Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Can confirm.
Your Illini Football Away Games Experience(s)
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
I’ve never been to Iowa, but I can confirm that many drunk fans can be found in Madison. As part of the Rockford Area Illini Club, over the years I organized many fan bus trips to Wisconsin and Northwestern. The most memorable one to Madison was in October 1989 when we were invited to join the UW‘s Rockford club on their trip of six busses with our two Illini busses. Those Badgers sure know how to have fun. We met at the Hoffman House in Rockford where a three piece polka band played at 7:00 a.m. with Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers and donuts. We traveled the hour trip to a parking lot right next to the stadium, where we all unloaded, including the band, with kegs and a bbq set up for brats and burgers. It was quite a pregame party. Illinois beat UW 32-9 so the ride home was probably not as fun for the Badgers. All I can say for Northwestern is that it almost always rained, making tailgating and the game awful, and that stadium was a dump. My husband and I have also gone to four bowl games: two Roses, a Sugar, and a Hall of Fame, all of which Illinois lost. Our Illini friends have made us vow to never attend another.
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This sentence stood out to me, and I have a question. What would you say the NCAA fan breakdown is in the Rockford MSA? Are Rockford folks (besides you!) really that disloyal to the state school Illini?!
I know it's pretty close to Madison, but I was assuming there were still more Illini fans overall!I was there too. That place was LOUD. I can't decide if that was louder or Illinois/Zona in Rosemont. Close call but I've experienced nothing louder.
I watched OSU beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. LSU fans were much louder.
Been to a couple bowl games, game at UNC a few years ago...but only conference road game I think I've been to was 1988 Ohio State...we beat them, OSU fans took it pretty well.
Anyone know the OSU side story on that game?
Anyone know the OSU side story on that game?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
For those Illini fans who have attended bowl games, it seems like we actually travel quite well (or at least MUCH better than the Average Joe might assume we would) when we are decent. Our last three truly big-time bowls were complete and total "away games" - UCLA in Pasadena, LSU in New Orleans and USC in Pasadena. However, it seems we brought quite a few fans all three times, considering it was WAY easier for other fan base to attend.
It was difficult to tell what our turnout was like last year in Tampa, but it seemed pretty good?
It was difficult to tell what our turnout was like last year in Tampa, but it seemed pretty good?
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
We have a fairly large fan base here in Rockford, but there are many Badger fans here (as well as Packer fans) due to proximity. We used to get very decent turnouts for events, but like everywhere in the state, the more the Illini lost, the less interest and participation. When the newly created Illini caravan came two springs ago, we had about 150 people there.This sentence stood out to me, and I have a question. What would you say the NCAA fan breakdown is in the Rockford MSA? Are Rockford folks (besides you!) really that disloyal to the state school Illini?!
cuillini
- San Bernardino, Ca.
My experience at Az St. was that the tailgate was an excuse for a huge party. It just happened to be next to the stadium.......Students all left at half time. Needless to say, we were not impressed.
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
That Sugar Bowl was basically a home game for LSU. Three quarters of the arena were puke purple. We were in New Orleans for four nights. Their totally obnoxious fans didn’t even come to Bourbon Street until the night before the game to scream “Tiger Bait” in our faces. I agree it was loud, but I was also at the ‘greatest game in the history of the world’ in Rosemont. Just on principle, even though there were lots less people, I’ll say the Illinois/AZ game was louder in the Horizon than LSU was. In fact, when Deron hit that three, it was the loudest moment I’ve heard in my life.
ASU was definitely strange. Completely agree the tailgate was more like a very R rated college party. It was ummmmm, eye-opening, nothing like the family friendly B10 tailgates, however everyone there was having a very very good time.
That all said, I agree with you that they were truly awful fans. Many left very early, most I ran into were extremely obnoxious. And weirdly I received more obscenities thrown at me and people in my face just for being there minding my own business than in all other venues combined. Just very strange crowd.
Closest thing I can describe them for those who weren't there is if they had the personality of a cross between Dane Cook and Daniel Tosh. Would not recommend returning, unless you're looking to party hard with college kids, in which case, wear ASU gear.
