Illini football '99

#1      
Just watched a great game on BTN from 10/23/99: Illini beat Michigan and Tom Brady 35-29. Kittner, my favorite Illini QB, outplayed Brady. Why didn't Kurt make it in the NFL? Decent arm, mobility, etc.

Sad note: I delivered news of this great victory to my dad (Illinois attendee) who was in the hospital ; he died 11 days later. No connection, I don't think, although with his parents, my grandparents, being Michigan natives, I always suspected daddy was a closet Wolverine.
 
#2      
Just watched a great game on BTN from 10/23/99: Illini beat Michigan and Tom Brady 35-29. Kittner, my favorite Illini QB, outplayed Brady. Why didn't Kurt make it in the NFL? Decent arm, mobility, etc.

Sad note: I delivered news of this great victory to my dad (Illinois attendee) who was in the hospital ; he died 11 days later. No connection, I don't think, although with his parents, my grandparents, being Michigan natives, I always suspected daddy was a closet Wolverine.
I was raised by wolverines. Not as bad as it may sound. ;)
 
#3      
I was raised by wolverines. Not as bad as it may sound. ;)

I have nothing against wolverines in general, great animals, can be affectionate to human beings, intelligent, etc. But I really don't care for Michigan Wolverines. Great, beautiful state, a lot of very happy memories of visiting the clan up there in the 50s and later vacationing there in adult life. But I'm an Illinois bois.

Thanks for the funny reply.

P.S. I was nurtured by a caring she-wolf. Romulus, Remus and me. .
 
Last edited:
#4      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Just watched a great game on BTN from 10/23/99: Illini beat Michigan and Tom Brady 35-29. Kittner, my favorite Illini QB, outplayed Brady. Why didn't Kurt make it in the NFL? Decent arm, mobility, etc.

Sad note: I delivered news of this great victory to my dad (Illinois attendee) who was in the hospital ; he died 11 days later. No connection, I don't think, although with his parents, my grandparents, being Michigan natives, I always suspected daddy was a closet Wolverine.
Drafted by the Falcons, who had built their system around Vick. Vick goes down with an ankle injury and Kittner had to step in to an offensive system that didn't suit him at all. He's one of my favorite Illini too, but he just didn't seem to have the confidence on the field to even begin to overcome the odds that were already stacked against him in Atlanta.

He had a great year in 2005 in the World League/NFL Europe, leading Amsterdam to the championship and winning the MVP for the game. The Bears picked him up as a 3rd stringer, but when Grossman went down they brought Jeff Blake in as 2nd string behind Orton (man, it hurts typing the names of all these crappy Bears QBs), and that was kind of it for KK.
 
#5      
Drafted by the Falcons, who had built their system around Vick. Vick goes down with an ankle injury and Kittner had to step in to an offensive system that didn't suit him at all. He's one of my favorite Illini too, but he just didn't seem to have the confidence on the field to even begin to overcome the odds that were already stacked against him in Atlanta.

He had a great year in 2005 in the World League/NFL Europe, leading Amsterdam to the championship and winning the MVP for the game. The Bears picked him up as a 3rd stringer, but when Grossman went down they brought Jeff Blake in as 2nd string behind Orton (man, it hurts typing the names of all these crappy Bears QBs), and that was kind of it for KK.

Some friends and I actually made a facebook group when we were in college about Kittner being the real life Shane Falco.
 
#6      
Kittner has been my favorite Illini QB to watch, too. He had a strong arm but soft touch, and he never got rattled.

A buddy and I went to the Purdue game in West Lafayette to cheer the Illini, and Kittner had the worst half of football I'd ever seen. Multiple interceptions. I told my friend that if I were a Boilermaker fan, I'd be feeling really nervous because Purdue only had a small lead. Sure enough, Kittner came back out in the second half and played to his normal standard, and the Illini won comfortably.

Come to think of it, that might have been the last time I can remember feeling so comfortable about an Illini win in football that wasn't clouded by doubt and painful memories. (I only joined Illini nation in '95.) It sure has been a slog since.
 
#7      
That Michigan game was something else. Remember it like it was yesterday. Was listening on radio and when they closed it out I literally stopped the vehicle and got out and celebrated.
 
#8      

aiwpfan

Springfield, Il
That Michigan game was something else. Remember it like it was yesterday. Was listening on radio and when they closed it out I literally stopped the vehicle and got out and celebrated.
I was at that game. At the start of the third quarter, they played highlights on the video board of the 1981 game, where Illinois jumped out to a 21-7 lead but Michigan rallied to win 70-21. I think that riled the Illinois bench. Rocky Harvey went wild, and the rest is history.
 
#9      
I also remember that victory over michigan back in "99. We had finished harvest and I was doing fall tillage. IIRC it was a rather nice day for mid October in north central Illinois. When the Illini had it clinched I stopped the tractor and jumped out in the middle of an 80 acre field and celebrated as if I was at the game. LOL!

Thanks for posting! Those memories have been hard to come by for the last dozen years or so and the memories we have become even more special.
 
