Western Illinois University
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Western Illinois University, founded 1899, is a university located in Macomb, Illinois. WIU also has a campus located in the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois, which is referred to as Western Illinois University - Quad Cities.
Western Illinois's colors are purple and gold and their nickname is The Fighting Leathernecks. The school's mascot is an English Bulldog named Colonel Rock, or Rocky for short, named after Ray "Rock" Hanson, WIU athletic director and ex-Marine. WIU is the only public school in the U.S. that has permission through the Department of the Navy to use the United States Marine Corps official seal and mascot (the bulldog) along with the nickname, The Fighting Leathernecks (female athletic teams use the nickname Westerwinds).
Western Illinois sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) in the Mid-Continent Conference (Gateway Football Conference for football).Template:Gateway Football Conference