Western Illinois Leathernecks

The Western Illinois Leathernecks play FCS football out of Macomb, playing home games at Hanson Field. Purple and gold Leathernecks teams have a long tradition of conference title contention across multiple leagues, most recently in the Missouri Valley Football Conference before a 2024 move to the Ohio Valley Conference. The program's unusual nickname, borrowed from the Marine Corps, gives it one of the more distinctive identities in college football. Western Illinois remains a competitive mid-major FCS program.

Western Illinois began playing football around 1902-1903, not long after the university's 1899 founding as a normal school. The Leathernecks have won 13 conference championships across several eras and conferences, including three outright Missouri Valley Football Conference titles from 2004-2006 and shared titles in 2012 and 2014. The program spent 2008-2023 in the Missouri Valley before joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024.