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1944 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
| 1944 Illinois Fighting Illini football |
|---|
| Big Ten Conference |
| No. 15 |
| 5–4–1 (3–3 Big Ten) |
| Ray Eliot (3rd season) |
| Buddy Young |
| Game captains |
| Memorial Stadium |
The 1944 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1944 Big Ten season. In their third year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Fighting Illini compiled a 5–3–1 record (3–3 in conference games), finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 273 to 149. They were ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll and lost three games to teams ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll: No. 9 Notre Dame (13–7); No. 8 Michigan (14–0); and No. 2 Ohio State (26–12).
Halfback Buddy Young was selected as the team's most valuable player. Young and guard Ralph "Babe" Serpico received first-team honors from both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) on the 1944 All-Big Ten Conference football team.
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois.
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16 | Illinois State Normal* | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | W 79–0 | 5,386 | ||
| September 23 | Indiana | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | W 26–18 | 7,986 | ||
| September 30 | at Great Lakes Navy* | Ross FieldGreat Lakes, IL | T 26–26 | 25,000 | ||
| October 7 | Purdue | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL (rivalry) | L 19–35 | 15,210 | ||
| October 14 | Iowa | No. 14 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | W 40–6 | 11,498 | |
| October 21 | at Pittsburgh* | Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, PA | W 39–5 | 15,000 | ||
| October 28 | No. 1 Notre Dame* | No. 14 | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | L 7–13 | 65,114 | |
| November 11 | at No. 8 Michigan | No. 10 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | L 0–14 | 43,922 | |
| November 18 | vs. No. 4 Ohio State | Cleveland StadiumCleveland, OH (Illibuck) | L 12–26 | 83,627 | ||
| November 25 | at Northwestern | Dyche StadiumEvanston, IL (rivalry) | W 25–6 | 38,000 | ||
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |
Halfback Buddy Young was selected as the team's most valuable player.
| Week | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | — | 14 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | 15 |
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