New Illinois Football Uniforms
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mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
Well that's great, because all orange is hideous.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah ... how the hell don't we go O/O/W with the current set?! While I don't love the O/W/W look on the road (that we wore at KU), I do think the white pants themselves look really slick, and I think they would look great with the orange jersey (or even the navy jersey, for that matter).
We should just quite simply never wear all orange, haha ... it's just not good, IMO!
Meanwhile, I think orange jerseys with white pants can actually look pretty slick as a selectively used alternate.
Some people have been calling for the navy pants with the orange, but ... woof, I am not a fan, myself (and yes, I am trying really hard to look past the terrible orange helmet, haha).
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Yeah ... how the hell don't we go O/O/W with the current set?! While I don't love the O/W/W look on the road (that we wore at KU), I do think the white pants themselves look really slick, and I think they would look great with the orange jersey (or even the navy jersey, for that matter).
We should just quite simply never wear all orange, haha ... it's just not good, IMO!
Meanwhile, I think orange jerseys with white pants can actually look pretty slick as a selectively used alternate.
Some people have been calling for the navy pants with the orange, but ... woof, I am not a fan, myself (and yes, I am trying really hard to look past the terrible orange helmet, haha).
Stacking photos like this in the thread make it painfully obvious about the lack of consistency in orange hue.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
In the first photo I posted, I don't even think our jerseys and pants are the same shade of orange!
I think the new unis in all orange could look pretty good, using the Patriots red as a benchmark:
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Worth noting, though, that they do not have a red helmet here. If we had an alternate white helmet with a B/O/B stripe and we only did this on special occasions ... okay, maybe. But I just don't like orange for all three components.
Shief
- Champaign Area
O/O/W and O/O/B have looked good in the past, O/O/O would not. We really need a second color somewhere in the combo.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
This^^^ to an extremely large exponent. O/O/O = horrible. B^3, too.
I'm definitely down with the O/O/W kit, and take any opportunity allowing me to tout it and to post a photo of Terry Hawthorne's epic 50-yard sprinting DAWG take-down of Roy Roundtree at the goal line in 2009 that turned the game irrevocably in our favor. One of the greatest plays in Illini football history IMO.
BTW, what's with the bored disinterest of the Illini onlookers in this photo?! I was literally standing and shouting in my living room as he closed in pursuit of the receiver. Alarmed my poor 5-year-old daughter.
If I wasn't Battle89 I might have chosen Hawthorne89. Might be my favorite sequence ever for Illinois football when combined with the goal line stand.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, those look great. Given the uniform we had in that era, it might have been my favorite orange uniform combo we have had in recent memory ... certainly better than these...
I'm sure a lot had to do with our record at the time.
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
it is my favorite Illini play ever, only made sweeter by the fact that we kept them out of the endzone for the next 4 plays
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Yes; the entire package was electrifying, particularly because we seemed dead in the water at the beginning of the second half, they were driving, and I recall fearing it could get ugly. Then the Hawthorning occurred, followed by the two-replay, four-down goal-line stand, and 31 straight unanswered points in the final ~25 minutes. As a bonus, it was Halloween so I could take my daughter out trick-or-treating afterward. I checked the photos from that day. Here are the pumpkins I carved for her (speaking of orange uniforms.) She really liked cats back then:
That Michigan second half is all I care to recall of that hideous season, though I still can't get the Benny Hill-like ridiculous carom that yielded Fresno State a basketball-score victory in the finale out of my addled mind.
Look like pajamas.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Didn't look good on Syracuse in the '50s when Jim Brown was in the backfield (at right). Doesn't look good on the Illini this century, either.
No doubt a fantastic play sir. As for me, it is and will always be Rooks around right end against O$U in '83.
I’d be interested in seeing a ranking people’s favorite plays (single or combo) from over the years. In no particular order, here’s some top suggestions. I’m sure there are others as well. My personal memories begin in the early 1980’s.
Hawthorne sprint/goal line stand vs Michigan
Rooks TD run vs Ohio State, 1983
Johnny Johnson to Jimmy Klein TD vs Michigan, 1993
Fumble recovery/George to Bellamy TD I vs Indiana, 1988
Fumble recovery/George to Bellamy TD II vs Michigan State, 1989
Ty Douthard TD run in the snow vs Minnesota, 1993
8 minute game ending drive vs Ohio State, 2007
Shutout goal line stand vs Iowa, 1983
Mike Bass game winning FG vs Wisconsin 1982
Chris White game winning FG vs Ohio State, 1985
Chris Richardson’s game winner vs Ohio State, 1991
James McCourt game winning FG vs Wisconsin, 2019
Doug Higgins’ five field goals/game winner vs Michigan State, 1990
Game-sealing safety vs Michigan, 1983
Brandon Peters to Daniel Barker game winning TD vs Michigan State, 2019
Brandon Peters to Casey Washington 9 OT game winning 2 point conversion vs Penn State, 2021
Fumble call reversal vs Iowa, 2022
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I just rewatched the clip on YouTube this morning (here for anyone who wants to relive it!), and two things took me by surprise:
1. Even in 2009 when we had been a colossal disappointment, our crowd is SO MUCH BETTER than it is now. Yelling on third down is not hard!!
2. I totally forgot they initially called a second Michigan TD that had to be overturned for our goal line stand to succeed. I flat-out guarantee you Harbaugh gets the refs to screw us on that one these days, lol.
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Also,
Ty Myers pick 6 to seal the win at OSU in 2001 (I might be biased since I was sitting in the endzone that he ran into)
Kurt Kittner catching the TD pass in the MicronPC.com bowl (1999), then chucking the ball into the upper deck. Game wasn't that memorable since we blew them out in a minor bowl game, but that play had me and my roommates laughing so hard.
This game is probably the reason I love this uniform combo so much. I was 10 watching this game going nuts on that run.
GREAT list - thanks. I'll just leave the top three here ^^^ that spark the biggest emotional response in me. I was in bars for at least two of those, maybe all of them, so alcohol may be a factor!
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