Leatherneck Nation

Getting closer...


#8 for the Leathernecks is Redshirt Freshman QB Connor Sampson

Connor is a Business Management major from Belleville, MI.

Other #8's include:
John Staback............................... 1980
Jerome Stelly..........................1981-82
Jon Hannan................................. 1983
Scott Noble.............................1984-85
Al Davis..................................1986-87
Lance Earl..............................1989-92
Derek Allen.............................1993-95
Brian Meyers..........................1996-97
Derrick Spicer.............................. 1998
Nick Christian.........................2001-04
Marlon McLaughlin...................... 2004
J.D. Jean................................2005-06
Matt Warner............................2007-09
Antoine Ford...........................2010-13
Luis Sharpe............................2014-15

Jerome Stelly was a First Team All-Conference WR in 1981 and 1982 and was an AP Honorable Mention in '82. He was the team's top receiver, top scorer, and top kick return man in 1982. He holds quite a few game records in the kick return category, mostly due to one particularly exceptional game against Youngstown State in 1981 where he returned two kicks for TDs (a 99-yarder and a 97-yarder) and totaled 228 kick return yards in the game. Most of the records he set in that game were FCS or NCAA records for at least 10 years (the kick returns for TD in a game record was broken in 1994 when someone did 3 in a game). In his career, he returned 3 kicks for TDs and racked up 1,024 kick return yards (#4 on the list for kick return yards in Western history).

Lance Earl was an All-Conference Honorable Mention WR in 1991.

Matt Warner was a TE who is #3 on the list of Yards per Reception in a season (30.4 in 2008), which is #1 for TE's. He also put together 16.9 yards per reception in 2009 and 15.7 in 2007, good for #8 and #10 on the TE Yards per Reception list. In his career, he has the 9th most receptions for a TE (39), 8th (tied) most TDs (5), and 6th most yards (762).

Antoine Ford was an All-Conference Honorable Mention return man in 2013. He's tied for the 2nd and 4th most punt returns in a game (6 against UNI in 2013 and 4 against South Dakota in 2012). He also has the 4th most punt return yards in a season with 301 in 2013.

There is 1 week left until Leatherneck football is back...I repeat...1 WEEK!


#7 on the Leathernecks is...
Senior Tight End Trey Dunkelberger


Trey is working on his Sport Management Master's degree at Western after transferring here from Syracuse (earned bachelor's degree in Human Development), where he played for two years. He also spent a year at L.A. Pierce College. Trey is originally from Shillington, PA.

Other #7's include:
Daryl Mosby...........................1980-81
Jeff Marawski..........................1982-83
Mark Searcy...........................1983-84
Albert Brown................................ 1985
Kelvin Malone.........................1986-90
Willie Davis.................................. 1991
Donald Harris.............................. 1992
Bobby Stevens............................ 1994
Brad Freeman........................1996-97
Tito Veasey.................................. 1999
Frisman Jackson....................2000-01
Stacy Coleman............................ 2002
James Norris..........................2003-04
Mike McEachern.....................2005-08
Todd Speight..........................2007-10
Josh Hudson.......................... 2011-12
Lance Lenoir, Jr......................2013-16

Mark Searcy was a Second Team All-Conference TE in 1983 and 1984. He has the 4th and 5th best seasons for total receptions by a TE (38 in '83 and 37 in '84), is tied for the 8th best season for TDs for a TE (4 in 1983), and 8th and 9th best seasons for yards by a TE (440 in 1984 and 398 in 1983). In his career, he ranks 3rd among TE's for receptions with 79, and is tied for 10th among TE's in TDs with 4.

Albert Brown was a Second Team All-Conference and FB Gazette Honorable Mention WR in 1986. He has the 2nd longest reception in Western history with a 96-yard TD catch against UNI in 1986, and he is tied for the 2nd longest rush (yea...rush) in Western history with an 86-yard run against Kansas State in 1986. That year he led the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (595), and kickoff return yards (531, 27.9 per return w/ 1 TD).

