UIUC Old Timers Thread

#1      
Saw Butkus play in the Rose Bowl, and 55 years later I'm still a huge Illini sports fan. My father had season tickets for 40 years and I'm going on 16. I have gone to every bowl game since that first Rose Bowl, ( granted there hasn't been a lot ), but I have never been negative about the teams. Sure, I have wished things would have been different sometimes, but anyone who suits up in orange and blue will always receive my support. We've all suffered through the years, and hoping for the best is what true fans do. I enjoy reading the banter back and forth from the readers, but at times it reinforces my opinion that this will be the only social media outlet I will ever subscribe to. I'll be in the stands as always next year, and hope to not see anything like the Iowa game again, but hey, I was at the 0-0 tie with Northwestern years ago, and still bought tickets for the next year. Last post for me, but Go Illini Forever.
 
#3      
There should be a thread for those of us who remember the Butkus era, I mean the serious old timers. I was a Freshman in 63-64. My wife once asked me what was my first Illini memory. I listened on radio to Illinois with J. C. Caroline at running back lose to Stanford 12-10. I looked it up once, it was 1952.
So start that thread. You, me and Oleo will be the first members of the old farts of Loyalty!
 
#6      
Old farts should Mike White and before. We could discuss Mike White first play from scrimmage or later that year when Dave Wilson threw on, I believe 24, consecutive plays.
 
#12      
Class of 71' The Guild, REO Speedwagon. Chances R. Anybody remember! I am so sad we are in this situation with both football and especially basketball. Live in Maryland and not lovin life right now with the Terps!
 
#13      
Class of 71' The Guild, REO Speedwagon. Chances R. Anybody remember! I am so sad we are in this situation with both football and especially basketball. Live in Maryland and not lovin life right now with the Terps!

Yep. CR had big picture on the wall of the New Colony Six. Went to a wet T-shirt contest in the late '70s or early '80s that got real crazy. May have had something to do with its closing. As for other bars, Red Lion, Dooleys, Whitt's End and The Brown Jug. Favorite local band was The Light Brigade that morphed into the Mackinaw Valley Boys which (I believe) morphed into Pork And The Havana Ducks. Ah the memories. As I look back, so many impediments to graduation. Amazing that I made it.

As for the quarterback question, I'll go with Tate. Shortest ramp up time with Coach Rod.
 
#14      

chiefini

Rockford, Illinois
Yep. CR had big picture on the wall of the New Colony Six. Went to a wet T-shirt contest in the late '70s or early '80s that got real crazy. May have had something to do with its closing. As for other bars, Red Lion, Dooleys, Whitt's End and The Brown Jug. Favorite local band was The Light Brigade that morphed into the Mackinaw Valley Boys which (I believe) morphed into Pork And The Havana Ducks. Ah the memories. As I look back, so many impediments to graduation. Amazing that I made it.

As for the quarterback question, I'll go with Tate. Shortest ramp up time with Coach Rod.

You forgot the bar I worked in, Second Chance, owned by the Chances R guys. Head East played there on Sunday nights...to tie it in, all of our bouncers were Illini football players. ;)
 
#15      
OK, you guys have been talking about it in the football recruiting thread... here's your own thread. I don't quite qualify, but I'll be lurking. Hope to hear some good stories. You guys can continue to hash out who constitutes an old timer, but I think if you use the words "crackerjack" or "lad," you should be a shoe-in,
 
#16      
OK, you guys have been talking about it in the football recruiting thread... here's your own thread. I don't quite qualify, but I'll be lurking. Hope to hear some good stories. You guys can continue to hash out who constitutes an old timer, but I think if you use the words "crackerjack" or "lad," you should be a shoe-in,

Keep your head down. Come to post everyday. Your time will come.
 
#18      
Never thought I'd see the day, lol. Time waits for no one.

Having the 0-0 debacle with the kitties seared into my grey matter, and survived the Moleface era, it's quite amusing when a whippersnapper proclaims we're at rock bottom.
Yes, I was there at that "football game". I commented before on the Navy game when Moeller and staff couldn't get a play called for a conversion and the Illini lost on Dad's Day. Those coaches were FAR worse than anything I've seen from Lovie or even Zook!

BTW, class of '80 here. First Illini football game in 1973, basketball sometime earlier, not sure when but it was the Nick Weatherspoon era.
 
#19      

reopseed60

Naples, Florida
I go back to an Illini/Minnesota game in 1955 with Ray Netschske (SP) Later attended Illinois and graduated in Feb.1960. Still a strong supporter. I even have a story of Dick Butkus wanting to transfer to Memphis State mid year his freshman year. I personally heard the discussion between he and his advisor who used" pride of playing with the best( Big 10 and Illinois) at the time, to talk him out of it....... Was at Kam's when Ray came back from ,I think the North South game, and had signed with the Packers and was payed a bonus of $7,000.......I ran the parlay cards on Campus my senor year (only took 9 hours) that semester. before going in the service. almost got busted. the FBI visited campus and asked some questions... Ah memories....
 
#20      

chiefini

Rockford, Illinois
I agree that these youngins have no idea what real loyalty and rock bottom are. I’ve had season football tickets for 34 years. We bought them after the ‘83 Rose Bowl season because winning was so much fun. Before that, I had season tickets all four years I was at U of I with records of:
1970- 3-7, 1-6 in B1G under Valek
1971- 5-6, 5-3 under Blackman
1972- 3-8, 3-5 under Blackman
1973- 5-6, 4-4 under Blackman
At least I only went to one game of the 1969 season before I got there, where Valek’s team went 0-10, 0-7. Now those were some tough years...
 
#21      
The first thing we old timer have to pass on to the youngsters is that back in the day football players just looked like normal people. Ken Kmiec played defensive in 66 and 67 at 197 pounds.

That is the freak part of Dick Butkus, he played linebacker at about 238 when many offensive tackles weighed 215-220 and he was faster than your quarterback.
 
#23      
I will be the oldest fud until dethroned but 3 years ago our season tickets were next to a lady who had been a cheerleader in 1957.

Our number for season tickets is 545, I've seen a lot. I view a lot of it as "character building".