Petty will ahead of Swanson next year
Illini Football 2024
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It usually stems from the head coach, but I'm not sure. Marists' bitter Southside rival, the Crusaders of Brother Rice, have always been very supportive of Illini football.
As was stated, it's usually the head coach, but also (I grew up in the area and went to Brother Rice for a year), the south side is full of Notre Dame fans and other Big Ten schools, it's really odd IMO. I'm in Frankfort now (Lincoln-Way East), and there are some Illini fans, but not nearly as many as one would expect.
Stevegarbs
- Mokena, IL
You haven't heard UIUC dubbed "Lincoln-Way South"? My son and daughter graduated from LWE and both had dozens of classmates there with them when they started in Champaign.
The one in end zone that bounced off his shoulder pad was the worst. Maybe he needs contact lenses.
We really need a breakout season from Malik to replace Isiah and Casey Washington production
My daughter is graduating this year but wants to live in the city and choose UIC (over Loyola), and she does have a few friends going to UIUC.
I was thinking more in the football world, where we did get Nick A, but we missed on Henning, the O'Rourke kids, and others. Then again, I'm not sure how hard we recruited them all.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I cannot speak to the south side, specifically, but how many Illini fans should we expect?? The Chicago Area is fundamentally a different beast to Milwaukee for Wisconsin or Cleveland for Ohio State or even Detroit for Michigan/MSU. There will always be too large of a population and too many transplants for the Illini to dominate the market like we could a smaller, less nationally relevant city. That's just the way it is, for better and for worse! Our instate support in Central Illinois is just as good overall as any other Big Ten school's in their state (with the possible exceptions of truly psychotic instate loyalty for Nebraska and Iowa), and I think our support in Downstate Illinois as a whole is quite good. Our support in Chicagoland has a relatively high floor, but it really explodes when we are good, from my experience. Sucks to admit it, but we have a lot of fair weather Illini fans in Chicago, which is unfortunate most of the time but also gives our program a high ceiling as far as TV ratings and fan following if we get things going (e.g., Chicago responding super well to the Rose Bowl season).
With that said (and again acknowledging that I cannot speak to the south side), I have always found the Notre Dame presence in Chicago incredibly exaggerated. Sure, they have a lot of fans (probably fourth most prevalent up here in the Roscoe Village area after Illinois, Michigan and likely Iowa), but they are FAR from some type of "home team" in the broader Chicago Area, and there are easily more Illini fans overall, even if they're quieter. The Tribune actually just recently did a poll of all of its readers, and Illinois had 30% support, with Notre Dame at like 19%.
EDIT: However, yes, if we are talking about our sway with Chicagoland high school football talent ... we have been punching WAY below our weight for far too long.
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Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
That's the old Jack Tatum joke.Stickum baby! When I played in Europe (many, many, many moons ago), I had it from my fingertips to my elbows. I "caught" a pass once that hit the back of my hand and stuck
Hey, man! What's all this talk about Donovan and Timothy Leary? Just woke up, I had too much to dream last night. Right on! Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Incense and Peppermints to all of you. Groovy. Moody Blues and orange forever. And Strawberry Fields. Far out.
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At any position?
I'm betting many here have no clue as to what you're referring to
Illinivek23
- Gurnee
Didn't his Dad play safety at Oklahoma?
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
Are you @pruman91 's understudy?
That's the nicest thing I've been called in many, many years. It really, really is.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
He'll be a wide reciever this fall....
Biased but UIC is the right choice... got my Criminology undergrad from there and it's paid dividends for my... insurance career.
Ryllini
- Lombard
Cancel the Missouri series and get the dental kids on the schedule. That is what America wants to see.
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
They probably have Colgate and Oral Roberts on the schedule for sure.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
Ok, I’ll bite. Those series got long in the tooth and weren’t relevant. Don’t floss over those facts and gum up the future schedule.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
This is why the internet exists.
At least we played an actual school, lol. As did MSU.
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