Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football statistical leaders
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The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football program in various categories,[1][2] including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Hilltoppers represent Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the NCAA's Conference USA (C-USA).
Although Western Kentucky began competing in intercollegiate football in 1908,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun the 1950s. Records from before this decade are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1951, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
C-USA has held a championship game since 2005. Since joining the league in 2014, WKU has appeared in three title games, winning in 2015 and 2016 and losing in 2021.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Postseason games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[3] Since then, the Hilltoppers have appeared the FCS Playoffs three times and in eight bowl games.
Due to COVID-19, the NCAA declared that the 2020 season would not count against any player's athletic eligibility, thus giving anyone who appeared in a game during that season five years of eligibility instead of the standard four.
"Touchdowns responsible for" is the NCAA's official term for combined passing and rushing touchdowns.[19] Note that Western's most recent (2021) football media guide does not list leaders in this statistic over any time frame, though past media guides have done so.
^ abcdZappe began his college career at Houston Baptist in 2017, redshirting that season before playing three seasons. He transferred to Western after graduating from HBU in 2021.
^ abcThis was the regularly scheduled game between the two teams. They also played in the 2021 C-USA championship game.
^ abSterns began his college career at Houston Baptist in 2018, playing three seasons before transferring to Western.
^ abNarveson began his college career at Iowa State in 2019, transferring to Western Kentucky after that season.
