Illini in the Pros (Football)

#251      
Battle89
Maybe Lovie had to find underrated talent because he could not close on higher-ranked talent.

Which is not historically a new thing at Illinois, but when you combine it with his absolute indifference about anything else related to coaching, it was a fatal combination.

Maintaining my membership in the “Lovie stunk” club.
 
#252      
ChiefGritty
Battle89 said:
Maybe Lovie had to find underrated talent because he could not close on higher-ranked talent.

Which is not historically a new thing at Illinois, but when you combine it with his absolute indifference about anything else related to coaching, it was a fatal combination.

Maintaining my membership in the “Lovie stunk” club.
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Lovie did stink, but in a strange roundabout way the program is exactly where we dreamed it would be when he was hired almost exactly a decade ago.

Had we gone through with the second season under Cubit and done a proper coaching search thereafter there is a pretty decent chance we'd have ended up with someone better suited to the job than Lovie, but butterfly effect, I would not go back and make that switch.
 
#253      
IlliniWu
ChiefGritty said:
Oh I dunno, you really can't deny the quality of scouting, particularly on defense, that staff did. What was the name of that pro personnel guy he brought on after his first season? That guy is an unsung hero.

Lovie was not suited to running a college program and didn't have the ability or seemingly the willingness to adjust, and we were right to move on. He left Bielema a ton of talent though, and thank goodness Bret had the foresight and ability to exploit that.
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James Kirkland if that's who you're referring to. They gave Illinois some of its greatest players which some were further developed by the current staff. Joseph was the highest paid S in history when he signed, Spoon is going to be the highest paid CB ever when he signs/re-signs, etc. Potential HOF players (And Illinois is elite in that category). With all the leadership in place, such is life. The good thing about it is there is a plan (Now with results), that you will feel good regardless of what is going on. We Will Win.
 
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#255      
IlliniFan85
bluemountain said:
If it had only been one or two guys, you can call it luck. But you're talking Witherspoon, Quan, Brown, Joseph, Hansen, Newton....all of whom were 2 or low 3 star guys....that indicates some level of skill
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I agree. Lovie and his profootball staff were great at finding under recruited talented guys with lots of potential, but they could not develop any of those players. And they couldn't scheme a college game. Bret and the staffs that he has had are hands down better at developing that talent.
 
#257      
skyIdub
So, this is interesting.👀
Super Bowl points by alumni.
www.instagram.com

Everything College Football 🏈 on Instagram: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can

13K likes, 342 comments - gritcfb on February 6, 2026: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can make this a little bit tricky when...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

If you had told me we were ahead of OSU, scUM, FSU, Tenn…..etc….I would assume you were drunk?
 
#258      
Illinivek23
skyIdub said:
So, this is interesting.👀
Super Bowl points by alumni.
www.instagram.com

Everything College Football 🏈 on Instagram: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can

13K likes, 342 comments - gritcfb on February 6, 2026: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can make this a little bit tricky when...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

If you had told me we were ahead of OSU, scUM, FSU, Tenn…..etc….I would assume you were drunk?
Click to expand...
Bama not even on this list!

Assume Franco Harris put PSU so high?
 
#259      
skyIdub
skyIdub said:
So, this is interesting.👀
Super Bowl points by alumni.
www.instagram.com

Everything College Football 🏈 on Instagram: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can

13K likes, 342 comments - gritcfb on February 6, 2026: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can make this a little bit tricky when...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

If you had told me we were ahead of OSU, scUM, FSU, Tenn…..etc….I would assume you were drunk?
Click to expand...

🤣Illini In The Pros!! Duh!🤷🏼‍♂️

Thanks Dan
 
#260      
Bucktown
skyIdub said:
o, this is interesting.👀
Super Bowl points by alumni.
www.instagram.com

Everything College Football 🏈 on Instagram: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can

13K likes, 342 comments - gritcfb on February 6, 2026: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can make this a little bit tricky when...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

If you had told me we were ahead of OSU, scUM, FSU, Tenn…..etc….I would assume you were drunk?
Click to expand...
Howard Griffith I think has 21 points by himself.
 
#263      
Grandpa
Several Illinois Fighting Illini football alumni have scored points in the Super Bowl, including touchdowns by Rashard Mendenhall, Pierre Thomas, and Howard Griffith. Other notable scoring alumni include running back Bill Brown, receivers, and specialists who have contributed to championship wins.
  • Rashard Mendenhall (RB): Scored for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII (TD) and XLV (TD).
  • Pierre Thomas (RB): Scored for the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV (TD).
  • Howard Griffith (FB): Scored for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII (TDs).
  • Tony Eason (QB): Scored for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX (TD).
  • Kelvin Hayden (DB): Scored for the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI (Interception TD).
  • Carey Davis (FB): Scored for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
  • Greg Lewis (WR): Scored for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
  • Jameel Cook (FB): Scored for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
  • Neil Rackers (K): Scored for the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
  • Steve Weatherford (P): Recorded a safety for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.
Other Illini have appeared in the Super Bowl as winners or participants, such as Nick Allegretti, Ted Karras, and Eugene Wilson, often contributing to teams that won championships.

this is AI, so it may be wrong
 
#266      
GrayGhost77
skyIdub said:
So, this is interesting.👀
Super Bowl points by alumni.
www.instagram.com

Everything College Football 🏈 on Instagram: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can

13K likes, 342 comments - gritcfb on February 6, 2026: "Ranking colleges by the points their alumni have scored in the Super Bowl 🔥🏈 Note: Passing TDs were assigned to the receiver, not the QB, in line with NFL scorekeeping Also note: The transfer portal can make this a little bit tricky when...
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

If you had told me we were ahead of OSU, scUM, FSU, Tenn…..etc….I would assume you were drunk?
Click to expand...
I feel like that list must be excluding QBs? If not then it's very wrong as Tom Brady scored 21 TDs himself over his many Superbowl appearances, so scUM would be much higher.
 
#268      
skyIdub
GrayGhost77 said:
I feel like that list must be excluding QBs? If not then it's very wrong as Tom Brady scored 21 TDs himself over his many Superbowl appearances, so scUM would be much higher.
Click to expand...

0 rushing. Passing TD's assigned to receiver. So if you don't break the plane yourself...it ain't yours!


Edit....didn't see Mr. Tibbs got it!
 
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