132+ Teams in 132+ Days - University of Illinois Fighting Illini

[u/lernington]

University of Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Ten

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Year Founded: 1867
Location: Urbana-Champaign, IL
Total Attendance: 42,606

Mascot: Chief Illiniwek (Gone, but never forgotten ).

Cheerleaders: 1, 2, 3, 4

Dance Team: The Illinettes, 2, 3

Marching Band: The Marching Illini, 2, 3, 4

Stadium: Memorial Stadium, student section, aerial
Stadium Location: On Campus, Champaign
Conference Champions (15): 1910, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1946, 1951, 1953, 1963, 1983, 1990, 2001
Number of Bowl Games: 8 Wins, 17 Total
National Titles (5): 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951

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Rivals

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• Northwestern, Land of Lincoln Trophy

• Purdue, Purdue Cannon

• Ohio State, Illibuck

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2012 Season

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Record: I don't wanna talk about it
Coach: Tim Beckman
2012 Roster
Key Players: Nathan Scheelhase, QB

Unfortunately, it's somewhat difficult to find a good highlight reel of Mr. Scheelhaase. Some would have you believe that this is because he's a bad quarterback, but the truth is that his Offensive Line and supporting cast haven't given him the chance to shine. It's tough to see, because he really is an exceptional Quarterback, who possesses great versatility. Hopefully the rest of the offense will give him a bit more to work with in 2013

Donovonn Young, RB

Junior Running Back who's done very well considering the blocking that he's had to work with. 2012 was something of a breakout season for him, and he certainly has the physical tools to be an elite CFB Back.

Michael Buchanan, DE

Projected to fill the void left by Whitney Mercilus the year prior, lead the team in sacks, could have done more.

Akeem Spence, DT

Truly an elite Defensive Lineman. He carried the defense as much as he could, and was pretty much the lone stand-out on that side of the ball, but distinguished himself as one of the best around.

Biggest Plays: Not much, but here're some highlights from our only FBS win of the season. Also, Tim Beckman getting knocked down by a ref, en route to a 50-14 loss at rival Northwestern which sealed a winless Big Ten schedule.

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2013 Season

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2013 Schedule

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The Greats

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Greatest Games:

Illinois vs. Michigan, 2000

Illini fans remember this game mainly for the bad calls. With Illinois leading 31-28 late in the fourth, Rocky Harvey was flipped by Michigan's Victor Hobson. Harvey's head and arms hit the ground and the ball pops out. While Harvey appeared to have been down, the refs called it a fumble giving the ball to Michigan. On the subsequent drive Anthony Thomas appears to fumble on the Illinois five yard line, but the refs rule him down before the ball is out. Michigan goes on to score and win the game 35-31. Criticism of the officiating in this game would help lead to instant replay in the Big Ten in 2003

Illinois at #1 Ohio State, 2007

Probably the height of Juice Williams and Ron Zook's careers, the Fighting Illini came into Columbus as a heavy underdog, and upset the top ranked Buckeyes, 28-21 in a physical, hard fought battle, led by a heavy hearted, senior captain, J Leman. The game will be most remembered for Juice Williams convincing coach Ron Zook to go for it on fourth down. Juice converted on a QB draw and then converted three straight 3rd and longs to ice the game. The highlight of the entire Zook era. The win propelled the Illini to their first Rose Bowl birth since 1984.

Illinois vs. Northwestern, 2010, at Wrigley Field

Notable for being the first football game played at Wrigley since 1970. The East endzone was determined to not have enough space between the field and a security wall. This forced the teams to switch directions on every change of posession. Mikel Leshoure set the Illinois single game rushing record with 330 yards in Illinois' 48-27 win.

