Illinois State Redbirds
MVFCNormal, ILHancock Stadium
2026: 5–2 (1–2 MVFC). Last: won at Southern Illinois 35–14. Next: Indiana State, Saturday, Oct 24, 3 p.m. ET.
- W 76–0St. Francis (IL)
- W 41–10at Western Illinois
- W 28–24at Northern Illinois
- W 49–13Eastern Illinois
- L 21–28at Northern Iowa
- L 14–31South Dakota State
- W 35–14at Southern Illinois
- Oct 24Indiana State
- Oct 31Murray State
- Nov 7at North Dakota
- Nov 14at Youngstown State
- Nov 21South Dakota
Illinois State has played football since 1887 and is officially 541–563–63; 429 of its 1,167 games are in our file. They have won four Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles (the last in 1945) and three Missouri Valley Football Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1944, the NFL Draft has taken 14 players from here in its first seven rounds, 0 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player from Illinois State. Charlie Cowdrey (1977–1980) won more games here than any other coach: 12. The most-played rival is Southern Illinois: 36 meetings, Southern Illinois leads 21–14–1. This season, they’re 5–2.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 541–563–63 official; 210–214–5 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 2–2 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1462
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 8 · Composite No. 11 in FCS, Oct 17; up 2 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 7 last in 2015
- Bowl record
- 0–1 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 57 since 1897, 429 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Go, You Redbirds
2026 season 5–2
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vsSt. Francis (IL) | W 76–0 | 86% |
| Sep 5 | at Western Illinois | W 41–10 | 72% |
| Sep 12 | at Northern Illinois | W 28–24 | 54% |
| Sep 19 | vs Eastern Illinois | W 49–13 | 89% |
| Sep 26 | at Northern Iowa | L 21–28 | 76% |
| Oct 3 | vs South Dakota State | L 14–31 | 63% |
| Oct 17 | at Southern Illinois | W 35–14 | 57% |
| Oct 24 | vs Indiana State | Preview | 86% |
| Oct 31 | vs Murray State | Preview | 91% |
| Nov 7 | at North Dakota | Preview | 45% |
| Nov 14 | at Youngstown State | Preview | 43% |
| Nov 21 | vs South Dakota | Preview | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Players
The 2026 rosterThe moneyOn the 2026 team
- Tye Niekamp45 tackles, 3 sacks (leads Illinois State in tackles)
- Gage Roy777 passing yards, 7 TD (leads Illinois State in passing yards)
- Dylan Lord38 catches, 358 yards, 4 TD (leads Illinois State in receiving yards)
- Victor Dawson281 rushing yards, 4 TD (leads Illinois State in rushing yards)
- Mason Kaplan37 tackles
- Beckham Pellant520 passing yards, 4 TD
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Illinois State.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Program strength since 1897
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Otolski | 1981 | 3–7 |
| Charlie Cowdrey | 1977–1980 | 12–31–1 |
| Gerry Hart | 1976 | 5–6 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Southern Illinois
14–21–1 in 36
- 2015 W 42–21
- 2016 W 31–28
- 2017 L 7–42
- 2018 W 51–3
- 2019 W 21–7
- 2021 L 17–35
- 2022 L 14–19
- 2024 W 45–10
- 2025 L 7–37
- 2026 W 35–14
Won the last one.
- Eastern Illinois
23–12 in 35
- 2016 L 21–24
- 2017 W 44–13
- 2018 W 48–10
- 2019 W 21–3
- 2021 W 31–24
- 2022 W 35–7
- 2023 L 13–14
- 2024 W 31–7
- 2025 W 42–30
- 2026 W 49–13
Won the last three; holds the Mid-America Classic.
- Western Illinois
21–14 in 35
- 2016 W 31–26
- 2017 L 14–31
- 2018 W 33–16
- 2019 W 28–14
- 2020 W 26–18
- 2021 L 31–38
- 2022 W 20–13
- 2023 W 34–18
- 2024 W 51–34
- 2026 W 41–10
Won the last four.
| Opponent | Games | ILST record |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 36 | 14–21–1 |
| Eastern Illinois | 35 | 23–12 |
| Western Illinois | 35 | 21–14 |
| Indiana State | 33 | 22–11 |
| Northern Iowa | 24 | 10–14 |
| Youngstown State | 23 | 11–12 |
| Missouri State | 22 | 14–7–1 |
| North Dakota State | 19 | 3–16 |
Rivals the program names: Eastern Illinois.