Frisman Jackson transferred to Western after spending a year as the starting QB at Northern. He was named to the conference All-Newcomer list at QB in 2000 and then First Team All-Conference and FB Gazette Honorable Mention at WR in 2001. Frisman has the 6th longest run in Leatherneck history with a 77-yard TD run against SIU in 2000 (which set the record for the longest rush by a QB). In his career as a QB, he has the 4th best yards per attempt average (8.1), but it was as a WR that he really stood out. He's tied for the record for most receptions in a game with 14 against Indiana State in 2001, and has the #1 and #2 spots for most receiving yards in a game (286 against IN State in '01, 266 against Southern Utah in '01). He is tied for #9 (many times with another #7 player we'll get to in a minute) in TDs in a season with 7, is #6 in yards with 1,041, #2 in yards per game (104.1), #5 (tied) for 100+ yard games (4), and #1 (tied) for 200+ yard games...all set during the 2001 season. Because he only played WR for one season for us, he doesn't rank really high on most career lists, although he does come in at #18 for total receiving yards (1,298), #10 in yards per game (59.0...in large part because he played mostly QB for a season, which counts as games played, even though he didn't play WR in those games), #1 in yards per reception (20.0) and is tied for #1 for 200+ yard games in a career with 2.
Following his Leatherneck career, Jackson played for 4 seasons with the Cleveland Browns, then signed by the Jets, but was released before the regular season began. Since finishing his playing career, he has moved up the ranks with success at coaching WRs, starting here at Western, before moving to Akron, Northern Illinois, NC State, Temple, and is now the Wide Receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans.

Stacy Coleman was another successful WR to wear #7 (he also wore #80 for a season, but apparently I didn't mention him back in the #80 post). He was a First Team All-Conference WR in 2002 and was named to the AP Third Team, FB Gazette Second Team, and Sports Network Third Team that same year. Coleman has the 6th best performance for receiving yards in a game with 215 against Northern Illinois in 2002. He is #4 on the list for receptions in a season with 70, #5 for TDs in a season with 10, #3 for yards in a season with 1,103, #9 in yards per game in a season with 84.8, #1 (tied) for 100+ yard games in a season with 5, and is tied for #3 in 200+ yard games with 1...all in 2002.

James Norris was named to the conference All-Newcomer Team and All-Conference Second Team in 2003 as a return specialist. Then in 2004, he was All-Conference First Team at return specialist and Honorable Mention at wide receiver. He's tied for 5th in 100+ yard games in a season (4 in 2004), lands at #15 on the career receiving yards list (1,358), #2 in career yards per reception (18.4), and #5 (tied) in career 100+ yards games (6). Norris also has the longest punt return in Leatherneck history, with a 95-yard TD return against Eastern Michigan in 2003 and is tied for the 6th longest kick return with a 98-yard TD against Nebraska in '04. He has the 5th most punt return yards in a season (287 in '03), 3rd (tied) most kick returns (31 in '04), and 3rd most kick return yards (789 in '04).

Mike McEachern was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 2008. That season he had 2 blocked kicks, which puts him tied at #6 on the list of most blocked kicks in a season.

Like Norris, Todd Speight was another First Team All-Conference Return Specialist (this time in '09). Speight is the only player in Leatherneck history with a kickoff and punt return for TDs in the same game (vs Stephen F. Austin in '09). That punt return was an 88-yard TD, which is the 2nd longest and the kick return was a 93-yard TD, which is the 10th longest. Norris is also the only player to rack up more than 1k kick return yards in a season (1,047 in 2009). He is #1 in kick returns in a season (50 in 2009) and #1 in kick returns in a career (80). He also is #1 in career kick return yards (1,607).

Josh Hudson wasn't around long (only started for one year), but did get on a few records list in his time here. He is 8th for rushing yards by a QB in a season (138 in 2011), #2 in consecutive completions to start a game (8 against Jacksonville in 2011), and has the 3rd (tied) longest completion with a 92-yard TD pass against Sam Houston State in 2011.

