2006 Northwestern Wildcats football team

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Randy Walker died unexpectedly on June 29, 2006 of an apparent heart attack at the age of 52. Pat Fitzgerald (seen by many before the tragedy as Walker's eventual successor once his contract expired) was promoted from linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator to head coach on July 7, 2006. Walker's death was not the team's only loss; the Wildcats also had to replace their offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and Brett Basanez, the team's former four-year starter at quarterback and holder of dozens of school records. Hence, the 2006 season was a departure from the previous years' successes. The season began with a win at Miami University, Walker's alma mater, an emotional game that featured several tributes to the late coach[1]. However, the season went downhill from there. The second game was a blowout loss to I-AA New Hampshire. The low point was the October 21 home loss to Michigan State, in which the Spartans staged the largest comeback in Division I-A history. A win against Illinois in the final game gave the Wildcats a 4-8 record for the year and saved them from finishing last in the Big Ten. The high point of the season, despite being a loss, was playing a surprisingly close and competitive game against Michigan. Despite being held to -13 rushing yards, the Wildcats made the game a one-possession game early in the third quarter and prevented the Wolverines from scoring in the fourth quarter at all.

Date Opponent Site Result
August 31, 2006 Miami (Ohio) Yager Stadium · Oxford, OH W, 21-3
September 9, 2006 New Hampshire Ryan Field · Evanston, IL L, 34-17
September 16, 2006 Eastern Michigan Ryan Field · Evanston, IL W, 14-6
September 22, 2006 Nevada Mackay Stadium · Reno, NV L, 31-21
September 30, 2006 Penn State Beaver Stadium · University Park, PA L, 33-7
October 7, 2006 Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium · Madison, WI L, 41-9
October 14, 2006 Purdue Ryan Field · Evanston, IL L, 31-10
October 21, 2006 Michigan State Ryan Field · Evanston, IL L, 41-38
October 28, 2006 Michigan Michigan Stadium · Ann Arbor, MI L, 17-3
November 4, 2006 Iowa Kinnick Stadium · Iowa City, IA W, 21-7
November 11, 2006 Ohio State Ryan Field · Evanston, IL L, 54-10
November 18, 2006 Illinois Ryan Field · Evanston, IL W, 27-16

[edit] References

Preceded by
2005 season
Northwestern Wildcats football team
2006 season
Succeeded by
2007 season
  1. ^ Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, NCAA Football, Northwestern Wildcats - CBSSports.com