Been to Purdue for a lot of games - we live close. For your Purdue trip, check out Slayter Hill two hours before the game - Purdue Band pep rally at the band shell. Cool tradition. I have not seen their new stadium renovations - they look interesting.Great idea @Fighter.
Ohio State: Grew up there going to games in '70s and early '80s, so I'm biased. One of the great gameday experiences and stadiums, IMO. After I became a student at Illinois I had a nice 3-0 run of seeing the Illini beat OSU there in 1988/1990/2001. That 2001 game was the season after they lowered the field and virtually closed the horseshoe. Loud AF. We beat them anyway
Iowa: Saw the Iowa-Michigan game there in October 2003. Fantastic gameday experience, blue skies, peak fall weather. Seems like everyone in the state of Iowa is tailgating there. Excellent BBQ pork, as I recall. Kinnick is a great place to see a game. The contest was really exciting, too. #22 Iowa prevailed over #9 Michigan 30-27. Probably the only matchup when I would ever root for Iowa, lol. Saw a fun women's volleyball game the evening before in Carver-Hawkeye. The Cubs were rockin' the NLDS v. the Braves at that time (it was 10 days before the Bartman meltdown) and we enjoyed watching the game that evening in a campus bar. A good time all 'round.
Michigan: Saw the 2001 Illini loss there (45-20). Such an ugly stadium: a giant featureless bowl. The best I can say for it is no obstructed sightlines. As I left the stadium a guy around 30 taunted me for my Illinois sweatshirt. I shot back that he'd better enjoy this short-lived feeling because at least I'd enjoy two beat-downs over Michigan during the coming basketball season (they were the dregs of the conference at the time.) He kinda choked at my retort, laughed and sheepishly said "Touché." That felt good, at least, particularly because there was a crowd who heard it and they all saw an Illinois Man put a Michigan Man in his place swiftly and publicly. And indeed we beat them by 24 in Champaign and 8 in Ann Arbor, and they finished in 10th place.
Penn State: Saw the 2008 Saturday night, ESPN-prime time #22 Illini loss to #12 PSU 38-24. PSU won the conference that season. I really believed nothing in the BT could top seeing a game in Ohio Stadium. Penn State equaled it. Capacity crowd, night game, spent all afternoon in the campus bars watching football. Just a great experience. Stopped by Rec Hall and saw part of a volleyball game there. It was designed by the architect who designed the Palestra in Philly (IMO the finest college basketball venue in America). PSU basketball played there until that awful Bryce-Jordan Arena was built in the '90s. Anyway, it's a great arena, holds less than 7k and would be an entertaining place to watch a basketball game if they still played there. Huge home-court advantage (as if we don't have enough trouble beating them on the road as it is.)
Syracuse: Saw the 2007 Illini 41-20 victory there in the Carrier Dome (now named something else.) I'd seen games there with my brother (who has lived there for 40 years) back in the Donovan McNabb days in the '90s. When that stadium is full and Syracuse is good, it rocks. That year Syracuse was meh and the fans/students weren't too juiced, tho' we were
Northwestern: 1987. Dyche Stadium, atmosphere, weather, Illini performance: *gack*, across the board. 3-7-1 season. Mike White resigned two months later.
Purdue: ???? Heading there in 24 days for the game. Can't wait.
Maryland: ???? Will be there in mid-October for the game. My expectations of the venue are low. Even my ex-Maryland hoops player buddy admits it's uninspiring. They have a decent team so I hope the crowd is good.
Gotta hit Madison for an Illini game at some point, and also Michigan State.
Been to UM, MSU, NW, IU and PU. The most memorable was the 22-22 tie at Michigan. The angst of the UM fans made it feel like a win. Then we beat then there the next season, which was awesome.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Hmm. Wasn't my experience but then I wasn't near the tailgate areas at all. People were generally courteous. I do remember a lot of ASU fans leaving early as the game was already in hand by halftime. Also happened to bump into Mason Monheim's family walking to the stadium and they were very cool people.