Lance Lenoir, Jr....
...
...
well, if you don't know about Lance, you haven't been paying attention the last few years. I'll go ahead and do a quick rundown though on the most productive receiver in Leatherneck history:

• Conference All-Newcomer Team in 2013
• All-Conference First Team (WR) in 2014, Second Team (WR) and Honorable Mention (RS) in 2015, and First Team (WR) in 2016
• STATS Third Team and HERO Sports Third Team in 2016
• #1, #2, and #3 for receptions in a season
• #9, #9, #9, and #9 (yea...tied with himself and two other guys for the #9 spot) for TDs in a season...7 every year
• #1, #4, and #7 for yards in a season
• #3, #4, and #7 (tied) for yards per game in a season
• #1 (tied) and #5 (tied, twice achieved) for 100+ yard games in a season
• #1 (tied) for 200+ yard games in a season
• #1 in career receptions (273), career receiving yards (3,796...that's 1,370 more than the #2 guy), consecutive games with a reception (41), 100+ yard games (14...next best is 8), 200+ yard games (tied with two other players with 2 games), and TDs (28)
• #2 in career yards per game (79.1)

Lance is currently fighting for a WR spot with the Dallas Cowboys and scored his first NFL TD in their second preseason game last weekend.
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After missing a week, TBT Trivia is back. We are running short of days and I am having to dig pretty deep here. Way back in the early part of the last century on or about the year of 1907, Macomb was the terminus for a rail line affectionately known as "The Little Road". What western Illinois town was at the other end of The Little Road?

Clue: the answer partially lies within the question.

Littleton, IL.

huskie wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:42 amLittleton, IL.

Huskie, you nailed (make that "spiked") it. Next week, expect a really tough trivia question related to Cookeville, TN which is where I will be.

spked -> spiked. Should have used a picture.

sealhall74 wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 8:31 am

huskie wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:42 amLittleton, IL.

Huskie, you nailed (make that "spiked") it. Next week, expect a really tough trivia question related to Cookeville, TN which is where I will be.

spked -> spiked. Should have used a picture.

I will also be there.

Hey folks, just a bit of a preface to this one. I'm going to be out of town from tomorrow (Friday) morning until Sunday evening and I won't have a computer with me, so I won't really be able to post Saturday's #5 post until Sunday, when I do the #5 and #4 post. Because I'm packing and heading out in the morning, I'm going to go ahead and post tomorrow's #6 post now.

So, without further ado...

#6 is Junior Defensive Back Xavier Rowe

Xavier is from Oak Park, IL and was named to the conference All-Newcomer team as a redshirt freshman. He's played in 24 games over the last two years and has 123 total tackles, 13 passes defended, and 3 interceptions.

Other #6's include:
Bill Flodin..................................... 1981
Bobby Smith...........................1982-83
Bruce McCray.............................. 1984
Tom Scott...............................1985-86
Emrick Wilcox.........................1987-88
Bret Velde.................................... 1989
Darren Wade..........................1990-91
Jesse Morris................................ 1992
Jermaine Ballard....................1995-97
David Bowens............................. 1998
Bobby Starks..........................1999-00
Carlos Daniels............................. 2001
Sedrick Rivers........................2002-04
Jason Williams.......................2005-08
C.J. Hamilton............................... 2006
Javid Milton............................2006-08
Kieron James.........................2009-12

Bill Flodin was a First Team All-Conference DB in 1981, when he led the team in interceptions with 5.

Bruce McCray was an All-Conference Second Team DB in 1985 and Honorable Mention in 1986. He was signed by the Chicago Bears and played in 3 games for them in 1987, recording 1 interception returned 23 yards for a TD.

Emrick Wilcox was an All-Conference First Team DB in 1988. That year he was named to the Walter Camp First Team, AP Second Team, Sports Network First Team, and FB Gazette Second Team. He has the 5th longest interception return in school history with a 90-yard TD return against Eastern Illinois in 1988. That year he also recorded 13 passes broken up (5th in school history). In his career, he is tied for 4th most interceptions with 11, and 9th in passes broken up with 21.