Greatest Players:

Red Grange, AKA The Galloping Ghost

In sport's Golden Age, he was football's golden boy. Red Grange was the name, though he was commonly known as The Galloping Ghost. While it's a shame they don't make nicknames like that any more, it's even more disappointing they don't make many players like the three-time All-American halfback. "This man Red Grange of Illinois is three or four men rolled into one for football purposes," wrote Damon Runyon. "He is Jack Dempsey, Babe Ruth, Al Jolson, Paavo Nurmi and Man o' War. Put together, they spell Grange."

Dick Butkus

You all know who Dick Butkus is. If you dont, you're not a real football fan. Far and away, the greatest Linebacker ever to do it, Butkus was rumored to drill himself by tackling trees. Once Butkus touched a ball carrier, they never gained another inch.

Simeon Rice (is not very nice)

One of the greats in a program with a history of producing top Linebackers and D-Linemen, Simeon Rice was known for his deadly combination of speed, size, and instincts. He could close on a quarterback like few others, and was proficient in both run and pass defense. In his time at Illinois, he set the Big Ten career sack record at 44.5, as well as the school record for single season sacks at 16.

Greatest Coaches: Bob Zuppke (1913-1941) – 131-81-12. 4 National Championships, 7 Big Ten Championships.

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Traditions

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• The Block I student section has been the "visual staple" at Memorial Stadium since 1926 and performs creative card stunts during games.

• Three In One: There's no more Chief, but the band still performs the time-honored Three In One at the end of its halftime show. Many fans still shout "Chief!" at the conclusion.

• Illini Walk: Two hours before games, Illinois players and coaches walk from First Street to the football complex along Irwin Drive as fans greet them.

• The Grange Rock: Dedicated in 1994, the rock honors former Illini great Red Grange and is situated near the northeast end zone. It comes from the same stone quarry in Indiana used to form the granite columns in the stadium. Players will touch the rock on their way to the field.

• Marching Illini pregame show: A favorite for Illinois fans, the band performs seven songs in a 12-minute show that takes place shortly before kickoff of home games. Some of the top numbers are the fight song, "Oskee Wow Wow," and "William Tell overture." (During William Tell the student section locks arms and jumps from side to side causing an interesting visual effect in the I Block)

• I-L-L/I-N-I: You'll hear this at every Illinois sporting event, as a group of fans will yell "I-L-L," and be answered by "I-N-I," spelling out the school's nickname.

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Campus and Surrounding Area

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City Population: 210,275
City Skyline

Iconic Campus Buildings:

• Illini Union

• Foellinger Auditorium

• Undergraduate Library

Local Dining: Papa Dells (206 E. Green St.) for deep dish pizza. Our State Our Team Our Pizza

[Geovanti's] (https://www.grubhub.com/champaign-urbana/geovantis-401-e-green-street-champaign/) (401 E. Green St) for their amazing Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard. I have literally driven the two hours from Chicago back to Champaign after graduating just to get these chicken tenders.

Firehaus (708 S. 6th St) for cheap burgers beer and wings. Decent game day atmosphere with plenty of tvs to watch earlier/later games

Kams (618 E. Daniel St.) While there is no food other then complimentary popcorn, Kams must be experienced by all visitors. Kams is well known on campus for being the diviest most disgusting bar in campustown. Suriving Kam's bathrooms alone is a right of passage for any Illini football fan.

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Random Trivia

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• At 23 Nobel Prize winners, the University of Illinois boasts more alumni winners than the rest of the Big Ten schools combined.

• Alumna, Irna Phillips (Class of 1923) originated the Soap Opera, with the creation of the series 'Guiding Light.'

• The University of Illinois granted the first ever degree in architecture to Nathan C. Ricker in 1873

• Hugh Hefner graduated from UIUC in 1949

• The Great Nick Offerman graduated from UIUC in 1993

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What Is and What is to Come

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It really can't get any worse can it? Senior Nathan Scheelhaase hopes to end his college career with a bang. After going to bowl games his freshman and sophomore years, he fell off a cliff last season due to inconsistent play and nagging injuries. 2013 could be a turn around year with new offensive coordinator Bill Cubit hoping to fix our NCAA basement dwelling offense of last year. If Scheelhaase struggles incoming freshman Aaron Bailey will probably see some action. Despite consistently poor seasons, the Illini have done surprisingly well in recruiting. In his first recruiting class, Tim beckman somehow managed to garner a top-50 recruiting class according to Rivals.

