Southern Illinois

4-5

Stature and coaches, 1972–1985

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

Southern Illinois is Regional Program today. Never reached Dynasty tier; Regional Program is its high, most recently in 1985.

1972: Regional Program1973: Regional Program1974: Regional Program1975: Regional Program1976: Regional Program1977: Regional Program1978: Regional Program1979: Regional Program1980: Regional Program1981: Regional Program1982: Regional Program1983: Regional Program1984: Regional Program1985: Regional Program1980
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
FBS medianbest: 1972program stature (★ = Dynasty-tier season)logosLogo, 1971–20001971Doug Weaver · 1974–1975WeaverRey Dempsey · 1976–1983Dempsey1980

Every coach, tenure by tenure, on the coaching page →

Moment of the year · 2026

Won 34-20 vs Southeast Missouri State

Week 2 of 2026. The single game that defined the season. It turned on one snap in Q3 — Braylen Ragland to John Anthony, a 25-point win-probability swing.

50%Q1Q2Q3Q464% → 39%50%Q1Q2Q3Q464% → 39%
Southern Illinois’s chance to win through the game; the line turns dark at the play.
Decisive margin

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ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

MVFC standing · 2026

7th in the MVFC

Southern Illinois is 7th of 9 in the MVFC at 2-3. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on playoff positioning and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1Youngstown State5-1
2South Dakota State4-1
3South Dakota4-2
4Illinois State3-2
5Northern Iowa3-2
6North Dakota3-3
7Southern Illinois2-3
8Indiana State0-5
9Murray State0-5
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Rey Dempsey, hired 1976

Coaching history

  • Rey Dempsey departs54-37, 8 seasons
  • Hired Rey Dempsey1976
  • Doug Weaver departs3-18-1, 2 seasons
  • Hired Doug Weaver1974
Postseason gamesLast 5 postseason games: 1-1

Recent postseason (2023): 1-1

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

2023 L2023 W
CFB Zeitgeist “Go Salukis.”
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