Big Ten · Evanston, IL
Northwestern
Wildcats
Unranked2026: 3-1 (1-1 conf) Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium
National titles
0
Claimed
Heisman winners
0
CFP berths
0
since 2014
All-time
571-710-40
.447 win pct
Weeks ranked
7
of 104 polls since 2020
Weeks at No. 1
0
since 2020
The program
Overview
A founding member of the Big Ten and for decades its only private school, Northwestern endured long losing stretches before Gary Barnett's 1995 team won the conference and played in the Rose Bowl. Pat Fitzgerald, a star linebacker on that team, later coached the Wildcats to Big Ten West titles in 2018 and 2020. The program played at a temporary lakefront stadium while Ryan Field was rebuilt.
- Institution
- Northwestern University
- Nickname
- Wildcats
- Founded
- 1851
- First season
- 1892
- Conference
- Big Ten
- Head coach
- David Braun (since 2023)
- Fight song
- Go U Northwestern
- Colors
- X / Twitter
- @NUFBFamily
Since 2020
AP poll history
3-1 overall
2026 season
- Sep 5SoutSouth Dakota State18
- Sep 19
- Sep 25
- Oct 2
- Oct 10Northwestern (home)
- Oct 17
Michigan State (home) - Oct 24
RutgersNorthwestern (home) - Oct 31
#13Oregon (home) - Nov 7Northwestern (home)
- Nov 14
#5Ohio State (home) - Nov 21
Minnesota (home) - Nov 28Northwestern (home)
Players
Roster & stats
Rosters and player stats are tracked for teams ranked in 2026 and later.
Home field
Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium
Capacity
12,023
Evanston, IL
- Opened
- 1997
- 29 seasons ago
- Surface
- Artificial turf
- Roof
- Open air
- Elevation
- 587 ft
- Time zone
- Chicago
- Avg. home crowd
- 23,426
- 195% of capacity · 23 games since 2020
- Biggest crowd since 2020
- 42,774
- vs Ohio State, 2022
- Zip
- 60208
Titles & awards
Trophy case
National championships0
No claimed national titles.
Heisman Trophy winners0
No Heisman winners yet.
College Football Playoff0
No playoff appearances yet.
1892–2026
Program history
Win %★ National title season
Best seasons
- 19267-1Glenn Thistlethwaite
- 19307-1Dick Hanley
- 19367-1Pappy Waldorf
- 19166-1Fred Murphy
- 199510-2Gary Barnett
- 19048-2Walter McCornack
On the sideline
Head coaches
| Coach | Tenure | Record | Pct | Best final AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Braun | 2023–2026 | 19-19 | .500 | — |
| Pat Fitzgerald | 2006–2022 | 110-101 | .521 | #10 |
| Randy Walker | 1999–2005 | 37-46 | .446 | — |
| Gary Barnett | 1992–1998 | 35-45-1 | .438 | #8 |
| Francis Peay | 1986–1991 | 13-51-2 | .212 | — |
| Dennis Green | 1981–1985 | 10-45 | .182 | — |
| Rick Venturi | 1978–1980 | 1-31-1 | .045 | — |
| John Pont | 1973–1977 | 12-43 | .218 | — |
| Alex Agase | 1964–1972 | 32-58-1 | .357 | — |
| Ara Parseghian | 1956–1963 | 36-35-1 | .507 | — |
| Lou Saban | 1955 | 0-8-1 | .056 | — |
| Robert Voigts | 1947–1954 | 33-39-1 | .459 | #7 |
| Pappy Waldorf | 1935–1946 | 49-45-7 | .520 | #7 |
| Dick Hanley | 1927–1934 | 36-26-4 | .576 | — |
| Glenn Thistlethwaite | 1922–1926 | 21-17-1 | .551 | — |
| Elmer McDevitt | 1920–1921 | 4-10 | .286 | — |
| Charlie Bachman | 1919 | 2-5 | .286 | — |
| Fred Murphy | 1914–1918 | 16-16-1 | .500 | — |
| Dennis Grady | 1913 | 1-6 | .143 | — |
| Charles Hammett | 1910–1912 | 6-10-2 | .389 | — |
| Bill Horr | 1909 | 1-3-1 | .300 | — |
| Alton Johnson | 1908 | 2-2 | .500 | — |
| Walter McCornack | 1903–1905 | 26-5-4 | .800 | — |
| Charles Hollister | 1899–1902 | 27-16-4 | .617 | — |
| W.H. Bannard | 1898 | 9-4-1 | .679 | — |
| Jesse Van Doozer | 1897 | 5-3 | .625 | — |
| Alvin Culver | 1895–1896 | 12-6-2 | .650 | — |
| A.A. Ewing | 1894 | 4-5 | .444 | — |
| Paul Noyes | 1893 | 2-5-3 | .350 | — |
| Knowlton Ames | 1892 | 5-3-2 | .600 | — |
9 picks · 3 first-rounders
NFL Draft since 2020
20262 picks
- #97Caleb TiernanOffensive Tackle · Minnesota
- #253Evan BeerntsenOffensive Guard · Baltimore
20234 picks
- #11Peter SkoronskiOffensive Tackle · Tennessee
- #110Adetomiwa AdebaworeDefensive End · Indianapolis
- #142Cameron MitchellCornerback · Cleveland
- #176Evan HullRunning Back · Indianapolis
20213 picks
- #13Rashawn SlaterOffensive Tackle · Los Angeles
- #26Greg Newsome IICornerback · Cleveland
- #174Earnest Brown IVDefensive End · Los Angeles