2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season and were led by head coach Jack Harbaugh in his 14th and final season as head coach. They claimed a share of the Gateway Football Conference championship and made the school’s third straight appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.^[1] After a rocky start, the team rallied to win their last 10 games including the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, beating McNeese State, 34–14, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Hilltoppers finished the season ranked number 1 in both final 1AA postseason national polls.^[2]

2002 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
NCAA Division I-AA champion Gateway co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, W 34–14 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Gateway Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 1
Record	12–3 (7–1 Gateway)
Head coach	Jack Harbaugh (14th season)
Home stadium	L. T. Smith Stadium
Seasons ← 2001 2003 →

2002 Gateway Football Conference standings
v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 Western Kentucky +^		6	–	1					12	–	3
No. 5 Western Illinois +^		6	–	1					11	–	2
Youngstown State		4	–	3					7	–	4
Illinois State		4	–	3					6	–	5
Indiana State		3	–	4					5	–	7
Northern Iowa		2	–	5					5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	5					4	–	8
Southwest Missouri State		1	–	6					4	–	7
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

This team won the school's first NCAA team championship and tied the program record for victories in a season set by the 1973 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team. Their roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Sherrod Coates, Jeremi Johnson, and Brian Claybourn, and future NFL coach Jason Michael. Coates, Chris Price, and Buster Ashley were named to the AP All American team and Harbuagh was named AFCA Coach of the Year Award. The All Conference team included Ashley, Coates, Price, Jeremy Chandler, Erik Dandy, Jon Frazier, and Daniel Withrow.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	6:10 pm	at Kansas State*	No. 18	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS	L 3–48	45,844
September 7	5:30 pm	Kentucky State*	No. 22	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 49–0	9,500
September 14	1:30 pm	Western Illinois	No. 21	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	L 0–14	6,000	^[4]
September 21	5:30 pm	No. 11 Youngstown State		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 13–7	10,100
September 28	7:00 pm	at No. 2 McNeese State*	No. 25	Cowboy Stadium Lake Charles, LA	L 13–38	16,840
October 5	4:05 pm	at No. 6 Northern Iowa		UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	W 31–12	14,684
October 12	5:30 pm	FIU*		L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 56–7	6,000
October 19	1:30 pm	at Southwest Missouri State	No. 24	Plaster Sports Complex Springfield, MO	W 31–7	13,002
October 26	4:30 pm	Indiana State	No. 22	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 24–7	11,200
November 2	4:30 pm	Illinois State	No. 19	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	W 9–0	5,600	^[5]
November 16	1:30 pm	at Southern Illinois	No. 15	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	W 48–16	3,203	^[6]
November 30	1:00 pm	No. 23 Murray State*	No. 15	L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY (NCAA Division I-AA First Round, Battle for the Red Belt)	W 59–20	3,300
December 7	1:00 pm	at No. 3 Western Illinois*	No. 15	Hanson Field Macomb, IL (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)	W 31–28	3,300	^[7]
December 14	1:05 pm	at No. 2 Georgia Southern*	No. 15	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)	W 31–28	6,573
December 20	5:30 pm	vs. No. 1 McNeese State*	No. 15	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game)	W 34–14	12,360
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#18 Hilltoppers	0	0	0	3	3
Wildcats	3	31	7	7	48

See also: 2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team

References

1. 2019 MVC Football Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
2. "Div. I-AA poll". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. December 24, 2002. p. 6B. Retrieved May 20, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. 
3. WKU Football Media Guide retrieved 31 March 2020.
4. Herbst, Rob (September 15, 2021). "Hilltoppers sacked by WIU". The Daily News. p. 1B. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Brown, C. L. (November 3, 2002). "Defense dominates in Western's 9-0 win". The Courier-Journal. p. C9. Retrieved December 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Hilltoppers top Salukis for share of league title". The Courier-Journal. November 17, 2002. p. C9. Retrieved January 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Jauss, Bill (December 8, 2021). "Kicker's premonition turns into truth". Chicago Tribune. p. 3:5. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.