Why I Oughta...

The 2024 season for the Fighting Illini will be one that I remember for A LONG TIME.  We went to a number of home games down in Champaign and between the start times (2:30 pm on CBS!), the weather (Chamber of Commerce Days), the tailgating (Thanks to Equation Boy/Man for Lot 31) and...well...the winning....the 'vibes' (as the kids say) are way different this year than they have for MOST of my fandom. Yesterday, the DIA annouced we've accepted a bid to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Cheez-it Citrus Bowl on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.  From the Fighting Illini Football press release : The #20 Illinois football team has accepted an invitation to play in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, it was announced Sunday. Illinois will play #15 South Carolina at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. CT on ABC. The Illini qualified for the 21st bowl game in program history and the Illini's second New Year's bowl in Florida in the last...

I was in the KotBT's room recently and saw that Nat had a stack of vintage felt pennants on his dresser that she was dealing with/sorting in an attempt to put some up on the walls of his room.  They ALL were pretty neat, but there are a couple from the collection that I think are worth documenting on this here blog. The first one is this one you see above - Fighting Illini Football Rose Bowl 1984.  This pennant is one of MINE - from when I was a kid.  I remember it well.  It came - along with a whole host of boxes from my childhood - from my parents when they moved out of my childhood home.  It was one of a few pennants that they (somehow??) saved. This one is of particular interest to me - and I love that it is going in our boy's room.  I had a sister that was a number of years older than me.  And one of my earliest memories is of visiting her down at the Six Pack in Champaign during her freshman year.  I would have been four or five years o...

A few weeks back, we piled into the Swagger Wagon and went to see my Illini take on Purdue for Homecoming.  We now have two nieces that are Freshman down in Champaign, so this was a family affair.  My sisters threw a great tailgate in Grange Grove and then we went into the Loyalty Lounge inside of Memorial Stadium to watch the game.  Well, I went in well before the game because I wanted to see warmups and all the pre-game what-have-yous.  We were lucky that the specialists for the Illini warmed up (for the most part) on the north end of the field, so our spots in the patio in the northwest corner tower of the stadium was a good view. Just about every game that we go to as a family, Nat and I disagree about the 'time to enter' the game.  I enjoy the pre-game festivities almost as much as the game.  I like to see the operation unfold, watch the support staff take action and watch the stadium come to life.  A little weird, yeah.  But, that'...

One year ago today, I posted this on the blog : What a year it has been for the Illini and Athletic Director Josh Whitman.  Has Lovie lived up to the billing?  As an Alum and former member of the football team I can say this without question:  He has! Did we win a ton of games last year?  Nope.  Will we win a bunch this year?  Probably not.  But that's ok.  #WeWillWin.  Why?  Because he's upgrading the talent on the field ( #40 recruiting class this year ) and in the coaching box . And in that year, things have changed in the football program, but also at the Athletic Department.  They announced the inaugural class for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Hall of Fame with 28 members .  The golf program continues to hum along in amazing fashion.  He hired a new Volleyball coach .  And...They also announced the Memorial Stadium renovation (South Endzone and maybe a new facility by the indoor training c...

We were at the Babe's school for new parent orientation recently and as we exited her classroom, we were able to see some of the work that the class had done.  And as I looked for the Babe's paper, I saw this above.  Sure...she gives really good answers for what she needs to do in 1st grade.  But, look at the bottom where the kids were asked to color in their own backpack.  She picked the Fighting Illini and the Block I?!?  Yep.  Not Mickey the Mouse.  Not My Little Pony.  Nor Shopkins.  Or her *actual* backpack - which is cute...but probably hard to draw because of the squiggles and such. Nope.  She went with the orange and blue.  I-L-L! Proud parenting moment for sure.

In the same pile as the Student Power Magazine that I posted yesterday, there were also a bunch of football programs all from Purdue University.  Above is one against Notre Dame that features Neil Armstrong - a Purdue Alum.  This estate was chock'ed full of Purdue sports stuff. Below, is another Purdue vs. Notre Dame program from September 30, 1967 that features the returning 1966 National Champion Fighting Irish with South Bend being highlighted in the 'middle' of the 'D' and West Lafayette in the 'middle' of the 'P'.  Cute.  As you can see scrawled by hand is what appears to be the score:  Purdue 28.  ND 21. Also were a few other interesting ones:  This one directly below is from the 1967 Rose Bowl Game featuring Purdue vs. USC. And this was the only one featuring the Illini.  That's Bob Griese, too!  Which is pretty neat.  This Illini vs. Purdue program is the earliest from October 29, 1966. With us being in total disa...

This whole thing isn't just about the new coach.  It is about a new moment.  One where the Fighting Illini aren't being discussed in the news for scandals or embarrassing moments.  But for making a bold and decisive decision that is the first step in a long journey back to relevance.  Thanks, Josh Whitman. #WEWILLWIN pic.twitter.com/eIC379IiyD — Josh Whitman (@IlliniAD) March 7, 2016

Nat popped off her Snapple cap over the weekend and discovered this gem.  Seems like forever ago that the Bears invaded Memorial Stadium down in Champaign.  From the read of the 2002 Season Wikipedia entry, it sounds like a terrible year. The connections between the Bears and the Fighting Illini are deep.  This year, as the Illini played the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field, the University published this article documenting all the connections starting with the blue and orange and running all the way through Ron Turner.