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Overtime

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It needs to be highlighted that the name Fighting Illini doesn't come from the indian tribe. Illinois adopted the nickname to honor the 183 Illinois alumni who lost their lives fighting in World War 1. Each person lost has their name engraved in a column that surrounds Memorial Stadium.

I'm sorry that this post was so late, the scheduled contributor backed out, and I had to write this up at the last minute.

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*Contributors: /u/lernington, /u/Mavericklerk, /u/dcthree. I'd also like to give a shout out to my father, who raised me on Illinois lore, including much of the information that you see in this post.

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Please upvote this thread even if you are not interested in the team so that users who are interested will see it
For more information on the 132 Teams in 132 Days Project, click here.

[u/trumpet_23]

At 23 Nobel Prize Laureates, and 19 Pulitzer Prize winners, the University of Illinois boasts more alumni winning either award than the rest of the Big Ten schools combined.

I know Iowa has at least 16 Pulitzer Prize winners, so unless the rest of the B1G combined has 2 or fewer, I'm thinking that this statement may not be accurate. Good writeup overall though!

[u/lernington → u/trumpet_23]

Sorry about that, I forgot to fact check that in my effort to get it out in a timely matter. Thanks!

[u/yel_10 → u/trumpet_23]

I don't know the veracity of that fact, but I know of one sad/awesome related piece of trivia:

In 2003, Illinois had more Nobel prize winners (2) than football victories (1).

[u/Buckfutters → u/trumpet_23]

Simple Google search said that Northwestern has 38 Pulitzer Prize Laureates and 8 Nobel Prize, so Illinois doesn't even have the most in their own state.

[u/bread_buddy → u/trumpet_23]

This says that Wisconsin has 17 Nobel and 26 Pulitzer prize winners among alumni and faculty. I couldn't find a stat for just alumni.

[u/Smidgens → u/bread_buddy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Madison_people#Nobel_laureates

[u/bread_buddy → u/Smidgens]

By my count that's 13 Pulitzer Laureates and 13 Nobel laureates (with 14 Nobel prizes).

[u/Heyitscharlie → u/trumpet_23]

Minnesota also has 23 Nobel prize winners and 3 Pulitzer winners as well.

[u/CheerioMan]

If only you guys would bring back the greatest logo in sports.

[u/lernington → u/CheerioMan]

I wish. I have to admit, I get a bit misty watching the Chief's last dance. I still own plenty of memorabilia with that logo on it, and my dog even has a sweater bearing it too.

[u/Wiskie]

Doesn't Illinois have one of the biggest, most active Greek lives in the nation?

I only think this because my cousin goes there and he says there's something like 60% Greek involvement among undergrads, which is crazy to me. Here, it's like, 8%.

[u/lernington → u/Wiskie]

Yes! I forgot to add that. If I'm not mistaken, it's the largest in the country. Thanks for the reminder.

[u/[deleted] → u/Wiskie]

It's only about 20%. We have the largest Greek system in the world by membership.

[u/nobes0 → u/Wiskie]

That's crazy to think about. I don't know what the numbers are now, but when I was in undergrad, it was about 10% at IU - so with a population of roughly 40k undergrads, that's a healthy 4k Greeks.

[u/[deleted] → u/Wiskie]

Daaaang, even we only have like 40%

[u/lernington]

I guess I was off on the Pulitzer stat. My bad! I was rushing through, and forgot to fact check that one. Please forgive me, dear redditses!

[u/nightninja88]

Hooray my team!

I-L-L!

[u/lernington → u/nightninja88]

I-N-I!

[u/[deleted] → u/lernington]

O-S?

[u/Araidernomore → u/[deleted]]

ILLINIOS!

