We Love No Other

Last week took us down. This week takes us back up. 2007~2010 was a great time to be an Illini football fan. As a freshman on campus in 2007, @BobZuppke got to see a Rose Bowl his freshman year and a Texas Bowl his senior year.

So this episode is Bob & I talking about some good seasons. Well, and a frustrating season in 2008. Ok, yes, and a maddening season in 2009. But it's still bookended with two bowls. Which was a great stretch during this era. 

We went a different direction with this one. These four seasons saw eight total wins - only two of them Big Ten wins - so a game-by-game breakdown of each season would be too depressing. So Nathan and I talk some about the seasons but more about the journey of the Illini football fan through such low points. Also discussed: how to survive academic probation.

A big thanks to the sponsor for this summer podcast series: U of I Community Credit Union. 

The last episode: 10 wins and a tie (over four seasons). The next episode: 8 wins in four years. This episode? 28 wins. Erik (The Stats!) joins me to talk Illini football from 1999 to 2002.

This summer podcast series is being brought to you by U of I Community Credit Union.

Next up: 1995~1998. And I'm gonna warn you right now - that means we'll discuss 10 total wins and one tie across four seasons. But that's the fun of a series like this, right? Craig is my guest for (he was a freshman in 1996), so he remembers a lot about these difficult seasons. They were eventually building to something. We just won't get to that until next week.

Once again a big thank you to the sponsor for this podcast series, UofI Community Credit Union. To see the list of branches I discuss in the intro, click here. 

Next up in this summer podcast series (published every Wednesday): 1991~1994. I was a freshman in 1991, and my guest, Detlef, was a sophomore, so this episode is filled with memories from the student section.

A big thank you to the sponsor for this podcast series, UofI Community Credit Union. If you'd like to see the credit card with the orange Block I that was referenced in this episode, go to this page.  

We're back! Last summer it was the complete history of Illini Basketball, 1980 to present. This summer, over the next nine weeks, we'll be going through the complete Illini Football history, 1980 to present.

We will begin our deep exploration of each season starting next week with 1991~1994 (which starts with my freshman year at Illinois). For this episode, Loren Tate joins me to go through the entire decade of the 80's, Dave Wilson to Jason Verduzco.

This series is being presented by U of I Community Credit Union. 

Interviews from the first three days at the NCAA Golf Championships in Scottsdale including Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Jackson Buchanan, and Head Coach Mike Small. Plus some of my thoughts on the trip so far. 

Here's another "bonus" episode - a five minute chat with head coach Mike Small after the second round at the NCAA's where the Illini surged into the lead.

This is a very short bonus episode. It's my quick thoughts after the first round of the NCAA Golf Championship followed by a quick interview with Illini coach Mike Small and another quick interview with senior Tommy Kuhl. 

Kevin had a few months off. What to do? Follow his favorite band on tour? Backpack through Europe? He chose to spend his winter following Illini basketball around the country. In this episode, we talk about his travels.