Expanded review/ranking of the four new B1G schools (from personal experiences):
Town
1. Washington -- Seattle is a wonderful city to visit. UW is about four miles from Downtown and Seattle Center, with a modern light rail line that takes you literally right to Husky Stadium. Campus next door is pretty.
2. UCLA -- As most people know, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena is 25 miles away from the UCLA campus in Westwood. Pasadena is a decently sized town itself, with a vibrant commercial area (Old Pasadena) that is a somewhat lengthy, but doable walk from the stadium; maybe 1.5 miles. The stadium setting in the Arroyo Seco is spectacular.
3. USC -- Stadium and school aren't located in a nice part of town, but it's still L.A., baby. There are several excellent museums right next door (reminiscent of Chicago's Museum Campus), the 'SC campus itself is kind of nice, and Downtown is just a short drive/few subway stops away.
4. Oregon -- Eugene is a pretty charming college town. My little brother attended there. Just as nice or nicer than most of the legacy B1G college towns. It's just not a major city like Seattle or L.A.
Tailgating
1. Washington -- there's nothing like Sailgating on a boat on Lake Washington before a game. The traditional layout for regular folks who arrive in cars is also good. Like the Rose Bowl, the setting is really pretty (when it isn't raining).
2. UCLA -- see above, re: setting. Most of the game parking/tailgating occurs on a golf course north of the stadium that is closed for game days. Lots of room to spread out, and the weather is almost always wonderful.
3. USC -- not nearly as scenic as Pasadena. Most tailgating occurs in paved parking lots. Kind of crowded. (Also, see comment on 'SC fan attitudes below).
4. Oregon -- I didn't tailgate on my trips here. Seems to me that there is not a lot of space for tailgating outside of the stadium.
Stadium Experience
1. Oregon -- Autzen Zoo lives up to its name. Fans are engaged. Smallest and newest stadium of the four by far, so offers the best sightlines, concessions and bathrooms. Gets ridiculously loud. There's a reason why the Ducks rarely lose at home.
2. USC -- Even after $200mm of renovations, the stadium still shows it age, and some of the seats are really far from the playing surface. But I have to concede that all of their pageantry schtick with the band, song girls, Traveler, Tommy Trojan is a pretty classic and great college football tradition to experience.
3. Washington -- Husky Stadium got fixed up a lot about 15 years ago when the NFL moved in for several years. Most seating is pretty close to the field, even in the end zones (the way our SEZ should be reconfigured). Gets demerits for the gray, dark, rainy weather that hits about half the time. I don't care how nice a stadium is -- sitting in the rain sucks.
4. UCLA -- due to bowl configuration, the majority of seats are in the end zones and FAR from the field. Generally uncomfortable bench seating. Place usually looks half empty except for the 'SC game. Concessions and bathrooms leave a lot to be desired. Very long tunnels into the seating area get scarily claustrophobic. But, man, the weather, palm trees and watching the sun go down over the mountains make up for a lot of the shortcomings.
Dealing with Opposing Fanbase
1. UCLA -- Fans here are generally mellow, friendly and not terribly engaged with what's happening on the field. Lots of eye candy. Most welcoming place for visitors by far.
2. Washington -- I found these fans to be the most similar to those we find in the Midwest. Generally friendly while the game isn't on; ignore visitors when the game starts.
3. Oregon -- Fans are generally friendly until the game starts. They can get pretty sauced and antagonistic towards visitors once the game starts, particularly towards traditional rivals like OSU, UW, USC. Due to limited seating capacity, visitors seem to always be in a small minority.
132. USC - in my experience, the most obnoxious, awful, antagonistic fanbase that exists in CFB, and worst of all, they are *proud* to be complete d-bags. Silver lining: when the visitors manage to win, the schadenfreude is delicious (I've been there twice when they lost to UCLA).
Town
1. Washington -- Seattle is a wonderful city to visit. UW is about four miles from Downtown and Seattle Center, with a modern light rail line that takes you literally right to Husky Stadium. Campus next door is pretty.
2. UCLA -- As most people know, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena is 25 miles away from the UCLA campus in Westwood. Pasadena is a decently sized town itself, with a vibrant commercial area (Old Pasadena) that is a somewhat lengthy, but doable walk from the stadium; maybe 1.5 miles. The stadium setting in the Arroyo Seco is spectacular.
