Pregame: Illinois vs Chattanooga, Thursday, September 22nd, 7:30pm CT, BTN

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#251      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
The Chris Farley/Bielema/Chippendale is a new high for you, Mr Pru. That is some quality material, sir.

I don't like the BYONL part, but I do understand. I really, really do.
This^^

I didn't want to like those BB/Farley GIFS... rather disturbing... but yet I really, really did.
 
#252      
Pretty cool that one of the football legends played for the Illini and will be at the game tonight! I grew up watching Dick Butkus play for the bears.
I took the following lines from his Wikipedia bio:

In his first year on the varsity team, he was named to the 1962 All-Big Ten Conference football team as the third-team center by the Associated Press (AP) and second-team center by United Press International (UPI).[8][9] In 1963, Illinois compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. Butkus was named the team's most valuable player for the season, and was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player.[10] He was a unanimous choice as a center for the 1963 College Football All-America Team, earning first-team honors from all seven major selectors.[11]

As a senior in 1964, Butkus was named the team's co-captain along with safety George Donnelly.[12] UPI deemed Butkus college football's Lineman of the Year for 1964,
[

I can remember him playing on the offensive line, mostly in goal line situations but his bread and butter was always as a linebacker. Goodness, the award for the top collegiate linebacker is named after him. It seems odd to me that the majority of his collegiate accolades were at center. Why? Was there some superhuman person playing linebacker in those years who beat him out for awards at that position?
 
#253      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
This^^

I didn't want to like those BB/Farley GIFS... rather disturbing... but yet I really, really did.
Does anyone know who that is next to BB in the chippendales gif......I thought it was so humorous but can't figure out who it is .....thanks in advance.....
 
#254      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
I took the following lines from his Wikipedia bio:

In his first year on the varsity team, he was named to the 1962 All-Big Ten Conference football team as the third-team center by the Associated Press (AP) and second-team center by United Press International (UPI).[8][9] In 1963, Illinois compiled an 8–1–1 record and defeated Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. Butkus was named the team's most valuable player for the season, and was awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Big Ten's most valuable player.[10] He was a unanimous choice as a center for the 1963 College Football All-America Team, earning first-team honors from all seven major selectors.[11]

As a senior in 1964, Butkus was named the team's co-captain along with safety George Donnelly.[12] UPI deemed Butkus college football's Lineman of the Year for 1964,
[

I can remember him playing on the offensive line, mostly in goal line situations but his bread and butter was always as a linebacker. Goodness, the award for the top collegiate linebacker is named after him. It seems odd to me that the majority of his collegiate accolades were at center. Why? Was there some superhuman person playing linebacker in those years who beat him out for awards at that position?
That's a really good question. SI had a long story on him during his senior year. I read it last year online but don't recall at all the detail about him playing center, just the author raving about him as a linebacker. I just looked up the All-American team for 1964 when he was a senior. He made the consensus team as a center and was UPI Lineman of the Year.

He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award for top Big Ten football player as a junior... at LB. AND he made the Consensus All-American team that same year... as a center. Amazing. He was apparently a two-way monster.
 
#255      
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#257      

Illinivek23

Gurnee
That's a really good question. SI had a long story on him during his senior year. I read it last year online but don't recall at all the detail about him playing center, just the author raving about him as a linebacker. I just looked up the All-American team for 1964 when he was a senior. He made the consensus team as a center and was UPI Lineman of the Year.

He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award for top Big Ten football player as a junior... at LB. AND he made the Consensus All-American team that same year... as a center. Amazing. He was apparently a two-way monster.
Wasn't Ray Nitchske the same 2-way player at C/LB preceding DB? Amazing succession plan!
 
#258      
Interesting what you folks dug up about Butkus getting awards as a center. I met a guy from Purdue who played against him as D lineman. We had several conversations over the course of a year about different things. He said Dick was about average for the Big Ten, a couple other centers were better. IIRC, he said a guy from Michigan was way better at center.