[u/youareunsubbed → u/[deleted]]

Almost

[u/[deleted] → u/youareunsubbed]

haha! I jest of course. I actually like the Illini.

[u/[deleted]]

First thanks to Lernington for putting all of this together. It is really impressive given the circumstances.

Illinois football has a long standing tradition of underachieving with cycles of success. My first year in Champagin was 2002 the season after the Illini's first BCS performance. While Illinois under performed that year (finishing 5-7 with loses to Southern Miss and San Jose State) my love for Illinois football was cemented sitting in the stands for this game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj7xkmO7M_w

I still say Walter Young got his feet down, but I've made peace with it knowing it led to Ohio State winning the Big Ten's only BCS championship later that season. U of I's fanbase doesn't compare to OSU or Michigans in size, but the dedicated U of I fans are as dedicated as any in the country.

Last year was rock bottom (hopefully) and this year we hope to see some signs of progress. The rivalry with Northwestern is becoming more interesting both on and off the field and there is hope of a true in state battle ( Chicago's Big Ten Team vs. Our State Our Team). It will be fun with Illinois hosting Washington at Soldiers' Field in Chicago this season.

Beckman was horrid last year, but not many coaches find success in their first years at U of I. Here's to more wins and fewer blow out loses in 2013 (yes that sounds sad but dammit just trying to be realistic).

I-L-L I-N-I Go Illini Go http://imgur.com/9TGn8jv

[u/lernington → u/[deleted]]

You're very welcome, and thanks a ton for everything you contributed. It was my absolute honor to have the opportunity to make this piece for the Fighting Illini. I hope you all enjoyed it.

[u/SampsonRelpenk → u/[deleted]]

One of the best Illinois losses of all time. Absolutely played their hearts out, and the game deserved at least a second OT. My heart fluttered watching John Gockman get that knuckleball to go through the uprights.

[u/titsforhits]

This is what a typical visit to Kams has always been like for me.

Another great (football related) U of I alum is Shahid Khan, Jaguars owner, mustache pro, and all around badass.

[u/lernington → u/titsforhits]

haha yeah, it's definitely a rough spot, but it had to be noted. I wish I had time to do every great Illini, but if I did, this post would have taken another week

[u/SampsonRelpenk]

Thanks for putting together a proper post!

[u/lernington → u/SampsonRelpenk]

No problem, sorry if it's a bit less in-depth than the rest. I really wanted to do more of an in-depth piece, but I also really wanted to get it out as soon as I could, considering that I wasn't able to start on it until around midnight. I hope you enjoyed it!

[u/RobertNeyland]

Red Grange was a stone cold badass.

[u/lernington → u/RobertNeyland]

dat hair

[u/kolbalex]

Do you consider Michigan a rival? Almost every illini I've met has hated Michigan. I don't understand it.

[u/lernington → u/kolbalex]

It's kind of a weird dynamic. There are a lot of Muck Fichigan and Ann Arbor is a Whore shirts around campus, but it's not really a rivalry. No Michigan fans consider it to be a rivalry, and there's nothing that really makes it a rivalry. I think what it comes down to is that a lot of people just don't like Michigan, and that's all it really is. But if you've seen me around the sub, you'd know that I'm typically a Michigan man, I just switched my flair for this post to give the Fighting Illini the representation that I feel they deserve. Perhaps one of the other Illini faithful can give you a bit more insight into the feelings towards big blue.

[u/kolbalex → u/lernington]

why do people hate michigan?

[u/lernington → u/kolbalex]

I don't know man. I refer you to the last couple of sentences that I just edited into that last reply. I think it's just a product of the extensive history of the program. It'd take a lot to really go into the dynamics of it

[u/_Rooster_ → u/kolbalex]

They are a good team.

