2026 Athletics Hall of Famers

Ayo Dosunmu

Ayo Dosunmu  
Basketball, 2019-21

Honored as USA Today’s National Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy National Point Guard of the Year in 2021, Ayo Dosunmu was the first NCAA player since 2010 to average at least 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game. Dosunmu finished his Illinois career ranked No. 12 in scoring, with 1,504 points. He was named the U. of I. Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and was only the fourth basketball player to repeat as the school’s top athlete. Dosunmu was chosen in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls. After five seasons in Chicago, Dosunmu was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. During the 2026 NBA Playoffs, he had one of the great post-season performances in recent memory, with 43 points and nine assists in a Game 4 win over Denver.

Brandon Lloyd

Brandon Lloyd  
Football, 1999, 2001-02

As his team’s leading wide receiver, Brandon Lloyd, ’18 LAS, finished his Illinois career with the second-most receiving yards (2,583) and touchdown catches (21) and ranked third in all-time receptions (160). He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2001 and 2002, with 65 receptions in each season, in addition to helping the Fighting Illini win the 2001 Big Ten title and play in the 2002 Sugar Bowl. After missing his true sophomore season in 2000 with a broken femur, Lloyd returned for two outstanding years before launching an 11-year professional career. He declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season in 2002 and was chosen in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. Lloyd was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2010 with the Denver Broncos and was selected to play in the 2011 Pro Bowl. He also led the NFL in receiving yardage in 2010, with 1,448.

Ella Masar

Ella Masar 
Soccer, 2004-07

An Urbana native, Ella Masar, ’08 AHS, ranks third in assists on the Fighting Illini career list, as well as fifth in all-time points, with 74, and sixth in goals, with 27, making her one of the top offensive players in school history. Named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2006, Masar earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second-Team All-America honors in 2006 and received NSCAA First-Team All-Region recognition in 2006 and 2007. Those same two years, she also was named a First-Team All-American. Masar was one of the first Fighting Illini drafted to play professionally in the former Women’s Professional Soccer League, in 2008. In the 2008 draft, she was the ninth overall pick by the Chicago Red Stars and played in the U.S. and internationally until 2019. In 2023, Masar rejoined the Red Stars as an assistant coach for two years and is now pursuing elite coaching licensure.

James Augustine

James Augustine 
Basketball, 2003-06

A key member of the famed Fighting Illini team that advanced to the 2005 NCAA Championship game, James Augustine, ’06 AHS, was honored as that year’s Most Outstanding Player in the Big Ten Tournament and named First-Team All-Big Ten in 2006. He was chosen in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and played two seasons in the NBA before a successful 10-year career in Russia and Spain. Augustine earned All-EuroCup Second-Team honors in 2010 with Spain’s CB Gran Canaria team and helped his Russian BC Khimki team win the 2015 EuroCup championship. One of the top rebounders during his international career, Augustine finished his Illini career with a school record 1,023 rebounds, as well as 1,383 points. He started in 134 of his 137 career games (132 consecutive) at Illinois and is the school-record holder for career field-goal percentage at 61.7 percent, which ranks fifth in Big Ten history.

Howard Griffith

Howard Griffith 
Football, 1987-90

Howard Griffith’s career as a Fighting Illini running back will always be remembered for his NCAA record-setting performance in 1990, when he rushed for eight touchdowns in a 56-21 Illinois victory over Southern Illinois University. His NCAA records of 48 points and eight touchdowns have been tied only once since that historic performance. Griffith, ’91 LAS, earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1990, and finished his Fighting Illini career as the school’s all-time leader in touchdowns, with 31, and a total of 2,485 rushing yards. He would go on to an 11-year NFL career, capped by winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and earning the nickname “the Human Plow” because of his blocking prowess. In 1999, he played a major role in Denver’s Super Bowl XXXIII victory when he scored two rushing touchdowns. Griffith has worked as an in-studio football analyst and host for the Big Ten Network since the network’s inception in 2007.

Tauja Catchings

Tauja Catchings
Basketball, 1997-2000

Tauja Catchings holds the distinction of being the first professional women’s basketball player from the U. of I., selected in the third round of the 2000 WNBA Draft by the Phoenix Mercury. One of the university’s best all-around players, Catchings scored a career total of 1,502 points, ranking 12th in program history. Catchings also holds top-10 marks in several categories, including 825 rebounds, 342 assists, and 211 steals. As a freshman, she helped Illinois win the 1997 Big Ten title and was a member of the conference’s All-Freshman team. Catchings was named Second-Team All-Big Ten in 1998 and 1999 before being named First-Team All-Big Ten in 2000, when she was also named the Fighting Illini’s MVP. Catchings received Honorable Mention All-America honors in 1999 and 2000, and the Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Award as a senior.

D.A. Points

D.A. Points
Golf, 1998-99

Darren Andrew (D.A.) Points, ’00 LAS, won three collegiate golf tournaments and helped lead Illinois to 15th place at the 1999 NCAA Championships, the school’s highest finish nationally since 1950. Points earned Third-Team All-American honors in 1999 and All-Big Ten honors in 1998 and 1999. A native of Pekin, Ill., he remains among the Fighting Illini’s top 15 for career stroke average, at 72.57. Since turning pro in 1999 and joining the PGA Tour in 2005, Points’ career earnings have topped $12 million, and he has had seven professional victories, including three on the PGA Tour. He first won at the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, followed by the 2013 Shell Houston Open and the 2017 Puerto Rico Open. Points also is a three-time Illinois State Amateur champion and won the Junior PGA Championship in 1992. He reached the quarterfinals in the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship, where he lost to eventual champion Tiger Woods.

Jordyn Poulter

Jordyn Poulter 
Volleyball, 2015-18

Jordyn Poulter, ’18 MEDIA, was named the Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year after helping lead Illinois to the 2018 NCAA Final Four. She simultaneously earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America recognition and All-Northeast Region First-Team honors in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and was named the AVCA’s 2018 Northwest Region Player of the Year. Poulter finished her collegiate career ranked third in program history for career assists, with 5,156, and was the first Fighting Illini setter to reach both 400 blocks and 1,000 digs. Poulter made her U.S. Women’s National Team debut in 2018 and helped take the U.S. to its first gold medal in volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she earned Best Setter honors. She also helped Team USA win the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Poulter continues to play professionally and is a co-founder of League One Volleyball in Salt Lake City.

Illinois Alumni, Fall 2026