3. USC -- Stadium and school aren't located in a nice part of town, but it's still L.A., baby. There are several excellent museums right next door (reminiscent of Chicago's Museum Campus), the 'SC campus itself is kind of nice, and Downtown is just a short drive/few subway stops away.
4. Oregon -- Eugene is a pretty charming college town. My little brother attended there. Just as nice or nicer than most of the legacy B1G college towns. It's just not a major city like Seattle or L.A.
Tailgating
1. Washington -- there's nothing like Sailgating on a boat on Lake Washington before a game. The traditional layout for regular folks who arrive in cars is also good. Like the Rose Bowl, the setting is really pretty (when it isn't raining).
2. UCLA -- see above, re: setting. Most of the game parking/tailgating occurs on a golf course north of the stadium that is closed for game days. Lots of room to spread out, and the weather is almost always wonderful.
3. USC -- not nearly as scenic as Pasadena. Most tailgating occurs in paved parking lots. Kind of crowded. (Also, see comment on 'SC fan attitudes below).
4. Oregon -- I didn't tailgate on my trips here. Seems to me that there is not a lot of space for tailgating outside of the stadium.
Stadium Experience
1. Oregon -- Autzen Zoo lives up to its name. Fans are engaged. Smallest and newest stadium of the four by far, so offers the best sightlines, concessions and bathrooms. Gets ridiculously loud. There's a reason why the Ducks rarely lose at home.
2. USC -- Even after $200mm of renovations, the stadium still shows it age, and some of the seats are really far from the playing surface. But I have to concede that all of their pageantry schtick with the band, song girls, Traveler, Tommy Trojan is a pretty classic and great college football tradition to experience.
3. Washington -- Husky Stadium got fixed up a lot about 15 years ago when the NFL moved in for several years. Most seating is pretty close to the field, even in the end zones (the way our SEZ should be reconfigured). Gets demerits for the gray, dark, rainy weather that hits about half the time. I don't care how nice a stadium is -- sitting in the rain sucks.
4. UCLA -- due to bowl configuration, the majority of seats are in the end zones and FAR from the field. Generally uncomfortable bench seating. Place usually looks half empty except for the 'SC game. Concessions and bathrooms leave a lot to be desired. Very long tunnels into the seating area get scarily claustrophobic. But, man, the weather, palm trees and watching the sun go down over the mountains make up for a lot of the shortcomings.
Dealing with Opposing Fanbase
1. UCLA -- Fans here are generally mellow, friendly and not terribly engaged with what's happening on the field. Lots of eye candy. Most welcoming place for visitors by far.
2. Washington -- I found these fans to be the most similar to those we find in the Midwest. Generally friendly while the game isn't on; ignore visitors when the game starts.
3. Oregon -- Fans are generally friendly until the game starts. They can get pretty sauced and antagonistic towards visitors once the game starts, particularly towards traditional rivals like OSU, UW, USC. Due to limited seating capacity, visitors seem to always be in a small minority.
132. USC - in my experience, the most obnoxious, awful, antagonistic fanbase that exists in CFB, and worst of all, they are *proud* to be complete d-bags. Silver lining: when the visitors manage to win, the schadenfreude is delicious (I've been there twice when they lost to UCLA).
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
^ Absolutely loved every word of this, thank you for posting!!
-Peach Bowl, NYE 1985, a cold and rainy Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta vs. Army. Stadium was about half full (or empty, depending on your outlook). We lost on a failed 2-pt conversion attempt. A fitting end to an odd season (beating #5 OSU, tying #4 Mich, blown out by #6 Iowa (59-0)).
-Rutgers, 2006, non-conference game at the time, early Sept, second season of the Ron Zook era. Beautiful day, high school-ish stadium, and woeful Illini football bordering on the comedic at times (needed a Benny Hill soundtrack). We got blanked 33-0.
-Rose Bowl, Jan 1 2008. A beautiful day at one of the best places for tailgating. The stadium was packed of course, lots of Illini fans, half maybe. The moments just before kickoff were absolutely electric, I thought the stadium would spin off its foundation.