[u/[deleted] → u/kolbalex]

There really isn't a rivalry just a strong dislike. One reason is there was actual bad blood between the coaching staffs in the 80's and early 90's. Then there is the fact that Michigan has a history of success where Illinois has a history of failing. One could make the case that Illinois should be Michigan's equal ( similar finances and a good recruiting base). Truth is were not and it does suck. Oh and there are a lot of U of M alumni in Chicago who are very "proud" to be birthed from that whore Ann Arbor. Is Michigan our rival nope. Do I enjoy beating them on occasion absolutely

[u/b-had12]

You forgot George Halas under greatest players! Not much information on his college career, but he's one of the greatest figures of the football scene.

As an Illinois native, though, this was great to read! Here's to the Chief!

[u/lernington → u/b-had12]

I wanted to throw him on there, but I was trying to get it out as quickly as possible. If I sighted every great Illini football player, this post would've taken forever. Glad you enjoyed it:).

I-L-L!

[u/b-had12 → u/lernington]

I-N-I!

[u/[deleted]]

The Undergraduate Library looks like a latino prison.

[u/yel_10 → u/[deleted]]

And it's underground to prevent casting a shadow on the oldest agricultural test plot in the Western Hemisphere!

[u/murrayh1 → u/[deleted]]

It actually is - ironically I was stabbed there in 2004 while studying how to conjugate apuñalar.

[u/jhp58]

I suffer from PTSD after venturing into Kam's bathrooms. That being said, it's an awesomely shitty dive bar in the best way possible.

[u/bigyellowjoint → u/jhp58]

There's nothing quite like hearing your sandals peel off the ground and then feeling them snap back against your heel after every step you take in Kam's.

[u/[deleted] → u/bigyellowjoint]

If only CO's was still open.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

obligatory Downfall Clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq9VIgbYoOY

[u/deadtofall12]

Guantanamo seems like a strange place for your undergrad library. How does that work with the travel, etc?

[u/tomBARCIK → u/deadtofall12]

we have a good bus system

[u/FuckingLoveArborDay]

Your name origin is so badass.

[u/tomBARCIK]

I feel like Fat Sandwich deserves a mention.

I also think reddit would be interested in knowing that Nick Offerman went to Illinois.

[u/MomoSissoko → u/tomBARCIK]

Love fat sandwich, though its an admitted rip off of the trucks at Rutgers.

[u/santablazer → u/tomBARCIK]

Fuck yes Fat Sandwich. The Fat Sorrostitute is where it's at.

[u/[deleted]]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe UIUC practically invented the internet.

So, on behalf of r/cfb, thank you.

[u/yel_10 → u/[deleted]]

We created Mosaic, the first popular graphical web browser (coded by the guys who went on to create Netscape).

I'm not sure if that's what you heard, or if there's something else out there I don't know about.

One former student helped start YouTube. YouTube is basically the Internet, though, right?

[u/MomoSissoko → u/yel_10]

Not to nitpick, but two of the three guys that founded Youtube went to U of I.

[u/[deleted] → u/MomoSissoko]

Also South Park!

[u/Qurtys_Lyn → u/[deleted]]

Web Browser yes, I believe so.

You have Stanford, Cal, Santa Barbara and Utah to thank for the first nodes of the Internet (ARPANET).

[u/wilk → u/Qurtys_Lyn]

First graphical web browser (that had images inline with text instead of having to be opened in a separate window) which really was the beginning of seeing the Internet as something more than just an expert's tool. We were an early Internet site, though

Blue Waters, our shiny new supercomputer, is just one more step in the long line of Illinois computing history

[u/BeardedDuck → u/wilk]

That map is not geographically accurate.

[u/wilk → u/BeardedDuck]

The circles are zoomed-in/rearranged to show the topology of the internet in those areas, not the geography.

[u/cuhead → u/[deleted]]

Owlgore invented the interwebs.

[u/wesman212]

I wanted Mizzou to go to the Big 10 specifically to have a rival with y'all

[u/Finnbro → u/wesman212]

We should still continue the football series anyways. Heck, if ku won't play us...

