Robert Morris University Illinois ranked No. 1 for student football participation in the state, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of college sports participation.
Chicago-based Robert Morris’ football team consisted of 190 members in 2016, the highest student popularity number in Illinois, according to federal athletics data.
The Illinois university with the second-highest football popularity number was McKendree University in Lebanon (148), followed by North Central College in Naperville (132).
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
In all, there are 3,544 students playing on 34 college and university football teams in the state.
College football participation rankings
| School | Division | Football Team Members |
|
| 1 | Robert Morris University Illinois | NAIA Division II | 190 |
| 2 | McKendree University | NCAA Division II with football | 148 |
| 3 | North Central College | NCAA Division III with football | 132 |
| 4 | Augustana College | NCAA Division III with football | 127 |
| 5 | Elmhurst College | NCAA Division III with football | 124 |
| 6 | Olivet Nazarene University | NAIA Division II | 117 |
| 7 | Quincy University | NCAA Division II with football | 115 |
| 8 | Illinois State University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 114 |
| 9 | Illinois Wesleyan University | NCAA Division III with football | 113 |
| 10 | Northern Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FBS | 113 |
| 11 | Wheaton College | NCAA Division III with football | 112 |
| 12 | Aurora University | NCAA Division III with football | 111 |
| 13 | North Park University | NCAA Division III with football | 107 |
| 14 | Benedictine University | NCAA Division III with football | 105 |
| 15 | Illinois College | NCAA Division III with football | 105 |
| 16 | Western Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 105 |
| 17 | Northwestern University | NCAA Division I-FBS | 103 |
| 18 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | NCAA Division I-FCS | 103 |
| 19 | Millikin University | NCAA Division III with football | 102 |
| 20 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | NCAA Division I-FBS | 102 |
| 21 | Eastern Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 100 |
| 22 | University of Chicago | NCAA Division III with football | 99 |
| 23 | University of St Francis | NAIA Division II | 99 |
| 24 | College of DuPage | NJCAA Division III | 97 |
| 25 | Monmouth College | NCAA Division III with football | 97 |
| 26 | Greenville College | NCAA Division III with football | 87 |
| 27 | Trinity International University-Illinois | NAIA Division I | 84 |
| 28 | Lake Forest College | NCAA Division III with football | 83 |
| 29 | Concordia University-Chicago | NCAA Division III with football | 82 |
| 30 | MacMurray College | NCAA Division III with football | 82 |
| 31 | Saint Xavier University | NAIA Division II | 80 |
| 32 | Rockford University | NCAA Division III with football | 79 |
| 33 | Eureka College | NCAA Division III with football | 72 |
| 34 | Knox College | NCAA Division III with football | 55 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education