-Rutgers, 2006, non-conference game at the time, early Sept, second season of the Ron Zook era. Beautiful day, high school-ish stadium, and woeful Illini football bordering on the comedic at times (needed a Benny Hill soundtrack). We got blanked 33-0.
-Rose Bowl, Jan 1 2008. A beautiful day at one of the best places for tailgating. The stadium was packed of course, lots of Illini fans, half maybe. The moments just before kickoff were absolutely electric, I thought the stadium would spin off its foundation.
Cook
- Richmond, VA
Me too, disappointed we couldn't pull that one out.
All-American Bowl was fun against Florida, wish Illini could have worn blue jerseys vs Florida in their orange. Several future NFL players in that game including Emmitt Smith. Stadium in Montgomery was a dump.
Citrus Bowl in Orlando- somehow we got seats amongst a big pack of UVA fans and they were by far the most obnoxious fans I have ever seen, without question. Even their band was obnoxious- goofy Stanford style, no uniforms, mocking the opponent. Great win but they took the fun out of it.
Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa - it was over early, we were no match for Clemson. One of those days when one side of your face gets sunburned. Got sick of that Clemson band playing Tiger Rag after every play.
MicronPC.com Bowl in Miami - an absolute blast, seeing us smear UVA again. It’s the stadium where the Dolphins play, and it’s first rate.
Rose Bowl vs USC — trip of a lifetime. If you ever have a chance to go, go. And go to the parade- it’s wonderful. The stadium tunnels are too small and the restrooms are too few but it doesn’t matter.
1981 we went to Purdue and got into the PU student section. Tony Eason got us out to a 20-0 lead and we were whooping it up, not making any friends. Turned out Purdue won 44-20 and we took a lot of heat.
In more recent times we went to road games at Syracuse and UConn. College football just isn’t the same in the northeast. Illini won those games but it’s not a great fan experience in my opinion. Carrier Dome feels weird with the diffused light coming through the dome.
Citrus Bowl in Orlando- somehow we got seats amongst a big pack of UVA fans and they were by far the most obnoxious fans I have ever seen, without question. Even their band was obnoxious- goofy Stanford style, no uniforms, mocking the opponent. Great win but they took the fun out of it.
Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa - it was over early, we were no match for Clemson. One of those days when one side of your face gets sunburned. Got sick of that Clemson band playing Tiger Rag after every play.
MicronPC.com Bowl in Miami - an absolute blast, seeing us smear UVA again. It’s the stadium where the Dolphins play, and it’s first rate.
Rose Bowl vs USC — trip of a lifetime. If you ever have a chance to go, go. And go to the parade- it’s wonderful. The stadium tunnels are too small and the restrooms are too few but it doesn’t matter.
1981 we went to Purdue and got into the PU student section. Tony Eason got us out to a 20-0 lead and we were whooping it up, not making any friends. Turned out Purdue won 44-20 and we took a lot of heat.
In more recent times we went to road games at Syracuse and UConn. College football just isn’t the same in the northeast. Illini won those games but it’s not a great fan experience in my opinion. Carrier Dome feels weird with the diffused light coming through the dome.
Fun topic! With the Marching Illini:
1. 1987 Michigan State - given the season we were having we were overjoyed that we tied.
2. 1988 Ohio State - fun trip and won 31-12.
3. 1989 Iowa - won 31-7 before losing to Michigan the next game
4. 1990 Michigan - got pegged by marshmallows and lost the game 22-17
5. 1988 All American Bowl - for the band we were thrilled with a bowl trip. I agree that the stadium was a dump
6. 1989 Citrus Bowl - really fun bowl trip and beating Virginia, despite stomach flu on the bus trip down
7. 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl - fun bowl trip with more time on the beach, great half-time performance but the game was a downer. Effectively a graduation present from the U of I.
