Southern Illinois

2-1

MVFC · Saluki Stadium · 15,000 · 12,310 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The marketno line yetat Illinois · our model 23% Southern Illinois · a number, not a pick

LastW 34–20 vs Southeast Missouri State · Sat Sep 12 · DJ Williams 286 pass yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

Nextat Illinois · Sat Sep 19 · 2 pm ET · Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL) · series 0-4, lost the last 4 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

FCS Program Prestige · Southern Illinois

Mid-Major Contender

FCS Playoff Contender — consistent bracket participant, regional force.

T1Regional
T2Mid-Major
T3Power
T4National
T5Blue Blood
T6Dynasty
T7All-Time

All-time record · Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois has won 49% of its games since 1914 — 51% at home, 38% on the road.

232-242-3 all-time · 62 seasons · 1914–2026

Home 90-85-2
Away 92-149-1
Neutral 50-8
1 g 1910s
24% 1960s
39% 1970s
48% 1980s
0% 1990s
78% 2000s
42% 2010s
54% 2020s

Program memory

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

1983 National Championship

Southern Illinois wins the I-AA national championship under coach Rey Dempsey, the program's only national title and defining moment

1989

Valley dominance in the 1980s

Multiple Valley conference titles during the height of Dempsey's reign

Moment of the season — so far · Southern Illinois · 2026

Won 34-20 vs Southeast Missouri State

Week 2 of 2026. The early statement — the game this season gets measured from, for now.

Decisive Margin

More in this tab

Coaching historyEvery hire and departure on record, not just the current era.

Coaching history

  • Rey Dempsey departs54-37, 8 seasons
  • Hired Rey Dempsey1976
  • Doug Weaver departs3-18-1, 2 seasons
  • Hired Doug Weaver1974
Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsEvery bowl this program's played, and how it did.

Playoff History

Recent postseason (2023): 1-1

Most recent: 2023 — loss 20-17 (away). Last 5 postseason: 1-1.

20232023
CFB Zeitgeist · team-pages synth v1.0 “Go Salukis.”
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