Bret Velde was the team's receptions and receiving yards leader in 1990 with 36 catches for 592 yards and 6 TDs. He was also the team's primary punt returner, leading the team in punt return yards that year.

David Bowens was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year in 1988. He was also First Team All-Conference, AP First Team, ESPN/SportsTicker First Team, Sports Network First Team, Walter Camp First Team, FB Gazette First Team and FB Gazette Defensive Lineman of the Year that same year. Bowens has the 2nd most tackles for loss recorded in a season with 40, tied for 2nd most sacks (15), tied for 6th in forced fumbles (4), and is tied for 10th in career sacks (also 15...he only played that one year). Bowens was drafted in the 5th round of the 1999 NFL Draft by Denver and played for a total of 12 years in the NFL for Denver, Green Bay, Buffalo, Washington, Miami, NY Jets, and Cleveland. He played in 167 games, starting 41 games, and recorded 4 interceptions, 2 TDs, 36 passes defended, 7 forced fumbles, 8 fumble recoveries, 38.5 sacks and 227 tackles.

Bobby Starks was named to the conference All-Newcomer Team in 1999 at WR. He was also Second Team All-Conference and Second Team Academic All-Conference in 2000. Starks ranks 22nd on the all-time career yardage list with 1,181 yards.

Carlos Daniels was a RB named to the conference All-Newcomer Team in 2001. He led the team in rushing yards that year with 667 yards and 3 TDs.

Jason Williams was an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2006, then First Team in 2007 and 2008. The LB was named to the AFCA First Team, AP Second Team, and Sports Network Second Team in 2007, then AP, Sports Network, College Sporting News, and AFCA First Teams in 2008. He is 10th (tied) in tackles for loss in a season with 20 in '07, #1 and tied for #2 in forced fumbles in a season with 6 in '08 and 5 in '07. His career numbers rank him #10 in assisted tackles (153), #4 (tied) in tackles for loss (49), #10 (tied) in sacks (15), and #1 in forced fumbles (also an NCAA record) with 14.
Williams was drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played for 6 seasons in the NFL for Dallas, Carolina, Philadelphia, back to Carolina, and finishing with Tampa Bay. He played in 60 NFL games, starting 4, and recorded 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 31 tackles.

Javid Milton was a First Team All-Conference FB in 2007.

Kieron James was an All-Conference Honorable Mention DB in 2011. He is #6 on the list for career passes broken up with 23, and led the team in interceptions in 2011 with 3.

And I don't know about you all, but with regards to the college football season...

As mentioned before, I was out of town over the weekend, so I'm just now catching up on all the stuff.

Saturday was 5 days until gameday...
We've got two #5's on the roster currently.

Senior Defensive Back Aaron Diggs

Aaron was only able to play in 2 games last season, due to injury, but in his three years he has 85 tackles, 5 for loss, 9 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception (that was returned for 95 yards for a TD).
Diggs is from Goodyear, AZ, and is, as near as I can tell, the last player of the previous coaching staff's "Arizona connection".

and...

Junior Running Back Steve McShane

Steve rushed for a team-leading 917 yards (83.4 yards per game) last season and 8 TDs. He also was a solid receiving threat (for a RB) catching for 234 yards (21.3 per game) and 1 receiving TD. His all-purpose yard per game average last season was 104.6, and he was named second-team All-MVFC. He is also a dual-sport athlete, playing outfield on the baseball team for 68 games over two years, averaging .256 at the plate with 7 RBIs, 23 walks, and picking up 17 stolen bases.