Post college:
1. 1994 Liberty Bowl - beat ECU 30-0. I remember that ECU had these foam swords that were nice souvenirs after the game
2. 1999 MicronPC.com bowl - game was a blast to watch
3. 2002 Sugar Bowl - fun times for several days in New Orleans until the LSU fans showed up
4. 2002 Bragging Rights vs Miznoz in St. Louis - disappointing start to what would be a disappointing season
4. 2008 Rose Bowl - great seeing the parade and game in person
Probably missing a number of trips to Evanston during the years I lived in the Chicago area
1. 1987 Michigan State - given the season we were having we were overjoyed that we tied
.2. 1988 Ohio State - fun trip and won 31-12.
3. 1989 Iowa - won 31-7 before losing to Michigan the next game
4. 1990 Michigan - got pegged by marshmallows and lost the game 22-17
5. 1988 All American Bowl - for the band we were thrilled with a bowl trip. I agree that the stadium was a dump
6. 1989 Citrus Bowl - really fun bowl trip and beating Virginia, despite stomach flu on the bus trip down
7. 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl - fun bowl trip with more time on the beach, great half-time performance but the game was a downer. Effectively a graduation present from the U of I.
Post college:
1. 1994 Liberty Bowl - beat ECU 30-0. I remember that ECU had these foam swords that were nice souvenirs after the game
2. 1999 MicronPC.com bowl - game was a blast to watch
3. 2002 Sugar Bowl - fun times for several days in New Orleans until the LSU fans showed up
4. 2002 Bragging Rights vs Miznoz in St. Louis - disappointing start to what would be a disappointing season
4. 2008 Rose Bowl - great seeing the parade and game in person
Probably missing a number of trips to Evanston during the years I lived in the Chicago area
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
I've been to the Big House several times, but the best was definitely 1999. 2 weeks after getting married to a nice lass from Michigan who considered scUM to be her team, we were sitting in the end zone where Rocky Harvey wreaked havoc in the 4th quarter to give the Illini a come from behind win against Tom Brady.
I also attended the 2010 game at Wrigley vs Northwestern. As a huge Cubs fan, I knew I had to go to this game. So - I purchased Northwestern season tickets just to ensure that I would have decent seats. I sold all of the other tickets on StubHub and actually made more than enough to pay for the tickets to the Wrigley game to watch Leshoure run wild on the Mildcats. Take that "Chicago's Big Ten Team".
I also attended the 2010 game at Wrigley vs Northwestern. As a huge Cubs fan, I knew I had to go to this game. So - I purchased Northwestern season tickets just to ensure that I would have decent seats. I sold all of the other tickets on StubHub and actually made more than enough to pay for the tickets to the Wrigley game to watch Leshoure run wild on the Mildcats. Take that "Chicago's Big Ten Team".
Stevegarbs
- Mokena, IL
Was also at that game after a 14-hour harrowing drive from Champaign on some icy roads. Miserable experience all around. Traveling companions did get to party with Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael as the Bears were at their playoff training camp in Swanee.
I was on the road with the Illini in 1999. I was at The Big House for the Rocky Harvey Game, I was at Iowa for the big win, and I was at OSU when Illinois handled the Buckeyes - the last game before the OSU stadium was renovated. This was the first (and I think still only) season where the Illini beat OSU, UM and Iowa all on the road.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Thank you. That's an awesome summary.
Speaking of Husky Stadium, it's in one of the most beautiful settings in college football, down on the shore of Lake Washington. It was largely demolished and reconstructed ~ 10 years ago. The original south stands (built in 1950) and the lower bowl (1920) had suffered in decades of damp weather and had structural problems. They retained the north stands, built in 1987, and completely demolished and rebuilt the rest of the stadium, including removing the track and lowering the field. I've pasted in a very cool time-lapse video below of the construction, which took two years. Play it at 2x speed
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Again, I get that money is probably the most important issue here, but if/when the time comes to renovate Memorial Stadium ... PLEASE take notes, DIA! What Washington did to their end zone seats is EXACTLY what we need to do, IMO. Pick a side to help enclose part of the stadium and have a more aesthetically pleasing exterior (probably the Horseshoe) and pick a side to have minimal capacity but look nice (probably the current student section structure, as is). Here is a view from the field of what Washington accomplished:
You want your fans as close to the field as possible, period.