Northwestern Wildcats football
| Northwestern Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| First season | 1876 | ||
| Athletic director | James J. Phillips | ||
| Head coach |
Pat Fitzgerald 11th year, 76–62 (.551) |
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| Stadium | Ryan Field | ||
| Seating capacity | 47,130 | ||
| Field surface | Natural grass | ||
| Location | Evanston, Illinois | ||
| Conference | Big Ten | ||
| Division | West | ||
| All-time record | 503–642–44 (.442) | ||
| Bowl record | 3–10 (.231) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 | ||
| Colors | Purple and White |
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| Fight song | Go U Northwestern | ||
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat | ||
| Marching band | Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band | ||
| Outfitter | Under Armour | ||
| Rivals | Illinois Fighting Illini, Chicago Maroons | ||
| Website | NUsports.com | ||
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is an NCAA Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876. The mascot is the Wildcat, a term coined by a Chicago Tribune reporter in 1924, after reporting on a football game where the players appeared as "a wall of purple wildcats". Northwestern achieved an all-time high rank of No. 1 during the 1936 and 1962 seasons, then plummeted to extended levels of futility from the mid-1970s to 1994.
The Wildcats have won three Big Ten championships or co-championships since 1995, and have been "bowl eligible" (a status that requires at least a .500 regular-season record) in six out of the last seven seasons. Northwestern consistently ranks among the national leaders in graduation rate among football teams, having received the AFCA Academic Achievement Award four times since 2002. Despite the stricter academic standards, Northwestern has produced many notable athletes, such as former first-round draft picks Luis Castillo and Napoleon Harris, as well as current Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian.
The Wildcats have played their home games at Ryan Field (formerly Dyche Stadium) in Evanston, Illinois, since 1922.
Northwestern is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference and has competed in the league since the conference's establishment in 1896. The Wildcats have won eight Big Ten titles.
§ – Conference co-champions
Football made its debut at Northwestern University on February 22, 1876 during an exhibition game between NU students and the Chicago Football Club. Despite the fact that there was no organized league, there was a growing interest for football on Northwestern's campus. Until Northwestern's first intercollegiate game against Lake Forest in 1882, football was played entirely as an intramural sport. From 1882 to 1887, the team mostly practiced and did not play teams outside of NU. In 1891, with the popularity of football increasing, Sheppard Field—complete with a grandstand—was built at Northwestern and dedicated in 1892. Also in 1892, the university chose royal purple as the school's official color, and the team recorded its first significant win, beating Michigan 10-8. In 1896, along with six other schools, Northwestern became a charter member of the Western Conference, the predecessor of the Big Ten. NU's first conference season was a huge success, posting a 46-6 win against then-powerhouse University of Chicago and finished second to Wisconsin.
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