2003 Illinois State Redbirds football team

The 2003 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Denver Johnson, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, placing sixth in the Gateway.[1] Illinois State played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.

2003 Illinois State Redbirds football
ConferenceGateway Football Conference
Record6–6 (3–4 Gateway)
Head coach
MVPSha-Ron Edwards, Boomer Grigsby
CaptainJim Ferguson, Boomer Grigsby, Andrew Papoccia, Ray Robinson, Mike Souza
Home stadiumHancock Stadium
Seasons
← 2002
2004 →
2003 Gateway Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Northern Iowa +^   6 1     10 3  
No. 9 Southern Illinois +^   6 1     10 2  
No. 6 Western Illinois ^   5 2     9 4  
No. 7 Western Kentucky ^   5 2     9 4  
Illinois State   3 4     6 6  
Youngstown State   2 5     5 7  
Southwest Missouri State   1 6     4 7  
Indiana State   0 7     3 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 28Drake*W 27–137,157[2]
September 6at Illinois*L 22–4956,304[3]
September 13Truman State*
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
W 49–67,339[4]
September 20at No. 19 Eastern Illinois*W 21–146,318[5]
September 27Florida Atlantic*No. 23
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
L 10–286,837[6]
October 4No. 16 Northern Iowa
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
L 7–1612,026[7]
October 11at No. 8 Southern IllinoisL 17–4513,247[8]
October 18No. 9 Western Kentucky 
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
L 24–278,945[9]
October 25at Youngstown StateW 35–2517,179[10]
November 1No. 13 Western Illinois
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
L 20–248,415[11]
November 8at Southwest Missouri StateW 48–432,898[12]
November 15Indiana State
  • Hancock Stadium
  • Normal, IL
W 38–35,491[13]

References

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  1. ^ "2022 Redbird Football Media Guide" (PDF). Illinois State University Athletics. p. 67. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (August 29, 2003). "Redbirds capture ugly victory". The Pantagraph. p. B1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Batterson, Steve (September 7, 2003). "First win is all that matters to Illini". Quad-City Times. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (September 14, 2003). "ISU shows plenty in 1st half". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (September 21, 2003). "Safety spurs Redbirds on to victory". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Hutton, Ted (September 28, 2003). "Owls put together first win streak". South Florida Sun Sentinel. p. 1C. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Gray, Rob (October 5, 2003). "Final flurry saves Panthers". Des Moines Register. p. 6C. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (October 12, 2003). "Koutsos, Salukis hold 'rush week' against ISU". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Moore's late TD lifts WKU, 27-24". The Courier-Journal. October 19, 2003. p. C13. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (October 26, 2003). "Offense gets rolling; Redbirds get going". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (November 2, 2003). "Too much Michna for Redbirds". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Koehler, Steve (November 9, 2003). "Redbirds win offensive celebration". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Reinhardt, Randy (November 16, 2003). "Papoccia, Redbirds cap season in big way". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.