Tate's Best of the Decade

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From the valleys to the mountaintops and back again.

That's the story of Illinois athletics throughout the first decade of a new century. The football team peaked twice, only to fall back. Bruce Weber's cagers hit 37-2 and, three years later, accepted 16-19. Theresa Grentz offered hope that fizzled. The men's tennis team peaked as national champion, then fell back to respected contender.

Following are, for me personally, the 10 most memorable and significant events of the "naughty aughties" or, better yet, the Internet Age. You'll agree on some. Others, you won't.

1. Illinois 90, Arizona 89!

In a blurring counterattack, the Illini fought from 15 points down in the last four minutes at Rosemont to tie Lute Olson's Wildcats. Prevailing in overtime, the Illini cleared their way to the Final Four. Thus was confirmed the rock star status of guards Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head, even as the Illini bowed to North Carolina 75-70 in the championship game. Their 29-game win streak is the longest in UI basketball history. Only one other UI team, the Flyin' Illini in 1989, compared in terms of popularity.

2. Illinois 28, Ohio State 21!

Juice Williams and Rashard Mendenhall ruled the 2007 showdown in Columbus as the Illini controlled the ball for the last eight minutes and upset the No. 1 Buckeyes. Though Illinois was customarily the underdog, it was the UI's 11th win against Ohio State in 23 games. Williams, who completed his eligibility as the most productive quarterback in UI history, threw four TD passes that November day as Big Ten runner-up Illinois qualified for the Rose Bowl after Ohio State was chosen for the BCS championship game. The trip to Pasadena was another story.

3. Facilities Explosion!

The $121 million addition to Memorial Stadium, sending it to majestic heights with suites and boxes, and capped by an entryway statue of Red Grange, is just the latest in a remarkable decade of facility expansion for weight training, academics and sports teams. Counted since 2000, and running the investment well beyond $150 million, are the indoor football practice facility ($12.5 million), Eichelberger softball field ($2 million), sofball expansion and the Kahn outdoor addition to the Atkins Tennis Center ($5.4 million), the Demirjian golf facility ($5.07 million), addition to the Irwin academic center ($4.6 million) and various improvements in baseball, soccer, etc.

4. Chief Illiniwek Ousted!

March 2007 marked the end of a running controversy over the UI symbol that was revered by most Illini fans. With the pressuring NCAA labeling Chief dances as "creating a hostile environment" and denying the university the right to host NCAA-sanctioned sports events, the UI Board of Trustees acquiesced to the anti-Chiefers. If the Chief is officially gone after eight decades, he is not forgotten. Loyal Illini fans react to the "3-in-1" music at football, basketball and volleyball games as though he is still out there performing. The majority of Illini fans still believe the Chief represented nobility and honor.

5. National Tennis Champs!

Craig Tiley's teams won eight straight Big Ten titles, eight Big Ten tournament crowns and two national indoor championships. But there was nothing to compare with the 32-0 season that brought the NCAA outdoor title in 2003. Down 3-1 in the finale against Vanderbilt, the Illini pulled it out 4-3, with clutch play from Michael Calkins, Phil Stolt and Chris Martin. Amer Delic, Rajeev Ram and Brian Wilson made All-American, and Delic went on to capture the NCAA singles while Wilson and Ram ruled in doubles. It stands as the UI's only NCAA team title in the last 20 years.

6. Friday Massacre!

Assistant coaches come and go, but the firing of football staffers Mike Schultz, Kurt Beathard, Jim Pry and Mike Woodford on Dec. 11 had special meaning. Rather than remove Ron Zook, who had lost the support of fans due to a two-year 8-16 tailspin, player unrest and decommitting recruits, athletic director Ron Guenther favored a staff shakeup that would allow two new coordinators to upgrade failed schemes. Guenther, highly respected in the Big Ten office and with colleagues around the country, thus placed his own reputation at greater risk in this era of the electronic gabfest whereby modern "smart phones" and Internet technology amplify the awareness and impact of unhappy fans.

7. Illinois 80, Kansas 64!

Illini cagers have reached the NCAA basketball Elite Eight just five times in the last 57 years, and Bill Self's aggressive gang did it in 2001 as Big Ten Player of the Year Frank Williams poured in 30 points against the team that, two years later, would take Self from Illinois. The Illini's bruising style, spearheaded by rugged Peorians Williams, Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain (quite a contrast to today), earned them a share of the 2001 Big Ten title but, two days after the rout of Kansas, six Illini fouled out and the Arizona Wildcats made 43 of 56 free throws in an 87-81 victory. NCAA tournament records were broken as the teams combined for 59 fouls and 81 free throws.

8. Illinois 34, Northwestern 28!

OK, this wasn't necessarily the biggest win in the Big Ten championship season of 2001. But it capped a season-long thrill ride that began with Kurt Kittner throwing two fourth-quarter TD passes to edge Northern Illinois 17-12 in early September and, as his clutch-playing reputation grew, the UI quarterback brought the Illini back from fourth-quarter deficits to beat Wisconsin 35-28, Penn State 33-28 and Ohio State 34-22. The undisputed Big Ten title, only the second in what is now 46 years, provided the UI with its only Sugar Bowl trip. By the way, don't take the win over Northwestern lightly. It only happened three times in this decade.

9. Friends In Retirement!

Back in 2000, the DIA waved goodbye to Karol Kahrs, the associate athletic director who created and developed women's sports on this campus and coordinated the construction of the $7.2 million Bielfeldt administrative building. Retiring with her that year were golf coach Ed Beard and former Illini sprint great and associate head track coach Willie Williams (he later returned as a volunteer coach). Then we watched the steady turnover as retirement (from college coaching) took so many familiar faces: Gary Wieneke, men's track and cross-country; Craig Tiley, men's tennis; Theresa Grentz, women's basketball; Itch Jones, baseball; Gary Winckler, women's track, Mark Johnson, wrestling; Yoshi Hayasaki, gymnastics; Paula Smith, women's golf; and Don Hardin, volleyball. That is a ton of experienced expertise. Wieneke and Winckler alone accounted for 23 Big Ten team championships.

10. All Hail Compliance!

Sometimes the most important developments are the things that don't happen. Illinois has steered clear of trouble with the NCAA after decades in which the UI's reputation was stained by run-ins with investigators. My first 25 years on the beat were pockmarked with problems. It began with the "slush fund" scandal in 1966 and worked through, among others, the Dave Wilson case, the "Elton and Delton" episode, the necessity of releasing Mike White and, later, Neale Stoner, and the Deon Thomas case. Guenther succeeded John Mackovic in 1992 with sanctions arriving from the confusing Thomas business, and he put an emphasis on compliance that has changed the picture. The screen shows only one minor blip since Guenther took charge. This, coupled with sound budgetary concepts (many rivals are in the red) and impressive emphasis on academics, has changed the dim view that outsiders (and some faculty) once had about UI athletics.

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