This guy from Purdue was very happy he didn't play on the offensive line and face Dick as a linebacker. Something about watching the guys Dick "laid the wood to" hobble back to the bench. You understand that I can't use the exact terminology the Purdue guy used, this being a family site. But, he was extremely happy to have escaped Dick's fury.
 
#259      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
Wasn't Ray Nitchske the same 2-way player at C/LB preceding DB? Amazing succession plan!
He was apparently a FB/LB. And apparently a three-way threat, as he started out as a QB. This is from his Wikipedia page. I am LMAO at this description of him! These guys were beasts! Reminds me of the NHL of yore. No helmets on the players, no face masks on the goalies, massive post-retirement dental bills.


While at Illinois, Nitschke smoked, drank heavily, and fought at the drop of a hat. Never a good student in high school, his grades suffered at college. In his sophomore year in 1955, due to a depletion of players in the offensive backfield, Illini head coach Ray Eliot moved Nitschke from quarterback to fullback,[9] shattering his childhood dream of quarterbacking a team to a victory in the Rose Bowl. At this time, college football had reverted to primarily single-platoon football, meaning those players that were on offense had to switch to defense, and vice versa, when ball possession changed. On defense, Nitschke played linebacker. He proved to be a very skilled player and tackler as a linebacker, so much so that, by his senior year, Paul Brown considered him the best linebacker in college football.[10]

In his junior year in 1956 against Ohio State, Nitschke lost his four front teeth on the opening kick-off. Nitschke never wore a face mask and one of the Buckeye's player's helmets hit him in the mouth knocking out two teeth initially; the other two were hanging by the roots. He played the rest of the game.[11]
 
#261      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
That's a really good question. SI had a long story on him during his senior year. I read it last year online but don't recall at all the detail about him playing center, just the author raving about him as a linebacker. I just looked up the All-American team for 1964 when he was a senior. He made the consensus team as a center and was UPI Lineman of the Year.

He won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award for top Big Ten football player as a junior... at LB. AND he made the Consensus All-American team that same year... as a center. Amazing. He was apparently a two-way monster.
Didn't Nitschke ( sp) also pull double duty ????

my bad ....didn't read the full thread....sorry...................
 
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#266      

Epsilon

M tipping over
Pdx
He was apparently a FB/LB. And apparently a three-way threat, as he started out as a QB. This is from his Wikipedia page. I am LMAO at this description of him! These guys were beasts! Reminds me of the NHL of yore. No helmets on the players, no face masks on the goalies, massive post-retirement dental bills.


While at Illinois, Nitschke smoked, drank heavily, and fought at the drop of a hat. Never a good student in high school, his grades suffered at college. In his sophomore year in 1955, due to a depletion of players in the offensive backfield, Illini head coach Ray Eliot moved Nitschke from quarterback to fullback,[9] shattering his childhood dream of quarterbacking a team to a victory in the Rose Bowl. At this time, college football had reverted to primarily single-platoon football, meaning those players that were on offense had to switch to defense, and vice versa, when ball possession changed. On defense, Nitschke played linebacker. He proved to be a very skilled player and tackler as a linebacker, so much so that, by his senior year, Paul Brown considered him the best linebacker in college football.[10]

In his junior year in 1956 against Ohio State, Nitschke lost his four front teeth on the opening kick-off. Nitschke never wore a face mask and one of the Buckeye's player's helmets hit him in the mouth knocking out two teeth initially; the other two were hanging by the roots. He played the rest of the game.[11]
season 6 episode 23 GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
 
#269      
Update ... apparently TEN THOUSAND student tickets have been distributed. I know the tickets are free, but these are also (often) financially insecure college kids ... if we can't get 25k "adults" in the stands, it is my humble opinion that this is sad. Forget people driving from Chicago or even Peoria/Bloomington. There are more than enough people in Champaign to not have this kind of apathy for a team that is clearly improving! :cool:
 
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