| Northwestern Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1882 | ||
| Athletic director | Derrick Gragg | ||
| Head coach | David Braun 1st season, 8–5 (.615) | ||
| Stadium | Northwestern Field (1905–1925) Ryan Field (1926–2023) Martin Stadium (2024) (temporary) | ||
| Field surface | Field turf | ||
| Location | Evanston, Illinois | ||
| Conference | Big Ten Conference | ||
| Division | West | ||
| All-time record | 566–702–44 (.448) | ||
| Bowl record | 7–10 (.412) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 (1903, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1995, 1996, 2000) | ||
| Division titles | 2 (2018, 2020) | ||
| Rivalries | Illinois (rivalry) Notre Dame (rivalry) Michigan (rivalry) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Purple and white[1] | ||
| Fight song | Go U Northwestern | ||
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat | ||
| Marching band | Northwestern University Wildcat Marching Band | ||
| Outfitter | Under Armour | ||
| Website | nusports.com | ||
The Northwestern Wildcats football team represents Northwestern University as an NCAA Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern began playing football in 1882. Its football mascot is the Wildcat, a term coined by a Chicago Tribune reporter in 1924, after reporting on a football game where the players appeared as "a wall of purple wildcats".[2] Northwestern Football is also marketed as "Chicago's Big Ten Team" with its proximity and ties to Chicago.[3]
The Wildcats have won three Big Ten championships or co-championships since 1995, and have been "bowl eligible" five times between 2015 and 2020. Northwestern consistently ranks among the national leaders in graduation rate among football teams, having received the AFCA Academic Achievement Award four times since 2002.[4] The Wildcats first played their home games at Northwestern Field, which was replaced by Ryan Field (formerly Dyche Stadium) in 1926.
- ^ "Northwestern University's Guide to Using Marks, Colors, Trademarks, and Logos" (PDF). September 21, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "Wildcat Nickname History | HailToPurple.com". hailtopurple.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago's other football team". Crain's Chicago Business. November 17, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ "Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.) Receive 2009 Academic Achievement Award". AFCA. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
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