1945 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
American college football season
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The 1945 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 1945 Big Ten season. In their fourth year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Illini compiled a 2–6–1 record (1–4–1 in conference games), finished in seventh place in the Big Ten, and were outscored by a total of 104 to 93.[1]
| 1945 Illinois Fighting Illini football | |
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 2–6–1 (1–4–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Mac Wenskunas |
| Captain | Ralph Serpico |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Indiana $ | 5 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Michigan | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Ohio State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Center Mac Wenskunas was selected as the team's most valuable player.[2] Other key players included tackle Alex Agase, guard Les Bingaman, and end/linebacker Jim Valek.
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | Pittsburgh* | W 23–6 | 9,962 | [3] | |
| September 29 | at Notre Dame* | L 0–7 | 41,569 | ||
| October 6 | Indiana |
| L 0–6 | 25,173 | |
| October 20 | at Wisconsin | T 7–7 | 33,000 | ||
| October 27 | No. 16 Michigan |
| L 0–19 | 54,085–55,672 | |
| November 3 | Great Lakes Navy* |
| L 6–12 | 14,569 | |
| November 10 | Iowa |
| W 48–7 | 14,060 | |
| November 17 | at No. 9 Ohio State | L 2–27 | 70,287 | ||
| November 24 | at Northwestern | L 7–13 | 35,000 | ||
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Roster
At the end of the season, 25 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1945 Illinois team:
- Lou Agase, tackle, No. 89, 190 pounds, 6'1", Evanston, IL
- Les Bingaman, guard, No. 22, 277 pounds, 6'2", Gary, IN
- Eddie Bray, left halfback, No. 52, 145 pounds, 5'8", Utica, IL
- George Bujan, center, No. 14, 190 pounds, 5'10", Christopher, IL
- Bill Butkovich, quarterback, No. 22, 165 pounds, 5'8", St. David, IL
- Jerry Cies, fullback, No. 95, 168 pounds, 5'10", Edwardsville, IL
- Raymond Ciszek, No. 20, end, 170 pounds, 5'9", Hobart, IN
- Robert Cunz, tackle, No. 64, 209 pounds, 5'10", DeKalb, IL
- Larry Forst, guard, No. 81, 215 pounds, 6'2", Chicago
- William C. Heiss, end, No. 18, 185 pounds, 6'1", Aurora, IL
- Robert Jones, tackle, No. 51, 200 pounds, 6'3", West Frankfort, IL
- Lester Joop, guard, No. 44, 255 pounds, 6'0", Peru, IL
- William “Butch” Kolens, tackle, No. 45, 185 pounds, 6’0”, Waukegan, IL
- William Krall, fullback, Gary, IN
- Gene Kwasniewski, halfback, Evanston, IL
- Robert Lunn, guard, No. 47, 195 pounds, 5'9", Spring Valley, IL
- Clyde Perkins, quarterback, No. 48, 155 pounds, 5'10", St. Clair Shores, MI
- Jack Pierce, halfback, No. 24, 160 pounds, 6'0", Pontiac, IL
- Gerald Russ, end, No. 76, 185 pounds, 6'2", Rock Island, IL
- Joseph Saban, fullback, La Grange, IL
- Ralph "Babe" Serpico, tackle and captain, No. 56, 195 pounds, 5'7", Melrose Park, IL
- Stanley Sprague, end, No. 38, 185 pounds, 6'2", Belleville, IL
- Stan Stasica, halfback, Rockford, IL
- Wes Tregoning, end, La Salle, IL
- Jim Valek, end, No. 34, 168 pounds, 5'9", Joliet, IL
- Mac Wenskunas, center/fullback, No. 23, 180 pounds, 5'10", Georgetown, IL
- Tommy Zaborac, halfback, No. 69, 205 pounds, 6'0", Canton, IL
- Al Zimmerman, halfback, No. 68, 157 pounds, 5'10", Chicago