Illinois Fighting Illini Totally Explained

Everything about Illinois Fighting Illini totally explained

The Fighting Illini (also known as The Illini) are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.
The University operates a number of athletic facilities, including Memorial Stadium for football, the Assembly Hall for men's basketball, and the Atkins Tennis Center for men's and women's tennis. The Fighting Illini lay claim to over twenty-five National Championships dating back to 1900. However, the Illini have won just two National Championships since 1958 — Men's Tennis in 2003 and Men's Gymnastics in 1989.

Organization

The University's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics administers the official athletics teams of the University. All of the University's athletics teams participate in the NCAA's Division I, and form the Big Ten Conference with 10 other primarily midwestern universities. The football team participates in a subdivision within the Division I known as Division I-A.

Men's Sports

Baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.

Women's Sports

Basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Athletic Accomplishments

Baseball

Big Ten Champions: 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1927, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1962, 1963, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2005

Basketball: Men

National Champions: 1915 (Mythical National Championship awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1935)

NCAA Final Four: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005

Big Ten Champions: 1915, 1917, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005

Big Ten Tournament Champions: 2003, 2005

Basketball: Women

Big Ten Champions: 1997

Cross Country: Men

Big Ten Champions: 1921, 1947, 1984

Fencing: Men

National Champions: 1956, 1958

Football

National Champions: 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927

Big Ten Champions: 1910, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1946, 1951, 1953, 1963, 1983, 1990, 2001

Bowl Game Victories: 1946 Rose Bowl, 1951 Rose Bowl, 1963 Rose Bowl, 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl, 1994 Liberty Bowl, 1999 MicronPC.com Bowl

Golf: Men

Big Ten Champions: 1923, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1940, 1941, 1988

Gymnastics: Men

NCAA National Champions: 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1989

Big Ten Champions: 1911, 1912, 1929, 1935, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 2004

Gymnastics: Women

Big Ten Champions: 1990

Swimming and Diving: Men

Big Ten Champions: 1911, 1912, 1913

Tennis: Men

NCAA National Champions: 2003

NCAA National Runner-up: 2007

Big Ten Champions: 1914, 1917, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1946, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Big Ten Tournament Champions: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Track and Field: Men

INDOOR

NCAA National Champions: 1921, 1926, 1943, 1945, 1946

Big Ten Champions: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1928, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989 OUTDOOR

NCAA National Champions': 1921, 1927, 1944, 1946, 1947

Big Ten Champions: 1907, 1909, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994

Track and Field: Women

INDOOR

Big Ten Champions: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996 OUTDOOR

Big Ten Champions: 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2005, 2007

Volleyball

Big Ten Champions: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992

Wrestling

Big Ten Champions: 1913, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1937, 1946, 1947, 1952, 2005

Famous athletes

Nick Anderson - basketball (1987-1989), played professionally for the NBA's Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings

James Augustine - basketball (2002-2006), forward for the NBA's Orlando Magic, all-time leader in rebounds at Illinois

Kenny Battle - basketball, played in 4 NBA seasons for the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors

Lou Boudreau - baseball, played professionally for and managed the Cleveland Indians, and an enshrined member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Dee Brown - basketball (2002-2006),former point guard for the NBA's Utah Jazz, 2005 Consensus All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year

Dick Butkus - football, (1962-1964) played professionally for the NFL's Chicago Bears, and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Brian Cook - basketball (1999-2003), Third all time scorer for the Illini, currently plays professionally for the Orlando Magic

Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason - football, (1979 - 1983) played professionally for the New England Patriots; led team to Super Bowl XX

Dike Eddleman - football, basketball, and track and field (1947-49), also tied for 2nd at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the high jump

Perdita Felicien, track and field, first female in Illinois history to win a gold medal in an individual event at the World Championships

Darrin Fletcher-Former catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays

Jeff George - football, first overall pick of 1990 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, also played for a variety of teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, and the Washington Redskins

Kendall Gill - basketball (1986-1990), 1990 consensus All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year, played professionally for 15 seasons in the NBA

Red Grange - football (1923-1925), played professionally for the NFL's Chicago Bears, and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

George Halas - football, professional player, coach, and owner of the NFL's Chicago Bears, and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Derek Harper - basketball (1980-1983), played professionally for 16 seasons in the NBA, ranked 11th all-time in steals and 17th in assists

Luther Head - basketball (2001-2005), guard for the Houston Rockets

Brad Hopkins - football, first round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and future all-pro.

