2006 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

The 2006 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season and were led by head coach David Elson. It was the school's last season as a member of Gateway Football Conference[1] before their transition to the FBS.[2] The Hilltoppers' schedule was rigorous, with seven ranked opponents, including Georgia.

2006 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football
ConferenceGateway Football Conference
Record6–5 (4–3 Gateway)
Head coach
Home stadiumL. T. Smith Stadium
2006 Gateway Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 4 Youngstown State $^  6 –1   11 –3  
No. 8 Illinois State ^  5 –2   9 –4  
No. 17 Northern Iowa  5 –2   7 –4  
No. 7 Southern Illinois ^  4 –3   9 –4  
Western Kentucky  4 –3   6 –5  
Western Illinois  2 –5   5 –6  
Missouri State  1 –6   2 –9  
Indiana State  1 –6   1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

This team’s roster included future National Football League (NFL) players Curtis Hamilton, Dan Cline, and Greg Ryan. Hamilton was named to the Hanson All American team. The All-Conference team included Hamilton, Marion Rumph, Dusty Bear, Blake Boyd, Andre Lewis, and Chris Sullivan.[3]

Schedule
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 2at No. 15 (FBS) Georgia*
L 12–4892,746
September 9at No. 23 Eastern Kentucky*
L 21–2619,800
September 16Chattanooga*
W 28–219,322
September 30No. 21 Western Illinois
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 38–3511,710[4]
October 7No. 6 Illinois State
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
L 27–287,661[5]
October 14at Missouri State
W 17–149,405
October 21at No. 13 Southern Illinois
W 27–2411,024[6]
October 28Indiana Statedagger
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 41–312,424
November 4at No. 14 Northern Iowa
L 20–318,746
November 11No. 6 Youngstown State
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
L 3–197,312
November 18Austin Peay*
  • L. T. Smith Stadium
  • Bowling Green, KY
W 24–145,877
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

References
  1. 2019 MVC Football Records, retrieved 30 April 2020
  2. WKU's move to I-A tops 2006 stories, By OJ STAPLETON and MICHEAL COMPTON, The Daily News, Jan 1, 2007, retrieved 30 April 2020
  3. "2019 WKU Football Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. Grant, Michael (October 1, 2006). "Last-minute score lifts Hilltoppers". The Courier-Journal. p. C14. Retrieved January 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Reinhardt, Randy (October 8, 2006). "ISU Dodges Hilltoppers' Bullet". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved October 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Toppers rally past Salukis". Messenger-Inquirer. Associated Press. October 22, 2006. p. 6B. Retrieved December 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.


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