Northwestern Wildcats · All-time career leaders
Northwestern Football Career Tackles Leaders
Tim McGarigle holds Northwestern's career tackles record with 545 tackles (2002–2005). Chuck Kern (503) and Barry Gardner (468) round out the top three. 3 of the top 10 played since 2000; the most recent is Chris Bergin (2017–2021), No. 8 on the list.
Northwestern WildcatsUpdated Oct 6, 2026
| Rank | Player | Years | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim McGarigle | 2002–2005 | 545 |
| 2 | Chuck Kern | 1977–1980 | 503 |
| 3 | Barry Gardner | 1995–1998 | 468 |
| 4 | Ed Sutter | 1988–1991 | 429 |
| 5 | William Bennett | 1992–1995 | 418 |
| 6 | Paddy Fisher | 2017–2020 | 404 |
| 7 | Kevin Bentley | 1998–2001 | 390 |
| 8 | Chris Bergin | 2017–2021 | 368 |
| 9 | Paul Maly | 1973–1977 | 343 |
| 10 | Eric Collier | 1994–1997 | 342 |
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Sources & notes
- CFB Clipboard — Career leaderboards researched and compiled by CFB Clipboard.
- Career totals cover a player’s games at Northwestern only.
Last updated Oct 6, 2026.