A Storied Program

Programs courtesy of U. of I. Athletics

Since 1910, when Illinois founded its annual Homecoming tradition, the university has published a commemorative program guide to help returning alumni and current students get the most out of their experience. What started as a general schedule of activities—highlighting what now seem like curiosities: a baseball game (with “base ball” spelled as two words), an interclass track meet, and a formal tour of campus buildings—evolved in just a few years into a full-fledged guide for the Illini football game, including team rosters, song and cheer lyrics, and university information.

As the popularity of Illinois’ Homecoming celebration grew, its guide became more sophisticated, with beautiful, illustrated cover art that makes the programs highly collectible today. From football players to campus scenes to social issues of the day, the subjects depicted in these artworks offer an annual snapshot of the university, frozen in time.

In this special presentation for Homecoming 2026, Illinois Alumni presents a selection of cover art from throughout the decades.

In 116 years of Homecoming games, the players’ headgear has changed significantly, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the Illini pride they feel when they suit up in the orange and blue. (Programs courtesy of U. of I. Athletics)

Homecoming just wouldn’t be Homecoming without its centerpiece: the Saturday football game. Every year, tens of thousands of Illinois alumni show up to watch the Fighting Illini take on Big Ten rivals, see old friends, and make new memories on the campus that helped to shape them into adults. Bob Zuppke, the iconic Illini coach, thought of his teams as a “conglomeration of men in motion,” and the cover art captures that perfectly—whether the subject is catching a pass, running towards the end zone, or about to spring off the line.

From the early 1920s—when the university was raising money to build it—to the present day, Gies Memorial Stadium has been one of the most popular cover subjects. (Programs courtesy of U. of I. Athletics)

When Memorial Stadium— now Gies Memorial Stadium—opened in 1923, it completely changed the scale of our Homecoming celebration. Overnight, the Illini football team went from playing at a rickety, old field with a capacity of 18,000 to a modern-day stadium that could seat over 55,000 fans. (Today, it holds 60,670.) More than anything else, the new stadium contributed to the wild popularity of Homecoming in the 1920s, as huge crowds packed the stands to watch Red Grange break records and turn college football into a national pastime. A century later, the stadium remains one of the most beloved buildings on campus.

Global wars and global pandemics have had a dramatic impact on the U. of I.’s Homecoming celebration, shaping the event’s tone and presentation. (Programs courtesy of U. of I. Athletics)

Illinois’ Homecoming celebration doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and in many years, the program art has reflected the most pressing issues of the day and the major events that shaped American society—whether it was the relief people felt over the end of World War I (1919’s “Victory Homecoming” was the first time the event had a theme), their mix of pride and worry about their loved ones fighting in World War II, or their cautious optimism as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Close or apart, we’re Illini at heart” was the theme in 2021, and through good times and bad, that is a truth that continues to unite us, year after year.

Without the tens of thousands of Illinois alumni who return to campus for Homecoming each fall, the celebration would not exist. And while our modes of transportation may have changed—we’re no longer braving the backroads in open-air jalopies—our dedication to the U. of I. and all it represents remains as strong as ever. (Programs courtesy of U. of I. Athletics)

When U. of I. seniors Elmer Ekblaw, 1910 LAS, and Clarence Foss Williams, 1910 LAS, founded Illinois Homecoming in 1910, they modeled it after New England villages’ “Old Home Week,” the annual tradition that brought former residents back to their hometown for a reunion and celebration. Ekblaw and Williams thought an Illinois football game could serve as a magnet that would get alumni to return to campus, and they would organize related events around the game. And, simply put, the concept was a huge success. More than a century later, Homecoming remains one of the most bustling weeks on the university calendar, with an influx of alumni that has Champaign-Urbana almost bursting at its seams.

Illinois Alumni, Fall 2026