1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
The 1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1953 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 12th year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Illini compiled a 7–1–1 record, finished in a tie for first place in the Big Ten Conference, and were ranked #7 in the final AP Poll. The sole defeat was a 34–7 loss to Wisconsin.[1]
| 1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Big Ten co-champion | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 7 |
| AP | No. 7 |
| 1953 record | 7–1–1 (5–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| MVP | Don Ernst |
| Captain | Robert Lenzini |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| 1953 Big Ten Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan State + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Illinois + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Wisconsin | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 20 Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Iowa | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tackle Don Ernst was selected as the team's most valuable player.[2] Sophomore halfback J. C. Caroline led the team with 1,256 rushing yards on 194 attempts (6.5 yards per carry) and was selected as a consensus first-team player on the 1953 College Football All-America Team.[3] Guard John Bauer was selected by the Newspaper Enterprise Association as a third-team All-American.[4]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26 | Nebraska* | T 21–21 | ||
| October 3 | Stanford* |
| W 33–21 | |
| October 10 | at No. 3 Ohio State | W 41–20 | ||
| October 17 | Minnesota | No. 9 |
| W 27–7 |
| October 24 | Syracuse* | No. 7 |
| W 20–13 |
| October 31 | Purdue | No. 4 |
| W 21–0 |
| November 7 | No. 17 Michigan | No. 4 |
| W 19–3 |
| November 14 | at Wisconsin | No. 3 | L 7–34 | |
| November 21 | at Northwestern | No. 7 | W 3–0 | |
| ||||
Roster
| Player | Position |
| Peter Palmer | |
| Robert Bishop | |
| John Ryan | End, Defensive Back |
| Robert Lenzini (captain) | Guard |
| Roger Wolf | |
| Jan Smid | Guard |
| Stephen Nosek | Quarterback |
| John Bauer | Guard, Tackle |
| Michael Gaus | |
| Jack Chamblin | |
| David Bauer | Defensive Back |
| Paul Furimsky | |
| Dean Wilmann | |
| Dale Foster | |
| Paul Luhrsen | |
| Baird Stewart | |
| James Pollitt | |
| Richard Kohlhagen | |
| Kenneth Swienton | |
| Floyd McAfee | |
| James Calder | |
| Ronald Yochem | |
| Robert Wiman | |
| Donald Ernst | |
| Randall Rayborn | |
| Francis Hoffman | |
| Joseph Yusko | |
| Walter Vernasco | End |
| Donald Bostrom | |
| James Bronson | |
| Em Lindbeck | |
| Hugh Woodson | |
| Patrick Phillips | |
| Jerry Markbreit | |
| George Walsh | |
| Clarence DeMoss | Halfback |
| Herbert Badal | |
| James Minor | |
| Terry Matthews | |
| Kenneth Miller | Fullback |
| Stan Wallace | Defensive Back |
| Donald Tate | |
| James Dunne | |
| Jack Sopkin | |
| Robert Alexander | |
| Gus Mackris | |
| Roger Meuller | |
| Richard Piggott | |
| Charles Schiesser | |
| Richard Rosenberg | |
| Robert Desenfants | |
| Rudolf Siegert | |
| Donald Grothe | |
| Thomas Miller | Placekicker |
| J. C. Caroline | Halfback, Defensive Back |
| Robert Graeff | |
| Richard Ohls | |
| Melvin Bates | Fullback |
| Dean Renn | |
| Clifford Waldbeser | |
| Elry Falkenstein | Quarterback |
| Herbert Borman | |
- Head Coach: Ray Eliot (12th year at Illinois)
References
- "1953 Illinois Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
- "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- Harry Grayson (1953-11-29). "Harry Grayson Picks All-America for 1953". Independent Record. Helena, Montana.