The intercollegiate athletic teams of the University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign are known as the Fighting Illini. In the world of popular intercollegiate sports, the University's teams are also known as "the Illini", or commonly "Illinois". The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of top athletic facilities, including Memorial Stadium for Football , the Assembly Hall for men's Basketball , and the Atkins Tennis Center for men's and women's tennis.
The University's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics administers the official athletics teams of the University. All of the University's athletics teams participate in the NCAA 's Division I , and form the Big Ten Conference with 10 other primarily Midwestern universities. The football team participates in a subdivision within the Division I known as Division I-A.
Baseball , Basketball , Cheerleading , Cross Country , Football , Golf , Gymnastics , Tennis , Swimming and Diving , Track And Field , and Wrestling .
Basketball , Cheerleading , Cross Country , Golf , Gymnastics , Soccer , Softball , Swimming and Diving , Tennis , Track And Field , and Volleyball .
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1927, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1953, 1962, 1963, 1989, 1990, 1998, 2005
- ''National Champions'': 1915
- ''NCAA Final Four'': 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1915, 1918, 1924, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1951 1952, 1963, 1984, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
- ''Big Ten Tournament Champions'': 2003, 2005
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1997
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1921, 1947, 1984
- ''National Champions'': 1914, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1951
- ''Bowl Game Victories'': 1946 Rose Bowl , 1951 Rose Bowl , 1963 Rose Bowl , 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl , 1994 Liberty Bowl , 1999 MicronPC.com Bowl
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1910, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1946, 1951, 1953, 1963, 1983, 1990, 2001
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1923, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1940, 1941, 1988
- ''NCAA National Champions'': 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1989
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1911, 1912, 1929, 1935, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 2004
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1990
- ''Big Ten Championships'': 1911, 1912, 1913
- ''NCAA National Champions'': 2003
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1914, 1917, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1946, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- ''Big Ten Tournament Champions'': 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
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- ''NCAA National Champions'': 1921, 1926, 1943, 1945, 1946
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1928, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989
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- ''NCAA National Champions''': 1921, ''1927'', 1944, 1946, 1947 (Note: The Illini were voted unofficial National Champions in 1927, since the NCAA did not hold a National Championship competition that year.)
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1907, 1909, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994
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- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
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- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2005
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992
- ''Big Ten Champions'': 1913, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1937, 1946, 1947, 1952, 2005
- Nick Anderson - Basketball (1987-1989), played professionally for the NBA 's Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings
- Lou Boudreau - Baseball , played professionally for and managed the Cleveland Indians , and an enshrined member of the Baseball Hall Of Fame
- Dee Brown - basketball (2002-2006), senior point guard, 2005 Consensus All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year
- Dick Butkus - Football , (1962-1964) played professionally for the NFL 's Chicago Bears , and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame
- Brian Cook - Basketball (1999-2003), Third all time scorer for the Illini, currently plays professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers
- Dike Eddleman - Football , Basketball , and Track And Field (1947-49), also won a Silver Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the High Jump
- Perdita Felicien , Track And Field , first female in Illinois history to win a Gold Medal in an individual event at the World Championships
- Jeff George - Football , first overall pick of 1990 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts , also played for a variety of teams including the Atlanta Falcons , Oakland Raiders , and the Washington Redskins
- Kendall Gill - basketball (1986-1990), 1990 consensus All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year, played professionally for 15 seasons in the NBA
- Red Grange - football (1923-1925), played professionally for the NFL 's Chicago Bears , and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame
- George Halas - football, professional player, coach, and owner of the NFL's Chicago Bears, and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame
- Derek Harper - basketball (1980-1983), played professionally for 16 seasons in the NBA, ranked 11th all-time in steals and 17th in assists
- Luther Head - Basketball (2001-2005), rookie guard for the Houston Rockets
- Eddie Johnson - basketball, played professionally for 17 seasons in the NBA, and the league's 35th all-time leading scorer
- Ray Nitschke - football, played professionally for the NFL's Green Bay Packers , and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall Of Fame
- Ken Norman - basketball (1984-1987), played professionally for 10 seasons in the NBA
- Simeon Rice - Football , played professionally for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Deron Williams - basketball (2002-2005), rookie point guard for the Utah Jazz , highest Illinois basketball player ever drafted in the NBA at number three
- James Augustine - basketball (2002-2006), the all-time leader in rebounds at Illinois
A symbol of the University's athletic teams is a Native American figure, Chief Illiniwek , who has sparked significant controversy. Critics of the symbol claim that it is a racist stereotype, while supporters claim that it is unoffensive and is a source of pride for many students. The University is deeply divided on this issue; while some of the faculty have condemned the symbol, the administration is largely supportive of it.
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