1938 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

1938 Illinois Fighting Illini football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	3–5 (2–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Robert Zuppke (26th season)
MVP	James Hodges
Captain	James W. McDonald
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium

1938 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Minnesota $	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Michigan	3	–	1	–	1			6	–	1	–	1
Purdue	3	–	1	–	1			5	–	1	–	2
No. 17 Northwestern	2	–	1	–	2			4	–	2	–	2
Wisconsin	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Ohio State	3	–	2	–	1			4	–	3	–	1
Illinois	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Iowa	1	–	3	–	1			1	–	6	–	1
Indiana	1	–	4	–	0			1	–	6	–	1
Chicago	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	6	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1938 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1938 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 26th season under head coach Robert Zuppke, the Illini compiled a 3–5 record and finished in seventh place in the Big Ten Conference.^[1] Guard James Hodges was selected as the team's most valuable player.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 24	Ohio*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 0–6	31,378
October 1	DePaul*	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	W 44–7	11,414	[3]
October 8	Indiana	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	W 12–2	15,571
October 15	at Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	L 6–14	29,142
October 22	No. 18 Northwestern	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 0–13	37,000
October 29	at No. 13 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	L 0–14	43,006
November 12	Ohio State	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (Illibuck Trophy)	L 14–32	18,000	[4]
November 19	at Chicago	Stagg Field Chicago, IL	W 34–0	5,000–6,000	[5]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "1938 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. Howard Barry (October 2, 1938). "Illinois Rolls Up 44 Points To De Paul's 7". Chicago Tribune. p. II-2 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Ohio State Sweeps Past Illinois, 32-14". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Associated Press. November 13, 1938. p. 1E. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Howard Berry (November 20, 1938). "Illinois Rolls Over Hapless Maroons, 34-0". Chicago Tribune. pp. II-1, II-4 – via Newspapers.com.