The 1944 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1944 Big Ten season. In their third year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Fighting Illini compiled a 5–3–1 record (3–3 in conference games), finished in sixth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 273 to 149. They were ranked No. 15 in the final AP poll and lost three games to teams ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll: No. 9 Notre Dame (13–7); No. 8 Michigan (14–0); and No. 2 Ohio State (26–12). Halfback Buddy Young was selected as the team's most valuable player. Young and guard Ralph "Babe" Serpico received first-team honors from both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) on the 1944 All-Big Ten Conference football team. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Wiki link