1941 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 1941 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1941 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 29th and final season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Illini compiled a 2–6 record and finished in last place in the Big Ten Conference.^[1] Tackle Nate Johnson was selected as the team's most valuable player.^[2]

1941 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	2–6 (0–5 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robert Zuppke (29th season)
MVP	Nate Johnson
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1940 1942 →

1941 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Minnesota $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	0	–	0
No. 5 Michigan	3	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
No. 13 Ohio State	3	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
No. 11 Northwestern	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Wisconsin	3	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Iowa	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Purdue	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	5	–	1
Indiana	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Illinois	0	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Illinois was ranked at No. 71 (out of 681 teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score System for 1941.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 4	Miami (OH)*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 45–0	20,585–21,500	^[4]
October 11	at Minnesota	Memorial Stadium Minneapolis, MN	L 6–34	50,435	^[5]
October 18	Drake*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 40–0	12,000–12,193	^[6]
October 25	at No. 7 Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	L 14–49	45,000–48,000	^[7]
November 1	No. 7 Michigan	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 0–20	30,101	^[8]^[9]
November 8	Iowa	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 0–21	14,339	^[10]
November 15	at No. 20 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (Illibuck Trophy)	L 7–12	41,544	^[11]
November 22	at No. 10 Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL (rivalry)	L 0–27	26,000	^[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1941 Illinois Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
2. "Fighting Illini Football Record Book" (PDF). University of Illinois. 2015. p. 155. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
3. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 26, 1941). "Gophers Grid Kings Over 6-Year Span: Tennessee 2d, Pitt 3d Over Period Litkenhous Ratins Are Published". The Courier-Journal. p. Sports 4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Illinois Wins Opener; Beats Miami U., 45 to 0". Chicago Tribune. October 5, 1941. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Charles Johnson (October 12, 1941). "Gophers Crush Illini, 34-6: Minnesota Tallies 4 Times in First Half". Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Star Journal. pp. Sports 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Charles Bartlett (October 19, 1941). "Illinois Whips Drake, 40 to 0; Griffin Stars". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Edward Burns (October 26, 1941). "Irish Run Up 28 Points in Last Quarter To Rout Illinois, 49-14". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Edward Burns (November 2, 1941). "Westfall and Kuzma Score for Michigan in Battle of Fumbles". Chicago Tribune.
9. "Michigan Downs Illinois, 20 to 0; 30,000 See Westfall Pace the Wolverines to Smashing Conference Victory". The New York Times. November 2, 1941.
10. Charles Bartlett (November 9, 1941). "Dad's Day Becomes Farmer's Day As Iowa Routs Illinois, 21 to 0". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Arch Ward (November 16, 1941). "Buckeyes Use Long Pass, Hard Plunges To Beat Illinois, 12-7". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Irving Vaughan (November 23, 1941). "Northwestern Whips Illinois, 27-0: DeCorrevont's 3 Touchdowns Lead Wildcats". Chicago Tribune. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.