Other #5's include:
Scott VandeMerkt...................1981-84
Bruce McCray.........................1985-86
Don Beebe.................................. 1987
Brian Klis..................................... 1988
Jeff Bush.................................1989-92
Chris Sabino...........................1994-95
Calvin Green............................... 1996
Mike Carter.............................1997-98
J.R. Niklos..............................1999-01
Shegun Cummings-John............. 2002
Lemar Parrish.............................. 2002
Fu’ad Khaleel.........................2003-06
A.J. Simeon................................. 2006
Josh Galloway........................2007-08
Paul Anderson............................. 2008
Justin Hamilton............................ 2010
Martinez Davis........................ 2011-14
Jamie Gilmore............................. 2016

Bruce McCray was mentioned in the previous post for #6's.

Don Beebe was discussed in post #23

Chris Sabino was named to the conference All-Newcomer Team at WR in 1994 and was an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 1995. He has the 3rd (tied) longest reception in school history with a 92-yard TD catch against Indiana State in 1994, had a 32.8 yards per reception average that year (2nd in WIU history), and has 1,161 career receiving yards (#24 on that list).

Mike Carter was a FB Gazette Honorable Mention in 1997 and Second Team All-Conference DB in 1998. He has the 6th (tied) and 10th (tied) best performances in passes broken up in a game, with 12 in a game in '97 and 11 in a game in '98. He ranks 7th (tied) in his career with 22 passes broken up.

J.R. Niklos was a All-Conference Honorable Mention and FB Gazette Third Team in 1999, then First Team and FB Gazette Honorable Mention in 2000 and 2001 at Tight End. He had a 22.5 yards per catch average in 1999, 6th in Leatherneck history, and 1,235 total receiving yards (20th in school history). His 15.4 yards per reception average for his career is #10 on the list. For TE's, he is #1 in receptions in a season (44 in '01), #8 (tied) in TDs in a season (4 in 1999), and both 4th and 5th in yards in a season (589 in '01, 473 in '99). His career numbers ranks him at #2 in receptions for TEs (80), #4 (tied) in TDs (8), and #2 in yards (1,235). He was undrafted but spent time on the rosters of the St. Louis Rams, Frankfurt Galaxy (of NFL Europe), Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland Browns. He is currently a Co-Owner of Acceleration Sports Performance in Naperville.

Fu'ad Khaleel was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 2006.

Josh Galloway was a First Team All-Conference DL and named to the All-Newcomer Team in 2007, then was First Team All-Conference again in 2008.

Martinez Davis was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 2012 and 2013. He had 2 interceptions for TDs in 2012, which is tied for #1 in that stat, and 3 INTs for TDs in his career, which ties him for 2nd in returns (of any type) for TDs. He's #3 (tied) for defensive scoring in a season with 12 points in 2012. In his career he's tied for 10th in interceptions (9), tied for 7th in passes broken up (22), and #1 in defensive scoring (20 points).

Jamie Gilmore was named to the conference All-Newcomer Team last season at RB.

Sunday was 4 days left...

#4 is Freshman Defensive Back Andre Whitley

Andre is an Exercise Science major from St. Louis, MO.

Other #4's include:
Bill Hunter...............................1986-89
Eric Boldridge.............................. 1990
Matt Seman............................1992-93
Tywon Kingsby............................ 1996
Robert Carter............................... 1998
Derrick Varnado........................... 1999
Damon Williams......................2000-01
Victor Campbell......................2002-03
Chris McNutt...........................2004-05
Matt Barr.................................2006-08
Justin Hamilton.......................2006-07
Mike Garoppolo........................... 2009
Matt Barr.................................2009-10
Theon Dixon........................... 2011-12
Jonathon Rollins.....................2013-14
Trev Hadachek..................... 2015-16*

Bill Hunter was an All-Conference Honorable Mention DB in 1998.

Matt Seman was mentioned in the earlier #12 post.

Derrick Varnado was mentioned in the #33 post.

Damon Williams was an All-Conference Honorable Mention DB in 2000 and 2001.

Victor Campbell was named to the conference All-Newcomer Team, the All-Conference First Team, and received a FB Gazette Honorable Mention in 2002 at DB.

