1919 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 1919 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois in the Big Ten Conference during the 1919 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Fighting Illini compiled a 6–1 record (6–1 against Big Ten opponents) and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 91 to 48.^[2]

1919 Illinois Fighting Illini football
National champion (Billingsley, Boand) Co-national champion (CFRA, Davis, Sagarin-ELO) Big Ten champion
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	6–1 (6–1 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robert Zuppke (7th season)
Offensive scheme	T formation[1]
Captain	William Kopp
Home stadium	Illinois Field
Uniform
Seasons ← 1918 1920 →

1919 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Illinois $	6	–	1	–	0			6	–	1	–	0
Ohio State	3	–	1	–	0			6	–	1	–	0
Chicago	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	0
Minnesota	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	2	–	1
Iowa	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	2	–	0
Michigan	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Northwestern	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Indiana	0	–	2	–	0			3	–	4	–	0
Purdue	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	4	–	1
$ – Conference champion

There was no contemporaneous system in 1919 for determining a national champion. However, Illinois was retroactively named as the national champion for 1919 by the Billingsley Report and Boand System, and as a co-national champion by the College Football Researchers Association, Parke H. Davis, and Jeff Sagarin (using his alternate ELO-Chess methodology).^[3]

Fullback William Kopp was the team captain.^[4] Three Illinois players received mention on the 1919 All-America college football team: end Dick Reichle (first-team choice by the Reno Evening Gazette);^[5] tackle Burt Ingwersen (second-team choice by Walter Camp); and guard Jack Depler (second-team choice by Camp).^[6]

Seven Illini players were included on the 1919 All-Big Ten Conference football team: quarterback Robert H. Fletcher; halfback Laurie Walquist; fullback Jack Crangle; end Chuck Carney; tackle Burt Ingerwesen; and guards Jack Depler and Clarence Applegran.^[7][8]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 11		at Purdue	Stuart Field West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	W 14–7	4,000	[9]
October 18		Iowa	Illinois Field Champaign, IL	W 9–7	6,470	[10]
October 25		Wisconsin	Illinois Field Champaign, IL	L 10–14	7,260	[11]
November 1		Chicago	Illinois Field Champaign, IL	W 10–0	16,000–17,000	[12]
November 8	3:30 p.m.	at Minnesota	Northrop Field Minneapolis, MN	W 10–6	20,000	[13]
November 15		Michigan	Illinois Field Champaign, IL (rivalry)	W 29–7	9,622–14,000	[14]
November 22		at Ohio State	Ohio Field Columbus, OH (rivalry)	W 9–7	14,925	[15]
Homecoming All times are in Central time

Roster

Player	Position
William Kopp (Captain)	Fullback
Burt Ingwersen	Tackle
John C. Depler	Halfback
Clarence Applegran	Right guard
Robert Fletcher	Quarterback
Ralph Fletcher	Kicker
Chuck Carney	End, receiver, punter
Lawrence Walquist	Halfback, quarterback
Albert Mohr	Guard
Richard W. Reichle	Left end, kicker
Milton Olander	Guard, tackle
R. A. "Lief" Lifvendahl	Tackle
George Koch	Tackle
Otis Petty	Right tackle
Harry Shlaudeman	Center
Jack Crangle	Fullback
C. Ernest Lovejoy	Quarterback
Stuyvesant Smith	End

• Head coach: Robert Zuppke (7th year at Illinois)

Awards and honors

• Dick Reichle, end

• First-team selection of Reno Evening Gazette, selected by "W.P. Hahn, football expert of national note who is now located in Reno", for the 1919 College Football All-America Team^[16]

• Burt Ingwersen, tackle

• Second-team selection by Walter Camp for the 1919 All-America team^[17]

• Jack Depler, guard

• Second-team selection by Walter Camp for the 1919 All-America team^[17]