigan State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Illinois 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Indiana 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Iowa 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 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 1971 Big Ten season. In their first year under head coach Bob Blackman, the Illini compiled a 5–6 record (5–3 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten, and were outcored by a total of 238 to 163.[1]

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Mike Wells (1,007 passing yards, 46.9%), running back John Wilson (543 rushing yards, 4.7 yards per carry), and wide receiver Garvin Roberson (28 receptions for 372 yards).[2] Punter/halfback Terry Masar was selected as the team's most valuable player.[3] Defensive end Tab Bennett was selected as a first-team player on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[4][5][6]

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

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 11at Michigan State
L 0–1042,083[7]
September 18North Carolina*
L 0–2749,591[8]
September 25at No. 16 USC*
L 0–2849,390[9]
October 2No. 15 Washington*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
L 14–5248,127[10]
October 9No. 15 Ohio State
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (Illibuck)
L 10–2453,555[11]
October 16at No. 3 Michigan
L 6–3573,406[12]
October 23No. 17 Purdue
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 21–752,344[13]
October 30Northwestern
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
W 24–740,144[14]
November 6at Indiana
W 22–2123,018[15]
November 13at Wisconsin
W 35–2765,459[16]
November 20Iowa
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
W 31–040,703[17]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[18]

Roster

1971 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OT 76 Mike Dobrzeniecki Jr
OT 73 Bruce Dobson So
OT 79 Dennis Driscoll Jr
TE 86 Bob Dubrish So
G 64 Bob Elledge Jr
G 56 John Gann So
C 54 Larry McCarren Jr
C 51 Gerry Sullivan So
QB 12 Mike Wells Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 52 Larry Allen Jr
DE 75 Tab Bennett Jr
DB 24 Jamie Dufelmeier Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1971 Illinois Fighting Illini Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "1971 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. ^ "All Big Ten Selected". Daily Illini. November 24, 1971.
  5. ^ "Sports Whirl". The Daily News of the Virgin Islands. November 24, 1971.
  6. ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Dominate UPI Team Picked by Coaches: Ohio State Places 7 On All-Big Ten Teams". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. November 25, 1971. p. 9D.
  7. ^ "MSU holds off Illini". The Blade. September 12, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "North Carolina blasts Illinois". The Indianapolis Star. September 19, 1971. Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Troy stumbles but whitewashes Illinois". The Modesto Bee. September 26, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Huskies club Illinois, 52–14". The Sunday Oregonian. October 3, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Roy Damer (October 10, 1971). "Buckeyes Beat Illinois 24-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 3 (section 3). Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "U-M Rambles; UM 35, Illinois 6". Detroit Free Press. p. 1C, 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Illini run to light, 21–7". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 24, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Illinois surprises for 2nd straight". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 31, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Illinois trails 21–7, then nips Indiana 22–21 to keep streak going". Herald and Review. November 7, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Four straight for first time since '53". Southern Illinoisan. November 14, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Improved Illini slam Hawks". The Sioux City Journal. November 21, 1971. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Schedule/Results (1971 Illinois)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
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