Matt Barr had probably the best single season of any Western QB in history. In 2010, he was named the conference offensive player of the year, First Team All-Conference, came in second in voting for the Walter Payton Award (best offensive player in FCS), and Sports Network Second Team All-American. He was also named to the conference All-Newcomer team in 2007. Barr currently holds records for:

• Game - Rushing Yards by a QB - 1st (125), 2nd (114), 5th (69...twice), and 7th (68)...Barr is one of only 2 WIU QBs to have ever rushed for more than 100 yards in a game, and he did it twice.
• Season - Rushing Yards by a QB - 1st (449 in 2010), 2nd (385 yards in 2007), and 6th (160 in 2008)
• Season - Rushing TDs by a QB - 1st (7 in 2010), and 6th (tied, 4 in 2007)
• Career - Rushing TDs by a QB - 1st (14)
• Game - Passing Yards - 2nd (452), 3rd (437), 5th (402), and 21st (351)
• Game - Passing Percentage - 1st (.880)
• Game - Passing TDs - 1st (6)
• Longest Completion - 7th (87-yard TD against UNI in 2010), 9th (tied, 83-yard toss against CCU in 2010)
• Season - Passing Yards - 1st (3,410 in 2010)
• Season - Yards per Attempt - 4th (8.8) and 5th (tied, 8.7)
• Season - Yards per Game - 2nd (262.3 in 2010)
• Season - Pass Efficiency Rating - 5th (148.7 in 2010)
• Season - Passing TDs - 1st (27 in 2010)
• Career - Passing Yards - 3rd (6,976)
• Career - Yards per attempt - 6th (7.8)
• Career - Yards per game - 6th (183.6)
• Career - Completion Percentage - 6th (.558)
• Career - TDs - 3rd (44)
• Career - Total Offensive Yards - 1st (7,882)
• Career - Total Offensive Points per Game - 2nd (213.0)
• Led the team to the second round of the FCS Playoffs in 2010

In addition to all of his on-the-field performance, Barr was also an excellent student, being named to the Academic All-Conference First Team in 2008, 2009, and 2010. He earned the President's Academic Excellence Award in 2009, and also received the Lincoln Academy Student Laureate award in 2009 (an award given to an outstanding Senior student at each university in IL...so, not just athletes...all seniors).

Theon Dixon was named to the conference All-Newcomer team in 2011 at LB.

Jonathon Rollins was an All-Conference Honorable Mention DB in 2012.

Trev Hadacheck received a President's Council Academic Award in 2016.

And today....3...Days....Left...Until...
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Two #3s on the roster currently...

Junior Defensive Back Timothy Smith

Smith is an Architecture/Construction Management major from Chicago, IL. He's played in 23 games, has 54 total tackles, 16 passes defended, and 5 interceptions.

Also...

Freshman Running Back James Bailey, Jr.

Bailey is a Sports Management Major from Independence, MO.

Other #3's include:
Lorenzo Taylor........................1986-89
Bob McMillon..........................1991-93
Jeff Belle...................................... 1994
Dustin Blount............................... 1996
Ty Kingsby..............................1997-98
Jimmy Robinson.....................1999-00
Brian Colar.................................. 2001
Vinceson Campbell.................2002-03
Milan Woodard.......................2004-06
Herb Donaldson.....................2005-08
Patrick Stoudamire.................2007-09
Marva Carley............................... 2009
Kareem Adewole......................... 2013
Richard Chungong...................... 2014

Lorenzo Taylor was an All-Conference Second Team DB in 1988 and 1989. He has the 10th longest INT return in school history with a 69-yard TD return against Delaware State in 1989, and he led the team in INT's in 1989 with 5 total.

Dustin Blount was a DB named to the conference All-Newcomer Team in 1996. That year he led the team in interceptions with 5.

Ty Kingsby has the 8th longest rush of a Leatherneck player with a 73-yard TD against Central Michigan in 1998. In that same game, he also had the 6th (tied) longest kick return with a 98-yard TD return.

Vinceson Campbell was a DB who was named to the All-Conference Second Team in 2003.

Milan Woodard was a DB who was named All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2005.

Patrick Stoudamire was mentioned in the earlier #14 post.