Chief Illiniwek was the mascot [1] of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), associated with the university's intercollegiate athletic programs, from October 30, 1926, to February 21, 2007.

Mar 16, 2023 · Illinois' athletics teams have used the "Fighting Illini" mascot for more than a century, but where does the name come from?

Apr 15, 2023 · It’s been three years since students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign passed a campuswide proposal for a bird called the kingfisher to be the new school mascot.

Aug 21, 2024 · Who (or What) Is the Fighting Illini Mascot? Illinois had a mascot for over 80 years, Chief Illiniwek, before disbanding the practice and “retiring” its mascot in 2007. The first mascot performance at football games started in 1926 with a student dressed in Native American attire.

To some, Chief Illiniwek is an honored symbol of the University of Illinois which should be preserved. To others, he is a race-based sports mascot that had to go. For parts of three decades, opponents demanded that the University of Illinois Board of Trustees retire the Chief.

Nov 12, 2010 · Chief Illiniwek existed long before college and universities made mascots commonplace so to call him one is simply ignorant. Yet, ask any U of I graduate if the Chief was a mascot and they will...

May 15, 2018 · Ivan "Alex" Dozier, a University of Illinois alum, says he is of Cherokee ancestry. He was one of the more recent "unofficial chiefs" from 2010 to 2015. There are multiple groups that exist and say they want to uphold the legacy of Chief Illiniwek.

Dec 4, 2024 · Since former mascot Chief Illiniwek’s retirement in 2007, the University has lacked a mascot. Now, a group of students is offering a new option — the belted kingfisher.

Jul 30, 2020 · The chief mascot was officially retired by the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in February 2007. Today, the race-based mascot is still a divisive issue on the U of I campus and in the Champaign-Urbana community.

Dec 9, 2020 · In its latest step to confront the controversial legacy of Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s long-retired mascot, the school has announced new efforts to make...