Illini Hall of Fame: The Inaugural Class

#52      

Dan

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Dan
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#55      

Deleted member 186590

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NEIlliniFan said:
Did Whitman choose the 2017 class? If not, nothing for which to apologize
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Yes- it was his athletic department that released the list. Frankly it's comical. People in Champaign have been pounding the table for Lou to be in the college basketball hall of fame for quite a while. People like Norm Roberts who were less successful than Lou were in, known cheaters were in, but somehow Lou was left out. Finally he gets into the basketball hall of fame and we don't even elect him into our hall of fame! it's a huge slap in the face, there is no other way to describe it.
 
#56      

NEIlliniFan

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No longer in New England
NEIlliniFan
Of course his athletic department released the list - it's an athletic hall of fame. But was it ever revealed exactly who voted, etc?

And it looks like Mr. Henson wasn't so insulted that he didn't come to the ceremonies.
 
#57      

BRucks

BRucks
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NEIlliniFan said:
Of course his athletic department released the list - it's an athletic hall of fame. But was it ever revealed exactly who voted, etc?

And it looks like Mr. Henson wasn't so insulted that he didn't come to the ceremonies.
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Did that selection committee already meet and select Lou for next year or did Whitman do it on his own?
 
#58      

NEIlliniFan

N
No longer in New England
NEIlliniFan
BRucks said:
Did that selection committee already meet and select Lou for next year or did Whitman do it on his own?
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I have no idea. My question was an honest one.

But I don't frankly care if Lou Henson was in the 1st or 2nd UI HOF class. He absolutely deserves to be in and he now will be. Good.
 
#59      

blackdog

blackdog
Champaign
blackdog
It makes it more exciting when you can spread out some of the greats and throw out a teaser like this for upcoming classes. If they had all the biggest names in one class then interest would drop off big time after that as the inductees get increasingly obscure.
 
#60      

ChiefIllini

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ChiefIllini
blackdog said:
It makes it more exciting when you can spread out some of the greats and throw out a teaser like this for upcoming classes. If they had all the biggest names in one class then interest would drop off big time after that as the inductees get increasingly obscure.
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Yeah I agree and this is exactly what they are doing, but the inaugural class is something special that, while did have a good, diverse list of entrants, is missing the best coach from the second (arguably first) most popular sport at Illinois. He won the most games in our history and made what Illini basketball is today. If we were making a list of influential people in Illini sport history, it would be hard to leave him off the top 5.

People would've complained if anyone would've been left off. But I would've much rather had someone like George Halas be left off, if we had to cap it at 28. There are plenty of names out there that could've been sued to headline this upcoming class.
 
#61      

RichBradIllini

RichBradIllini
Peoria
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ChiefIllini said:
Yeah I agree and this is exactly what they are doing, but the inaugural class is something special that, while did have a good, diverse list of entrants, is missing the best coach from the second (arguably first) most popular sport at Illinois. He won the most games in our history and made what Illini basketball is today. If we were making a list of influential people in Illini sport history, it would be hard to leave him off the top 5.

People would've complained if anyone would've been left off. But I would've much rather had someone like George Halas be left off, if we had to cap it at 28. There are plenty of names out there that could've been sued to headline this upcoming class.
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I don't think you can leave Halas off of any UI inaugural anything.
 
#62      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
RichBradIllini said:
I don't think you can leave Halas off of any UI inaugural anything.
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I'd argue others were influential to the university than him. Of course, he's a legend of a man. I dont think he should have been left off, just like Lou.

I mention him as purely a "big name" to start the 2018 class off with, as Lou is being touted. If it were me, neither would've been left off.
 
#63      

Deleted member 186590

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NEIlliniFan said:
Of course his athletic department released the list - it's an athletic hall of fame. But was it ever revealed exactly who voted, etc?

And it looks like Mr. Henson wasn't so insulted that he didn't come to the ceremonies.
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They said they were not going to announce who is on the selection committee to avoid lobbying, etc. which makes sense.

It seemed as if Whitman was trying to right the wrong by announcing Lou would be in the next class, but why not just include him in this one, when you realize the oversight? It's essentially telling Lou he wasn't as important to Illinois athletics as Nick Anderson, or the gymnast who was here one year.

Again, he's in the College Basketball Hall of Fame! but he couldn't make our crappy UofI Hall of Fame?
 
#65      

Serious Late

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Serious Late
Henson71 said:
They said they were not going to announce who is on the selection committee to avoid lobbying, etc. which makes sense.

It seemed as if Whitman was trying to right the wrong by announcing Lou would be in the next class, but why not just include him in this one, when you realize the oversight? It's essentially telling Lou he wasn't as important to Illinois athletics as Nick Anderson, or the gymnast who was here one year.

Again, he's in the College Basketball Hall of Fame! but he couldn't make our crappy UofI Hall of Fame?
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He did make our crappy U of I Hall of Fame.
 
#66      

Deleted member 186590

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Serious Late said:
He did make our crappy U of I Hall of Fame.
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I think you understand the point. We voted in 28 members into our inaugural Hall of Fame class, but our winning-est basketball coach in the history of our program who is in the college basketball hall of fame did not make the cut.

Lot's be people will be inducted in subsequent classes that didn't have the same level of impact on the university and they will not be thought of in the same way because they were not in the inaugural class. It's similar to being a "first ballot hall of famer"
 
#67      

dbeaverfg

dbeaverfg
dbeaverfg
Henson71 said:
I think you understand the point. We voted in 28 members into our inaugural Hall of Fame class, but our winning-est basketball coach in the history of our program who is in the college basketball hall of fame did not make the cut.

Lot's be people will be inducted in subsequent classes that didn't have the same level of impact on the university and they will not be thought of in the same way because they were not in the inaugural class. It's similar to being a "first ballot hall of famer"
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Only five people made the first (1936) baseball hall of fame class. Heck, Cy Young didn't make that first class. Somebody has to be in the second, third ... etc. class.
 
#68      

Deleted member 186590

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dbeaverfg said:
Only five people made the first (1936) baseball hall of fame class. Heck, Cy Young didn't make that first class. Somebody has to be in the second, third ... etc. class.
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I would have been fine with that if they kept this to the "Mount Rushmore " of Illinois athletics. This class they put in as the Inaugural class was . . . not that. . no it was not