The trophy it holds: Mid-America Classic (Eastern Illinois). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (80)
Every program Illinois State has played, A to Z, with Illinois State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Abilene Christian 1–0
- Akron 1–1
- App State 1–0
- Arkansas State 0–1
- Austin Peay 2–0
- Ball State 1–9
- Butler 2–0
- Central Arkansas 2–1
- Central Michigan 0–5
- Central Missouri 1–0
- Chattanooga 0–4
- Colorado State 1–0
- Dayton 2–0
- Drake 5–3
- East Carolina 0–2
- Eastern Illinois 23–12
- Eastern Michigan 6–2
- Eastern Washington 1–0
- Florida Atlantic 0–2
- Fort Hays 1–0
- Illinois 0–3
- Indiana State 22–11
- Iowa 0–2
- Iowa State 0–1
- Kansas 0–1
- Kansas State 0–1
- Kent State 0–2
- Lincoln 1–0
- Lindenwood 1–0
- Louisiana Tech 0–0–1
- Marshall 1–4
- Minnesota 0–2
- Mississippi Valley State 1–0
- Missouri 0–1
- Missouri State 14–7–1
- Montana State 0–1
- Moorhead State 1–0
- Morehead State 3–0
- Morgan State 1–0
- Murray State 7–0
- New Hampshire 1–0
- New Mexico State 0–2
- Nicholls 2–0
- North Alabama 2–0
- North Dakota 1–3
- North Dakota State 3–16
- North Texas 0–1
- Northern Arizona 1–1
- Northern Illinois 5–10
- Northern Iowa 10–14
- Northwestern 1–1
- Ohio 0–1
- Oklahoma 0–1
- Oklahoma State 0–1
- Purdue 0–2
- Richmond 0–1
- Saint Xavier 2–0
- SE Louisiana 1–1
- South Dakota 9–2
- South Dakota State 6–8
- Southeast Missouri State 2–0
- Southern Illinois 14–21–1
- St. Francis (IL) 1–0
- The Citadel 1–1
- Truman State 1–0
- Tulsa 0–2
- UC Davis 1–1
- UCF 1–2
- UNLV 0–1
- Valparaiso 2–0
- Villanova 2–0
- Wake Forest 0–1
- Wayne State 2–0
- West Texas 0–0–2
- Western Illinois 21–14
- Western Kentucky 1–5
- Western Michigan 1–8
- Wichita State 3–2
- Wisconsin 0–1
- Youngstown State 11–12
Conference titles
7, counting shared titles- Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 4
- 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1887–1907
- Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1908–1949
- Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1950–1969
- Independent 1970–1980
- Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference 1986–1991
- Gateway Football Conference 1992–2007
- MVFC since 2008
- 1985Joined the MVFC from the MVC (Held dual membership for one year) in football. Source
- 1986Joined the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference from the MVC in football. Source
Illinois State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 1
- Coaches
- 0
| 2022 | Boomer Grigsby LB |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 14 since 1944
- First-round picks
- 0
The school
Illinois State University- Enrollment
- 21,546 19,107 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Normal, Illinois
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1857
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $62,117 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0), filed under the program’s Library of Congress subject heading; most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5–2 | 1–2 | 1462 | ||||
| 2025 | 12–5 | 5–3 | 1538 | ||||
| 2024 | 10–4 | 6–2 | 1424 | ||||
| 2023 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1353 | ||||
| 2022 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1307 | ||||
| 2021 | 4–7 | 2–6 | 1272 | ||||
| 2020 | 1–3 | 1360 | |||||
| 2019 | 10–5 | 5–3 | 1460 | ||||
| 2018 | 6–5 | 3–5 | 1391 | ||||
| 2017 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1389 | ||||
| 2016 | 6–6 | 4–4 | 1427 | ||||
| 2015 | 10–3 | 7–1 | 1519 | ||||
| 2014 | 13–2 | 8–1 | 1555 | ||||
| 2013 | 5–6 | 4–4 | 1351 | ||||
| 2012 | 9–3 | 5–3 | 1423 | ||||
| 2011 | 7–4 | 5–3 | 1382 | ||||
| 2010 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1270 | ||||
| 2009 | 6–5 | 5–3 | 1305 | ||||
| 2008 | 3–8 | 2–6 | 1250 | ||||
| 2007 | 4–7 | 2–3 | 1320 | ||||
| 2006 | 9–4 | 3–2 | 1446 | ||||
| 2005 | 7–4 | 3–2 | 1405 | ||||
| 2004 | 4–7 | 1–4 | 1261 | ||||
| 2003 | 6–6 | 2–3 | 1303 | ||||
| 2002 | 0–1 | 1263 |
Every season back to 1897 (32 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0–1 | 1259 | |||||
| 2000 | 0–1 | 1249 | |||||
| 1999 | 0–1 | 1254 | |||||
| 1998 | 0–1 | 1245 | |||||
| 1997 | 0–1 | 1240 | |||||
| 1996 | 0–2 | 1245 | |||||
| 1995 | 0–1 | 1275 | |||||
| 1993 | 0–1 | 1291 | |||||
| 1992 | 0–1 | 1304 | |||||
| 1991 | 1–1 | 1324 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–2 | 1276 | |||||
| 1989 | 0–1 | 1295 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–2 | 1313 | |||||
| 1987 | 1–0 | 1358 | |||||
| 1986 | 1–1 | 1337 | |||||
| 1985 | 6–3–2 | 3–0–1 | 1336 | -7.4 | |||
| 1984 | 5–6 | 3–2 | 1329 | -6.8 | |||
| 1983 | 6–4–1 | 2–2–1 | 1361 | 4.6 | |||
| 1982 | 2–9 | 0–5 | 1201 | -34.4 | |||
| 1981 | 3–7 | 0–5 | Bob Otolski | 1264 | -25.5 | ||
| 1980 | 4–7 | Charlie Cowdrey | 1258 | -11.1 | |||
| 1979 | 3–8 | Charlie Cowdrey | 1191 | -15.5 | |||
| 1978 | 2–9 | Charlie Cowdrey | 1189 | -19.6 | |||
| 1977 | 3–7–1 | Charlie Cowdrey | 1247 | -8.6 | |||
| 1976 | 5–6 | Gerry Hart | 1184 | -16.7 | |||
| 1975 | 2–7–1 | 1160 | -24.5 | ||||
| 1974 | 2–1 | 1223 | |||||
| 1973 | 2–1 | 1158 | |||||
| 1972 | 1–1 | 1105 | |||||
| 1971 | 0–2 | 1084 | |||||
| 1944 | 0–1 | 1091 | |||||
| 1897few games on file | 0–1 | 1096 |
Officially 541–563–63 since 1887 (per Wikipedia, through the 2025 season); game by game here, 210–214–5 (429 of its 1,167 games are on file). Our file starts in 1897; the program began in 1887. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1898–1943, 1945–70, 1994: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.