Photo: Illinois CFB Unveils 1920s-Style Throwback Uniforms with 'Leather' Helmets
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVAugust 8, 2024
Illinois is going to turn back the clock when it takes on Michigan during the upcoming college football season.
The Big Ten program revealed it will wear 1920s-themed throwback uniforms against the Wolverines on Oct. 19 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the game when Red Grange scored six touchdowns against the powerhouse program:
Illinois Football @IlliniFootballFrom individually hand-painted helmets to the top uniform technology in the world, our players will honor 100 years of tradition while being equipped with the best in football on Oct. 19.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Illini?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Illini</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HTTO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HTTO</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/famILLy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#famILLy</a> <a href="https://t.co/XM9yfKndbh">pic.twitter.com/XM9yfKndbh</a>
The helmets will be individually hand painted and made to look like the old leather ones the Fighting Illini previously wore.
"The end product came out just as good, if not better, than what we envisioned," director of football equipment operations Jake Rosch said. "I think the helmets, coupled with the uniform, are a really classic look. I think they will impress a lot of people with the way everything turned out."
Illinois' uniforms for the high-profile showdown against the reigning national champions will be part of the Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary season.
Illinois Football @IlliniFootball"So iconic as far as the history of football."<br><br>Individually hand-painted, each helmet being worn in the Memorial Stadium Rededication Game went through an intricate process to be ready for game day on October 19th. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Illini?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Illini</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HTTO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HTTO</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/famILLy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#famILLy</a> <a href="https://t.co/CxaZlPR449">pic.twitter.com/CxaZlPR449</a>
The Fighting Illini would surely like to replicate some of that previous success, as they went 8-0 in 1923, 6-1-1 in 1924, 7-0-1 in 1927 and 7-1 in 1928. Grange was a driving force behind some of that success as a three-time All-American in the 1920s who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
By comparison, Illinois has just five winning seasons since the turn of the century in 2000.
If the program is going to rediscover some of that previous success, it will need to perform well in marquee games like the one against the Wolverines.
Illinois also plays Penn State and Oregon during the upcoming campaign.