Western Illinois Purple and Gold football, 1902–1909

The Western Illinois Purple and Gold football program represented the Western Illinois State Normal School, also known as the Macomb State Normal School, later renamed Western Illinois University. This article covers the program's first eight years of intercollegiate football from 1902 to 1909.

During this period, the team's opponents included Carthage College (six games), Illinois State (five games), Quincy High School (four games), Lombard College (three games), Monmouth College (two games), Northern Illinois (two games), Kirksville State (two games), and Saint Alban's Military Academy (two games).

1902
It was previously believed that Western Illinois first fielded a football team in 1903. However, research by a WIU professor (John Hallwas) and an employee of the WIU archives (Kathy Nichols) established that Western Illinois fielded a team in 1902 that played four games and compiled a 2–2 record.

1903
The 1903 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1903 college football season. The school's athletic association was formed in the fall of 1903. The team played four games, compiled a 0–3–1 record, and was outscored by a total of 75 to 6. It is not known if the team had a coach.

1904
The 1904 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1904 college football season. In their first and only season under coach L. H. Laughlin, the Purple and Gold compiled a 5–2 record.

At the start of the season, The Macomb Journal opined that the team was "much stronger than last year" with a heavier line and an average weight of 150 pounds. The players included: Rexroat, center; White and L. Rexroad, guards; Sutton and Morrow, tackles; Simeral and Cordell, ends Legere and  Switzer, halfbacks; Pierce, fullback; and Wilson, quarterback.

1905
The 1905 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1905 college football season. In their first and only season under coach A. Laughlin, the Purple and Gold compiled a 4–2 record and outscored opponents by a total of 62 to 49.

1906
The 1906 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1906 college football season. In their first season under coach and historian Oliver Morton Dickerson, the Purple and Gold compiled a 1–4 record.

1907
The 1907 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1907 college football season. In their first season under coach Charles A. Barnett, the Purple and Gold compiled a 2–3 record, scored 54 points, and allowed 54 points to opponents.

The football team was disbanded in late November due to its poor performance. One official at the school stated that "the reason the team had been a failure was because of the use of liquor among the men when they went to play teams in neighboring towns."

1908
The 1908 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1908 college football season. In their second season under coach Charles A. Barnett, the Purple and Gold compiled a 2–3–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 107 to 61.

1909
The 1909 Western Illinois Purple and Gold football team represented the Western Illinois State Normal School as an independent during the 1909 college football season. In their first season under coach Francis Taft, the Purple and Gold compiled a 2–3 record.

Taft drilled the team in difficult forms of the forward pass and on-side kick, plays which had only been used in "their simplest forms" prior to the 1909 season.