Eddie Johnson - basketball, played professionally for 17 seasons in the NBA, and the league's 35th all-time leading scorer

Johnny "Red" Kerr - basketball, member of the 1952 Final Four team, played professionally for 11 seasons in the NBA, first head coach for both the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns, and currently a broadcaster for the Chicago Bulls.

Ray Nitschke - football, played professionally for the NFL's Green Bay Packers, and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Ken Norman - basketball (1984-1987), played professionally for 10 seasons in the NBA

Roger Powell, Jr. - basketball (2001-2005), former forward for the Utah Jazz

Simeon Rice - football, played professionally for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Scott Spiezio - baseball, has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Anaheim Angels, and Seattle Mariners

Steve Stricker - golf (1986-1990), PGA Golfer (1990-present)

Frank Williams - basketball, has been part of the NBA's New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, and L.A. Clippers

Marques Sullivan, football, Playboy All-American Tackle that played 4 season with NFL's Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and New England Patriots

Deron Williams - basketball (2002-2005), point guard for the Utah Jazz, third overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Craig Virgin - long-distance runner, 1975 NCAA cross country champion, 1980 and 1981 world cross-country champion.

D. A. Points - PGA Golfer (1999-present)

Noteworthy teams

Men's Basketball: 1988-1989 season

Overall record: (31-5) Head coach: Lou Henson

Marcus Liberty Story: Ranked #1 during the regular season. Known for their athletic style. Defeated in the Final Four of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, by the Michigan Wolverines even though they'd defeated them twice during the regular season. Michigan went on to win the National Championship.

Men's Basketball: 2004-2005 season

Overall record (tournaments included): 37-2
Regular season: 29-1
Big Ten Conference play: 15-1 Head coach: Bruce Weber Starters:

G - Deron Williams

G - Dee Brown

G - Luther Head

F - Roger Powell, Jr

F - James Augustine Story: The first Illinois men's basketball team to be ranked number one in the polls since Lou Henson's "Flying Illini" of 1989. Illinois won the Big Ten Tournament and were the overall number one seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, eventually losing to the University of North Carolina, the number two overall seed, in the finals, 75-70. This Illinois team tied the NCAA record for most wins in a season with 37 and was undefeated until losing the final game of the regular season at Ohio State by the score of 64-65.

Symbol and controversy

A symbol of the University's athletic teams was, from 1926–2007, a Native American figure, Chief Illiniwek, who sparked significant controversy beginning in the 1980s. Critics of the symbol claimed that it was a racist stereotype and a symbol of the oppression to Native Americans that took place in past American history. Supporters claimed that it was inoffensive and a source of pride and reverence to the Native American heritage of Illinois—a view supported by a majority of students and alumni. Past Sioux elder, Frank Fools Crow, made and sold an authentic ceremonial costume and headdress to the university; recently, the Oglala Sioux tribe demanded the costume and headdress back from the university, though this move was opposed by one of Fools Crow's descendants (External Link

).
The University was (and is) deeply divided on this issue; while some of the faculty condemned the symbol, the administration remained supportive of it. The University Board of Trustees announced on February 16, 2007, that the Chief's last public performance would be the final home game of the 2006–2007 Men's Basketball season. The name "Fighting Illini" was retained, as the NCAA rescinded its criticism of the use of the term. The name "Fighting Illini" pre-dates the Chief Illiniwek symbol and was bestowed upon the team in honor of Illinoisans who fought in World War I; the use of the name "Illini" dates to the 19th century. At the Chief's last performance on Wed., February 21, 2007, students wore black to honor and mourn the chief's final performance.
In the 2008 student elections, a referendum supporting the re-instatement of the Chief Illiniwek symbol was passed by an overwhelming majority, 79% to 21%. While it wasn't a legally binding referendum question, it was successful in that it allowed the students' voice to finally be heard, as they were completely left out of the decision making process - the decision was announced after a series of closed-door meetings.

article and pics

Illiniwek's last performance

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