Illinois Fighting Illini Football
The University of Illinois' Fighting Illini football team, as well as its other athletic programs, compete in the Big Ten Conference. The program's early days were its most storied—the team won four national titles in the 1910s and 1920s. Current coach Ron Zook led a resurgent 2007 Illini team to the 2008 Rose Bowl.
Fast Facts
- Head coach: Ron Zook
- Inaugural season: 1890
- Joined league: 1896
- National titles: Two (last in 1927)
- Home: Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
- Capacity: 65,143
- All-time: 595-456-49
- Colors: Orange and blue
- Fight songs: "Illinois Loyalty," "Oskee Wow Wow"
- Bitter rival: Northwestern
- 2008 W-L: Conf: 3-5; overall: 5-7
The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk
The Fighting Illini have played their rivals, the Northwestern Wildcats, every year since 1927, with the Illini leading with a 52-44-5 record. The teams battle for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk, a wooden Native American statue. This changed in 2008, when the schools decided to retire the trophy, leaving it with the Illini in an attempt to remove Native American imagery from college athletics.1
Alumni
Former Illini include one of college football's first superstars, Halfback Red Grange (1923-1925), and one of its fiercest, linebacker Dick Butkus (1962-1964). Other Illini in the NFL include Danny Clark, Jameel Cook, Carey Davis, Kelvin Hayden, Brandon Lloyd, Rashard Mendenhall and Pierre Thomas.
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NCAA Football | Big Ten Football | Indiana Hoosiers Football | Iowa Hawkeyes Football | Michigan Wolverines Football | Michigan State Spartans Football | Minnesota Golden Gophers Football | Northwestern Wildcats Football | Ohio State Buckeyes Football | Penn State Nittany Lions Football | Purdue Boilermakers Football | Wisconsin Badgers Football | Dick Butkus | Duke Preston | Rose Bowl | Juice Williams
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