The Southern Illinois Salukis football program represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in college football. The Salukis are a member of the NCAA and compete at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly known as NCAA Division I-AA). The Salukis are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and play in Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, which has a seating capacity of 15,000.

The Salukis are coached by Nick Hill,[2] who was the starting quarterback for the Salukis in 2006 and 2007.

History

The first official season of Southern Illinois football took place in 1913. Their first game was a win against Anna High School.[3][4]

In 1983, the Salukis began the year ranked 8th in the NCAA Division I-AA rankings. They finished the regular season ranked No. 1 with a record of 10–1. In their three playoff games, they outscored their opponents by an average of 23 points. They defeated Western Carolina 43–7 in the National Championship Game to finish the year with a record of 13–1 and to be crowned national champions.

In 2006, the Salukis defeated Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, 35–28,[5] becoming the first Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) school to win against a Big Ten Conference member.[6] In 2007, the Salukis were victorious against Northern Illinois University. This marked the second consecutive year that SIU had beaten an FBS program.[7]

In the 2000s, SIU set then-MVFC records with 99 consecutive weeks ranked in the top-25 and 14-straight MVFC wins.[8]

Conference affiliations

Postseason games

The Salukis have appeared in two bowl games, compiling a 2–0 record.

Bowl games

Season Bowl Opponent Result
1947Corn BowlNorth CentralW 21–0
1949Shrine BowlIndiana StateW 21–0

Division I-AA/FCS playoffs

The Salukis have appeared in 17 playoff games in I-AA/FCS tournaments, compiling a record of 11–10. They won the I-AA national championship in 1983.

Year Round Opponent Result
1983QuarterfinalsIndiana StateW 23–7
SemifinalsNevadaW 23–7
National Championship GameWestern CarolinaW 43–7
2003First RoundDelawareL 7–48
2004First RoundEastern WashingtonL 31–35
2005First RoundEastern IllinoisW 21–6
QuarterfinalsAppalachian StateL 24–38
2006First RoundUT MartinW 36–30
QuarterfinalsMontanaL 3–20
2007First RoundEastern IllinoisW 30–11
QuarterfinalsUMassW 34–27
SemifinalsDelawareL 17–20
2008First RoundNew HampshireL 20–29
2009First RoundEastern IllinoisW 48–7
QuarterfinalsWilliam & MaryL 3–24
2020First RoundWeber StateW 34–31
Quarterfinals#1 South Dakota StateL 26–31
2021First RoundSouth DakotaW 22–10
Second Round#2 North Dakota StateL 7–38
2023First RoundNichollsW 35–0
Second Round#4 IdahoL 17–20 OT

Championships

Conference championships

Southern Illinois has won nine conference championships, five outright.

Years Conference Coach Overall record Conference record
1930†Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceWilliam McAndrew9–05–0
1947Abe Martin7–2–13–0–1
1960Carmen Piccone8–26–0
19617–35–1
2003†Gateway Football ConferenceJerry Kill10–26–1
200410–27–0
2005†9–45–2
2008†Missouri Valley Football ConferenceDale Lennon9–37–1
200911–28–0

† denotes co-champion

National championships

Year Coach Selectors Record Bowl
1983Rey DempseyNCAA Division I-AA Playoffs13–1Won NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game (43–7 over Western Carolina)

Players

Salukis in the NFL

SIU has had 28 players drafted in the NFL draft, including four since 2010. In total, 36 Saluki football players have gone on to play in the NFL. Some notable Salukis in the NFL are listed below.

All-Americans

Cornell Craig is the school's all-time leading receiver and first receiver in school history to earn consensus All-American honors (1999). His senior season he led the nation in receiving with 77 receptions for 1,419 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also amassed over 2,000 all-purpose yards as a senior. His career numbers (all Saluki records) are 207 receptions, 3,508 yards, and 37 touchdowns. He was inducted into the SIU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 and is also honored on Missouri Valley Conference's 25th anniversary team along with three other Salukis.[9]

Assistant coaches who became head coaches

Home venue

SIU Football plays at the 15,000-seat Saluki Stadium, which replaced McAndrew Stadium, the home of Saluki Football since 1938.[10] Saluki Stadium opened on September 2, 2010, when a sellout crowd of 15,200 watched the Salukis defeat Quincy 70–7.[11]

The Saluki Stadium is part of the university's larger athletic facilities plan, known as "Saluki Way,"[12] a comprehensive plan to renovate and restructure the campus athletic facilities.[13]

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of July 17, 2026.[14]

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
at West Florida West Florida at Chattanooga Chattanooga at Illinois
at Samford at Wisconsin Southeast Missouri State Samford
Southeast Missouri State at Southeast Missouri State
at Illinois

See also

References

  1. ↑ Missouri Valley Conference Style Guide (PDF). August 29, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hefferman, Todd (December 23, 2015). "Hill to succeed Lennon as SIU's next football coach". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ "2022 Record Book" (PDF). Southern Illinois University Athletics. p. 72. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Remember the time..." The Southern Illinoisan. August 29, 2010. p. 16. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Hill tosses 4 TDs as I-AA Salukis shock Indiana". ESPN. Associated Press. September 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Top Moments in MVFC History - THE FBS". valley-football.org. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ "S. Illinois 34, N. Illinois 31". ESPN. Associated Press. September 8, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  8. ↑ "SIU becoming powerhouse at I-AA level". daily-chronicle.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ "13 SIU football players honored in MVFC 25th anniversary celebration | WPSD Local 6 – News, Sports, Weather – Paducah KY | Local Sports". Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ Nelson, Kathleen (August 23, 2010). "SIUC's long-awaited new stadium is ready". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Saluki Stadium opens in grand fashion – Southern Illinois University". Southern Illinois University. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ Norris, D.W. (July 24, 2010). "How 'Suite' it is: New Saluki football stadium scores with premium seating level". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ Saluki Way Archived 2010-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "Southern Illinois Salukis Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Illinois_Salukis_football