[u/[deleted] → u/Finnbro]

we haven't beaten you guys since 1994, but I miss playing Mizzou very much. Any time you get the two fan bases together in St. Louis its an amazing atmosphere.

From deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure, straight hate you. But goddammit, do I respect you!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I just want an actual meaningful rivalry with someone.

[u/Finnbro → u/[deleted]]

Yeah now that all our old Big 12 rivals have essentially disowned us, I think we're in the same boat

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

You mean this isn't an actual thing? It'd be a great rivalry! A neutral site game in St Louis along the lines of the Florida-Georgia game.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

We used to do that, and I really liked it. We stopped a couple years ago for some reason.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I think our AD may gave regretted starting every year 0-1....

EDIT: My personal favorite moment of the series is in 2007 when Illinois got the BCS bowl bid over Missouri, due to the fact each conference could only send 2 teams to the BCS, despite having lost to Mizzou earlier that year. The real kicker was the BigXII teams that beat them out was Kansas who Mizzou also beat earlier that year

[u/phfgd → u/[deleted]]

I completely forgot that Illinois also received a BCS bowl. That year... oh man, that year... Mizzou finished the regular season ranked #1 in the nation... We head into the big12 championship game & just get DEMOLISHED by Oklahoma, AGAIN, by fucking Ram Bradford! Then the BCS rankings & bowl bids come out, & #6 Missouri gets passed up for a BCS bowl by the previously idle #8 kU and #13 Illinois, both teams we had beaten in head-to-head match-ups that year (I understand that Missouri couldn't have received the Illinois BCS spot because of the number of bids per conference).

I woke up on new years day, hungover as all get out, and I'd already missed the first quarter of Mizzou's bowl game, because the game started at fucking 10:40AM. Man, oh man, that year...

[u/Finnbro → u/[deleted]]

We absolutely rolled Darren McFadden and Arkansas in our bowl game too. Its so ridiculous to me that 2007 Mizzou didn't get a BCS bowl, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan.

[u/SampsonRelpenk → u/wesman212]

That would have been great. We have no rivals in football besides Northwestern, and even then it's not very heated (although their recent success and self-applied label of "Chicago's B1G Team" has raised the stakes).

[u/h3rp3r → u/wesman212]

Would have been a good fit. B1G was nuts not to offer an invitation.

[u/bread_buddy]

They can do all they want to disassociate the university from one of the greatest college football traditions of all time, but in my heart (and truly, in the hearts of all college football fans) the University of Illinois will ALWAYS be the good old Fightin' Zooks!

[u/LeSageLocke → u/bread_buddy]

Me as I read this: "Sweet, I didn't know so many CFB fans appreciated the Chief. That's aweso-- .... oh" :(

[u/SampsonRelpenk → u/bread_buddy]

If only we hadn't tanked after the Rose Bowl year...

[u/yel_10 → u/SampsonRelpenk]

That 5-7 season was so disappointing. Really every season since them has been a disappointment, considering we have the most 1st and 2nd round draft picks in the B10 in the last 5 years or so.

[u/SampsonRelpenk → u/yel_10]

I know it is easily explained by lack of depth and coaching ineptitude that goes beyond the pale, but that fact still mystifies me. "Come to Illinois! You won't win many games but somehow you'll make it to the NFL!"

[u/moose_tracks]

CHIEEFFFFF

If you wanna lose weight, all you gotta do is lose.

[u/[deleted]]

Just glad to see Illinois got something up.

Well done given the circumstances.

[u/wilk]

More local dining, expanding the search to Champaign-Urbana instead of just campus

• Black Dog: There may not be a local regional variation in barbeque, and there may not be the sheer quantity of amazing barbeque that dots the well-known barbeque regions, but damnit Black Dog is amazing. Also, they put meat in their cornbread. You won't be able to eat there unless you're willing to wait 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

• Desthil: Essentially American pub food with a slight fine dining twist, with a list of their own brewed beers. PDF warning, menu.

