Northwestern Wildcats football
| Northwestern Wildcats football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| First season | 1876 | ||
| Athletic director | Mark Jackson | ||
| Head coach | David Braun 3rd season, 16–15 (.516) | ||
| Location | Evanston, Illinois | ||
| Stadium | Ryan Field (capacity: 35,000) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Big Ten | ||
| Colors | Purple and white | ||
| All-time record | 573–713–44 (.447) | ||
| Bowl record | 8–10 (.444) | ||
| Conference championships | |||
| Big Ten: 1903, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1995, 1996, 2000 | |||
| Conference division championships | |||
| Big Ten West: 2018, 2020 | |||
| Rivalries | Illinois (rivalry) Michigan (rivalry) Notre Dame (rivalry) Chicago (historical) | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| 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. The Wildcats compete in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and are a member of the Big Ten Conference based near Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern began playing football in 1876. 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". Northwestern Football is also marketed as "Chicago's Big Ten Team" with its proximity and ties to Chicago.
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. The Wildcats first played their home games at Northwestern Field, which was replaced by the original Ryan Field (formerly Dyche Stadium) in 1926. After the 2023 season, Ryan Field was demolished to make way for a new stadium on the site. The Wildcats played the 2024, 2025, and two games of the 2026 seasons at Martin Stadium, a facility on the school's lakefront campus intended to be temporary, with select games at Wrigley Field. The new stadium, also known as Ryan Field, is set to open on October 2, 2026.