Could there be a better Block I Card Stunt than this one at Homecoming this past weekend? Home is right. ( They did a cute Red Grange one , too.)

I'm clearly a day late here, but have to tell you that I was so excited to watch the euphoria that the Womens' team wore all over their faces and play on Sunday night.  I was texting Nat and the girls all throughout the game.  #PlayLikeaGirl But, yesterday I found out little nugget - via Oskee Wow Wow Today - that makes me like the outcome even more:  Head Coach Jill Ellis is a former member of the Fighting Illini family.  She coached the womens' team in their inaugural season back in 1997. Go Illini.  Congrats to Coach Ellis and whole team.

Last month, I received a really nice tri-fold mailer from the University of Illinois Athletic Department featuring these great Fighting Illini athletes.  It looks like it was mailed to all members of the I-Fund - which is the development/fundraising arm of the athletics department. One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that the quality of the correspondence has really improved.  From the brochure to buy seats/psl's/suites in the new State Farm Center to the regular 'keep-in-touch' notes they send from time-to-time, they've stepped up their design and delivery in a big way.  And...with this being the development/fundraising arm, you'd expect this to need to be impressive stuff to get donors attention. When you open up the latest mailer, you get a bunch of stats about graduation rates, B1G Championships, community service hours and National Championships (we have 25 of 'em!).  But they also loaded it with a few little giveaways.  Check it o...

Yesterday (May the Fourth), the Big Ten Fan Shop at Fanatics sent out this cute (and timely) email touting Big Ten/Star Wars gear.  Seems like everyone was doing May the Fourth stuff yesterday. One note:  Nat actually got this and pointed it out to me. That's pretty awesome, right?   Also, I don't go into my promotions tab in Gmail very much these days.  After this, I should, I'm thinking. Anyway, When you click through the email copy, you end up at t his page on the Big Ten Store .  There are 12 different Big Ten t-shirts/bags with Star Wars stuff.  Cool.  I scroll down and look around. Here's the roundup. 3 Ohio State University Buckeyes items 2 Michigan State University Spartans items 3 University of Michigan Wolverines items 1 University of Wisconsin Badgers item 1 Penn State University item 1 University of Nebraska item. Sadly...not one Fighting Illini item. How many?   Zero.point.Zero .  WTF?  Illinois has this ...

I don't normally follow college baseball and the College World Series, but this year, things might be different:   my Illini have won 21 straight games are now ranked #6 in the country .  They beat #23 Ohio State yesterday in a comeback.  Pretty awesome to see the sports like baseball (and golf!) doing so well down in Champaign.  (One slight nitpick...why are the Illini wearing these 'old' uniforms?  This isn't the new font, right?  Maybe because these are 'cut off' jerseys, they're alternates and holdovers from last year's uniform set?) Happy for these guys and for the team.  Here's hoping the student body is getting behind this crew and showing up at the home games. I-L-L...

We were out at Fitz's on St. Patrick's Day and I spotted these coasters on our table. Good to see the 'new' Block I out there being used (notice the inside curves on the top/bottom of the I).  Too bad that the squad not only missed the Big Dance, but also got run out of the gym in the NIT. Winning the Chicago market for the team means being in/around sports bars.  This small touch - these coasters - is a nice move for the team and the brand. Guessing this is coming out of the relationship that was established when the Illini named Coors Light the 'official beer' of the Fighting Illini back last fall .  Nat got me a shirt for Christmas with the new branding on it, but I still have LOADS of the old stuff in my drawers/closets.

The Bulls/DRose stuff is great.  But...the Illini hoops squad making the homepage with a win? Makes this Friday morning all that much better.

 I'm loving my new Chief Illiniwek shirt.  Nice way for the athletic department to cash in on the Chief without really using the Chief! Thanks, Nat!

This morning, University of Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas sent out a mass email asking for local farmers (and Illini Fans) who might be interested in putting up Burma-shave signs along one of the major highways in the State. Based on the map they've included , they're interested in putting them all the way up towards Chicago, so hopefully we'll see them pop up soon. Think it is a pretty cute idea and a nice way to boost enthusiasm for the programs.

If the fact that the NIU Huskies from the Mid American Conference were playing in a BCS game while my Illini were at home licking their wounds wasn't bad enough, now the NIU athletic department is taking direct shots at us with a full page ad in the Sun-Times.  "We look good in orange"?  Really?  I know that's a line about the Orange Bowl they're set to play in, but they're also rubbing it in a bit, right?

We went down to the Illini game with my sisters and a their boys.  Unfortunately, the Illini got stomped by a WAC team.  But, all wasn't lost.  We did get the two boys (and the Babe!) down on the field for pre-game for a bit.  I was able to participate in the "Legacy Tunnel" as the team came out on the field - which is always fun.

I'll have to go around to all the various social network places and swap out my old avatar image with this one, right?  Found it on Illinois Loyalty .