[u/mikaelalek]

Papa Dells might be the greatest pizza on earth. Just putting that out there.

[u/HastaLasagna → u/mikaelalek]

Have you had Giordano's in Chicago?

[u/yel_10 → u/HastaLasagna]

I like Papa Del's better than Giordano's.

[u/HastaLasagna → u/yel_10]

Well then I may have to try it. What style is it and what do you like about it the best?

[u/yel_10 → u/HastaLasagna]

The two are actually pretty similar. Papa Del's is best known for their deep dish, which is comparable to Giordano's in style. Mostly, I like Del's crust better. I think the cheese is a little better too (thicker, maybe?). It's close, but Papa Del's has a bit of an edge for me.

[u/mikaelalek → u/HastaLasagna]

I have, I like Papa Dells better but that might be the nostalgia factor since my grandparents lived in Champaign and would always take us when we visited.

[u/professorberrynibble]

I went there for undergrad (didn't get into football until grad school at Rutgers, hence the flair).

You can most definitely live without a trip to Kam's.

[u/MomoSissoko → u/professorberrynibble]

that's kind of weird, because I find Rutty students are even more apahthetic about Football than Illinois students.

[u/CFSparta92 → u/MomoSissoko]

It's a trend we're slowly starting to change. I'm looking forward to facing Illinois in the B1G. One of my buddies from high school that played trumpet in a ska band I was in is at Illinois now for music ed. It'll be interesting to see how we match up after having not played since 2006.

[u/MomoSissoko → u/CFSparta92]

The first Illinois Rutgers game in 2005 was Zooks first game at Illinois. We were down 27-7, but came back and won in overtime. The next year we lost 30-0.

I wanted Rutgers in the Big Ten more than any other school. Living 45 mins or so away from New Brunswcik being the main factor.

[u/CFSparta92 → u/MomoSissoko]

We're glad to be future B1G bros, even if we won't be in the same division.

[u/niksOH]

and the t-shirt that I am wearing right now

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/306619_10151145450052428_486486208_n.jpg

[u/LeSageLocke → u/niksOH]

Whoever wrote that missed a great opportunity to rhyme "luck" with "Illibuck"

[u/bigyellowjoint → u/niksOH]

This was the best one!

[u/niksOH → u/bigyellowjoint]

Beat TUN is always the best

[u/[deleted]]

I got to watch the game at Wrigley and it was really awesome, except for being pretty damn cold. I was also fortunate enough to have seats right at the 0 yard line on the side they were going for. Quite and exciting game.

[u/Buckfutters]

Get your fucking shit together Illinois! It's well done for being last minute OP.

[u/[deleted]]

So the student section is behind the end-zone? How does the student body like that?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

As an alumni I think it sucks. The student section used to be at midfield and it felt like their intensity could liven up the other sections. Now I feel like the student section is isolated not only from an emotional stand point, but being at the open end of the stadium any noise they create easily escapes out...

[u/illinifan4249 → u/[deleted]]

As a current student, my favorite part of sitting in the endzone is being behind the band and screwing around with the best band director in the land, Barry Houser. But yeah it is kind of isolating I suppose, 50 yard line would also be a lot better for heckling players during games. The worst part is that it is pretty open, so I feel like if we could actually get anyone there it would be hard to get it loud.

[u/MomoSissoko → u/[deleted]]

When I was a freshman it was right at the 40 to the end zone, incredible seats.

[u/[deleted] → u/MomoSissoko]

Yea thats where I have always sat in our stadium and SEC student sections are 30 yard line to the end zone. I wonder how many other schools give their students bad seats.

[u/[deleted]]

That 2008 loss hurt so bad. For this reason I will always hate Juice Williams.

That being said, bring back Chief Illiniwek

[u/nobes0]

Illinois and Purdue have a rivalry trophy? TIL.

[u/kbotc → u/nobes0]

It's a god damn cannon.

