By Woodrow Carroll Believe it or not, the last University of Illinois head football coach to lose his debut game at the school was Ron Turner. He and the Illini suffered a 17-point defeat at the hands of Southern Mississippi University in Champaign to begin the 1997 season that ended
By Woodrow Carroll There are 130 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. FBS refers to the heavy hitters playing collegiate football. In theory, any one of those 130 programs could win the national championship. The reality of the situation is a bit different. What are the odds that this season’s national
By Woodrow Carroll There is always a sense of anticipation just prior to the start of a sports season, including college football. The FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) honor of first up goes to the University of Illinois and Nebraska. It is listed as Week Zero on the schedule. Saturday, Aug.
By Woodrow Carroll With conference alignment expansion centered around major college football in the news, a look back is relevant. In 1947, the University of Illinois defeated UCLA, 45-14, in the Rose Bowl. The game was a shocker because UCLA went into the game as the favorite. It was the
After leaving a lasting impact on the Northern Illinois University baseball record book in his career, catcher Jake Dunham, graduate of Plainfield North High School is preparing for what he hopes is the next step in his baseball career with the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft which will begin July
The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference announced that both NACC football playoff semifinal games Saturday, April 10, were canceled due to concerns for health and safety protocols. AU, the South Division champion, 3-0, was set to be host to North Division-runner-up Wisconsin Lutheran College, 1-2, and North Division champion Lakeland University,
Aurora University senior quarterback, Gavin Zimbelman, 10, eludes a visiting Concordia University Chicago defender Saturday.
By Bobby Narang Northern Illinois University head football coach, Thomas Hammock, kicked off Spring practice by discussing the upcoming season. The former Northern Illinois star running back enters a pivotal year in his head coaching tenure after the Huskies lost all six of their games last season in the condensed
The end of the college football season ended with another success for Alabama in its 52-24 victory against Ohio State in the National championship game Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla.. The Alabama championship was its sixth in 12 years. Ohio State has won one championship in a comparable time, in
By Bobby Narang Three days into this calendar year, the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball program made headlines. In a shocking in-season move, the Huskies parted ways with long-time head coach Mark Montgomery, January 3, Northern Illinois athletic director Sean T. Frazier announced. “We thank coach Montgomery for his commitment
By Woodrow Carroll With the most uneven college football season in history coming to an end at 7 p.m. Monday, when Alabama will square off against Ohio State in the college football playoff championship game, we might offer thanks to Georgia and Ball State. Only Alabama, 12-0, and Ohio State,
By Woodrow Carroll Because of COVID-19 pandemic, at least 19 college football bowl games have been canceled, moved, or reworked. In the case of the Rose Bowl, the operative word is moved. The ugly virus has forced the Rose Bowl to move from Pasadena, Calif. to Arlington, Texas. Opponents Alabama
Northern Illinois University football player Kyle Pugh was named a semifinalist for the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America in association with The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl organization December 14. Pugh, who played in five games season,
By Woodrow Carroll Prior to an examination of the University of Illinois’ hiring of Bret Bielema as head football coach, here is a brief look back at events in the football program the last 40 years. Lovie Smith’s tenure as head football coach at the University of Illinois was terminated
By Woodrow Carroll Lovie Smith’s five-year run as Illinois’ head football coach came to an end after a particularly ugly 28-10 loss at Northwestern Saturday. To many, the hiring of Smith, who guided the Chicago Bears football fortunes from 2004-2012 and an appearance in Super Bowl XLI, the 2006 season,
By Woodrow Carroll It was bound to happen with COVID-19 laying waste to the sports scene. But, it was still painful when it did happen! Early there was a sense of optimism that Illinois, Northwestern, and Northern Illinois would play all of their scheduled top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football
By Woodrow Carroll For the second consecutive season, Illinois’ kicker, James McCourt, a 6-1 and 215-pound senior, came through at the most opportune time for the Fighting Illini. Saturday at Rutgers, McCourt’s 47-yard field goal with :03 remaining in regulation gave Illinois a 23-20 victory, its first of the season,
By Woodrow Carroll The visiting Purdue University football team played Illinois in Champaign Saturday, which figured to be interesting with the unsettling and hovering nature of COVID-19 hovering. The nasty virus played its unfriendly and unsettling part. The game, the Illini home opener, proved to be better than expected. Illinois
By Woodrow Carroll The Big Ten Conference made this season’s football debut Friday evening in Madison, Wis. with the University of Illinois at Wisconsin. The season opener was not pretty for Illinois. Wisconsin had things pretty much under control from start in a 45-7 victory. Illinois will seek to get