#10      

MoCoMdIllini

Montgomery County, Maryland
I want to say that I caught the 2nd half from a sports bar in Toronto.

I happened to overhear something about the Illini making a run and they cut over to coverage of that game as I was walking down the street.

Even more mind boggling: the place was packed with Illinois alumni.

Talk about being at the right place at the right time!
 
#11      
I want to say that I caught the 2nd half from a sports bar in Toronto.

Even more mind boggling: the place was packed with Illinois alumni.
The one thing about being a B1G alum, and holds true for 7-8 schools in the league , is that if you go to your school's designated "alumni bar" in any major city on game day, you will find alot of kindred spirits . It really comes from our rich tradition in STEM and business grads
 
#12      

Illinir1

Camdenton, MO
Kittner has been my favorite Illini QB to watch, too. He had a strong arm but soft touch, and he never got rattled.

A buddy and I went to the Purdue game in West Lafayette to cheer the Illini, and Kittner had the worst half of football I'd ever seen. Multiple interceptions. I told my friend that if I were a Boilermaker fan, I'd be feeling really nervous because Purdue only had a small lead. Sure enough, Kittner came back out in the second half and played to his normal standard, and the Illini won comfortably.

Come to think of it, that might have been the last time I can remember feeling so comfortable about an Illini win in football that wasn't clouded by doubt and painful memories. (I only joined Illini nation in '95.) It sure has been a slog since.
I was at that game too. Kittner really had the long ball going in the second half. It was a great win.
 
#13      
That Michigan game was something else. Remember it like it was yesterday. Was listening on radio and when they closed it out I literally stopped the vehicle and got out and celebrated.
Hope you weren't on the Kennedy! Good for you, though. I had the same urge when Illini beat Syracuse way back in '89. Watching on radio in car on way from DeKalb to Geneva on IL Route 38. Rear-view mirror indicated it was not the wise thing to do.
 
Last edited:
#15      
Hope you weren't on the Kennedy! Good for you, though. I had the same urge when Illini beat Syracuse way back in '89. Watching on radio in car on way from DeKalb to Geneva on IL Route 38. Rear-view mirror indicated it was not the wise thing to do.
Actually I was in a tractor working ground on our home place just like KenR mentioned earlier. I could probably still walk to within 50 feet of where it took place.
 
#17      
Here I go again. Just ordered the book "Turpin Times: An Illini Sports Scrapbook" used on Amazon for only $5.97! Should be a great read, Illini fans. Does Loren Tate have similar stuff? Will check. As far as I'm concerned, some station could broadcast Illini golf - as long as Jim Turpin is doing play by play. Maybe radio is subject of another forum? (I bet I'll be the one to start it).
 
Last edited:
#18      

illini80

Forgottonia
Here I go again. Just ordered the book "Turpin Times: An Illini Sports Scrapbook" used on Amazon for only $5.97! Should be a great read, Illini fans. Does Loren Tate have similar stuff? Will check. As far as I'm concerned, some station could broadcast Illini golf - as long as Jim Turpin is doing play by play. Maybe radio is subject of another forum? (I bet I'll be the one to start it).
He has several actually. One is called Tatelines, not surprisingly. He has another called A Century of Orange and Blue.
 
#19      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
It's fun watching YouTube highlights from '84 or some of the teams in the late eighties through the nineties. It's easy to forget that it is possible to have a fierce, laying the wood to people type of defense at Illinois.
 
#20      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
It's fun watching YouTube highlights from '84 or some of the teams in the late eighties through the nineties. It's easy to forget that it is possible to have a fierce, laying the wood to people type of defense at Illinois.
We were Linebacker U for a while in the 90s. Hardy, Howard, Holocek, and Rice all suited up at the same time, plus guys like Danny Clark and Darrick Brownlow on either side of them chronologically. Then historically you've got Ed Brady, Ron Ferrari, Jack Squirek, Scott Studwell, Ray Nitschke, and some guy named Butkus, plus a bunch of others that I can't pick out of my brain as easily.
 
Last edited:
#21      
We were Linebacker U for a while in the 90s. Hardy, Howard, Holocek, and Rice all suited up at the same time, plus guys like Danny Clark and Darrick Brownlow on either side of them chronologically. Then historically you've got Ed Brady, Ron Ferrari, Jack Squirek, Scott Studwell, Ray Nitschke, and some guy named Butkus, plus a bunch of others that I can't pick out of my brain as ea

Bill Burrell was my all time favorite
 
#22      
As amazing as it was, the ending was mind blowingly frustrating. If Rockey Harvey simply takes a knee as opposed to scoring on the final, breakaway touchdown, Illinois could've just comfortably ran out the clock. Instead:

1. Michigan had a chance to tie the game, down 8.
2. Illinois intercepts the ball inside the five, but fumbles and recovers in the endzone, penalized with a safety.
3. Now down only 6, Michigan has a chance to win it.

Fortunately, it ended well... but man that was a rough final minute or so.