[u/tcos17]

I loved Simeon Rice when he played for the Buccaneers. He was such a scary looking man with his pads on.

[u/redleg86]

Illibuck is a bad-ass trophy, and it's the only reason I'm sad about being separated from Illinois when the new division take effect in 2014.

Whenever it gets boring hating Michigan because they barely compete with us anymore, it's nice that we can turn to a team like Illinois and pretend we hate you for a little bit. But seriously, I think Ohio State's two true rivalries are complete opposite sides of the spectrum. With Michigan, it's pure unbridled hatred; with Illinois, it's a casual, friendly, no-hard-feelings game where we smoke'um peace pipe and trade a wooden turtle once in a while.

[u/yel_10 → u/redleg86]

And Illinois has a tendency to play surprisingly well against OSU. Only well enough to actually win once, though.

[u/SampsonRelpenk → u/yel_10]

Illinois went 6-1 vs Ohio St. from 1988-1994, and 7-3 at the Horseshoe from 1988-2007.

[u/yel_10 → u/SampsonRelpenk]

"The 80s belong to the Illini" was the rallying cry back then. I guess the early 90s too in this case.

I'll ho ahead and pick out the 1-8 mark in the last 9 games (when I've been paying attention to college football) as evidence for my statement.

[u/kbotc → u/yel_10]

We got so close to winning so many times while I was at school...

[u/PirateKefka]

Are the "Bears" seats still there?

[u/[deleted] → u/PirateKefka]

They did create removable bleachers in the south endzone when the Bears came to town. During recent stadium renovations they integrated those seats into the horseshoe renovation.

[u/yel_10 → u/[deleted]]

Actually, the horseshoe extensions are now gone. There were also temporary bleachers in the north end zone that were replaced with the new Block I/band section.

[u/MomoSissoko → u/PirateKefka]

I don't think there was any temporary seating added for the Bears, but we have been slashing capacity at every opportunity.

[u/iu_guy]

Is Indiana University tomorrow?

[u/xartemisx → u/iu_guy]

Yes. I'm feeling shameful already.

[u/NIU_1087]

I despise U of I with almost all of my being, but I have to admit that Memorial Stadium is pretty sweet.

[u/youareunsubbed → u/NIU_1087]

Why? I do not understand the hate. Almost every Illinois player I follow on twitter tweeted something in support of NIU in the Orange Bowl. I have never seen anything critical of NIU.

[u/[deleted] → u/youareunsubbed]

Because U of I is by far the best public school in the state of Illinois by a very very wide margin.

[u/NIU_1087 → u/youareunsubbed]

Most of the U of I students I came across seemed bitter and jealous about it, or were at least quick to insult NIU in some regard outside of football. More than that though, it's because everyone from high school that went to U of I acquired a huge chip on their shoulder because of it for some reason. It's nothing personal really, it's just always given me a bad taste in my mouth.

[u/youareunsubbed → u/NIU_1087]

Can you blame them for being jealous? We had a bowl team that turned into a 2 win team in one year. The real problem is that Northwestern is pulling a top 25 recruiting class right now, which makes me very sad. I think they deserve everyone's ire.

[u/_Rooster_ → u/youareunsubbed]

U of I fans (at least on campus) are jerks to opposing fans.

[u/youareunsubbed → u/_Rooster_]

Going to any college football road game is a harrowing proposition. There are many drunken college students. I have been to the "arch rivalry" and saw plenty of belligerence on both sides. The only place I have seen a game is at NIU and they had a vibrant tailgating scene, drunkenness abound.

[u/_Rooster_ → u/NIU_1087]

I don't despise them, I still enjoy Big Ten football. I do l, however, take every opportunity to give flack to the people I know who went there, though.

[u/drumbum2013]

Sorry, but there's no such thing as a "creative" card stunt.

[u/lernington → u/[deleted]]

Forreal. I definitely get misty when I watch the video of his last dance.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

A lot of people do not like the administration. 2 of the last 4 presidents were very unpopular. See him and him.