Illini 411: When did the “I-L-L / I-N-I” stadium cheer begin?

Homecoming festivities at Memorial Stadium. (Image by L. Brian Stauffer)

A: The iconic cheer, in which one side of the Memorial Stadium crowd yells “I-L-L” and the other responds “I-N-I,” has been a mainstay of Illini football games since the 1970s. But where did it come from? The earliest mention I’ve found was from a 1974 Daily Illini article about that year’s Homecoming game: Marching Illini director Everett Kissinger shouted “I-L-L” into his megaphone, and the band shouted “I-N-I” right back at him. After that, the Block I cheering section and Illini cheerleaders got into the spirit, and 50 years later, it’s still going strong. If any readers remember hearing the chant before 1974, please write to us. Oh, and “I-L-L”!

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