A LETTER TO I FUND MEMBERS FROM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS JOSH WHITMAN
Dear Friends & Fellow Illini:
It is with great enthusiasm that I write to tell you that today we will announce plans to create the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. In our athletic program’s 125-year existence, we have seen some of the world’s great athletes don the Orange and Blue – individuals who are recognized, far and wide, as among the best to ever compete in their respective sports. A distinguished list of Illinois coaches and administrators, too, have changed the landscape of collegiate athletics and Fighting Illini sports. Beginning today and continuing long into the future, all of them will have their greatness ultimately memorialized as members of the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.
Also today, we will introduce Fighting Illini legend Dick Butkus as the first member of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class. Illinois fans the world over are familiar with Dick’s achievements. Many consider him the greatest defensive player in the history of football. He played linebacker with such intensity and skill that a trophy bearing his name and likeness is given each year to the nation’s best collegiate player at that position. A native of Chicago’s south side, Dick played for his hometown Chicago Bears following a triumphant career for the Fighting Illini that culminated in Big Ten and Rose Bowl championships. Dick is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame and was selected, in 2000, to the NFL’s All-Time Team. We are thrilled to celebrate his exceptional contributions to Illinois Athletics with this special tribute. Dick is in Champaign for Homecoming and will join me at today’s press conference at 2 pm CT announcing our Hall of Fame plans.
A Hall of Fame Committee will select the remainder of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class, with announcement of the class expected in February 2017. We will host a formal dinner celebration for the Hall of Fame class in Chicago next summer, followed by the official Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, to be held in conjunction with our football game against the University of Nebraska in September 2017. Both events will be open to the public, with details to follow. We expect to induct subsequent classes on an annual basis, with the timeline remaining roughly the same in future years.
To be automatically considered for induction into the Hall of Fame, former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators must meet the criteria outlined in detail on our website. Impressively, despite the high bar that these criteria establish, nearly 1,000 people during our 125-year history have qualified for automatic consideration. A full list of these individuals will be available at FightingIllini.com. In addition, we invite fans to submit open nominations of other individuals who are not found on the list of automatic nominees, using our online form. For consideration in a given Hall of Fame class, nominations must be received no later than January 1.
At every turn since my arrival in February, I have talked at length about our need to be proud of our Fighting Illini. That pride is founded on the storied history of more than a century of remarkable performances from Illinois legends. It is my sincere hope that the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame provides a rallying point for Illini fans far and wide to remember and celebrate our past successes and the many people on whose shoulders we have built the unparalleled Fighting Illini athletics tradition.
