Jack Harbaugh, recently retired head football coach at Western Kentucky University, was able to celebrate Thursday a career that culminated with his leading the Hilltoppers to the school’s first-ever NCAA Division I-AA national championship when he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Executive West Hotel. Harbaugh joins former Western athletic and coaching greats Nick Denes, E.A. Diddle, [...]

The Western Illinois Leathernecks scored 14 early special-teams points and never looked back as they defeated Eastern Michigan, 34-12, before 11,123 fans at Rynearson Stadium Thursday night. The loss drops EMU’s season record to 1-1, while the Leathernecks, ranked #4 in the NCAA 1-AA polls, improves to 2-0. Russ Michna Russ Michna scored one of WIU’s TDs. Following WIU’s initial possession, EMU wide receiver Chris [...]

Tags: Eastern Michigan

Southwest Missouri State recorded its first shutout in 12 seasons, defeating East Central, 48-0, and two Bears playing their first games at SMS earned league Player of the Week plaudits. TB Cody Pratt and CB Torre Endsley of SMS earned Offensive and Defensive honors, punter Cory Henke of UNI took Special Teams player of the week honors, while SIU’s Wesley Proctor was GFC Offensive Lineman [...]

Tags: Gateway, Players

After seven league teams opened Thursday, Aug. 28, only UNI played Saturday and the Panthers opened with a 17-10 loss at instate I-A rival Iowa State. The Cyclones scored the winning touchdown in the third quarter and held the Panthers scoreless in the final stanza to escape with the seven-point win. With Iowa State leading 10-3 in the second quarter, defensive end Ryan Arnold tipped [...]

On the opening night of Gateway Football 2003, the league started with a 6-1 mark, with the only blemish an Indiana State loss at I-A Ball State. Nationally ranked Western Illinois and Western Kentucky each won easily in their season-opening contests. Western Kentucky 51, Union (Ky.) 3 Fifth-ranked Western allowed just 172 total yards and eighth first downs in a 51-3 victory over Union (Ky.) [...]

Western Illinois and Western Kentucky are both in the Top Five of the preseason ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll, as released Monday, Aug. 11. Illinois State, UNI, Southern Illinois, SMS, and Youngstown State all received 17 or more points to rank in the Top 45 nationally. The ESPN/USA Today Division I-AA Top 25 Pre-season college football coaches poll, with number of first-place votes, last year’s [...]

Tags: ESPN, usa

Seven of eight Gateway Conference members are recognized in the Sports Network preseason top 25 poll, as announced by the Sports Network on Monday, Aug. 11. Western Illinois is the highest-rated Gateway team, at No. 3, while defending champion Western Kentucky is No. 5. A total of five non-conference opponents are ranked in the Sports Network poll, including Southeast Missouri State (20th), Eastern Kentucky (25th), [...]

Tags: illinois, sports, sports network, usa

Western Illinois has been picked to win the 2003 Gateway Football Crown. League coaches, selected players and media gathered at the St. Louis Renaissance Hotel on July 31, 2003, to preview the upcoming season. Player Interview Session 1 Ray Robinson, Illinois State • Clythel Branson, Indiana State • Marlus Mays, UNI • Alexis Moreland, Southern Illinois • Brad Durham, SMS • Russ Michna, Western Illinois [...]

A minimum of eight games will be aired as part of the Gateway Football Conference television package in 2004. Included in the package this year are two non-conference games, and one game on the CSTV “National I-AA Game of the Week” package. The league opens its 2004 schedule with a non-conference game between preseason Gateway favorite Southern Illinois and Ohio Valley Conference member Southeast Missouri [...]