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Top-ranked Ohio State's national title hopes teetered on a timeout, the ball inches from a first down for Illinois. Illini coach Ron Zook changed his mind, decided to go for it on fourth down and that was the beginning of the end for the Buckeyes' hopes of redeeming themselves in this season's national championship game. It was the first time Illinois (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had beaten a No. 1 since 1956, and the first time it had done it away from home. The defeat also ended a conference and school streak of 20 Big Ten wins in a row...

Williams leads Illini to upset of No. 1 Ohio StateBy RUSTY MILLER, AP Sports Writer November 10, 2007 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- In this season of upsets, top-ranked Ohio State was the latest to fall. Juice Williams provided the big plays on the ground and through the air, spurring Illinois to a stunning 28-21 victory on Saturday night and throwing open the national title race. It was the first time Illinois (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) had ever beaten a No. 1, losing all 17 previous games. The defeat also ended a record streak of 20 Big Ten wins in a...

Illinois 5-1 (3-0 Big Ten)...do people still think Ron Zook should be fired?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- The University of Illinois will drop its 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek...The move makes the school eligible to host postseason NCAA championship events, but it angered many Illini fans who say the chief honors American Indians. The NCAA in 2005 deemed Illiniwek -- portrayed by buckskin-clad students who dance at home...games and other athletic events -- an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting postseason events. American Indian groups and others have complained for years that the mascot, used since 1926, is demeaning... ...Eppley told reporters that the decision did...

URBANA, Ill. (AP) -- The University of Illinois will drop its 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek, following the last men's basketball home game of the season on Wednesday, officials said. The move makes the school eligible to host postseason NCAA championship events. The NCAA in 2005 deemed Illiniwek -- portrayed by buckskin-clad students who dance at home football and basketball games and other athletic events -- an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting postseason events.

To members of the campus community, A decision has been made regarding the Chief Illiniwek tradition. For more information, go to: www.uillinois.edu/chief If you receive any questions or concerns regarding the decision, please feel free to use the following reply. "Thank you for your comments about the recently announced decision on Chief Illiniwek. For more information, please refer to this web page: www.uillinois.edu/chief You can email comments by clicking on Contact/Feedback link [InfoSource@uillinois.edu] in the top section of the web page."

Acton H. Gorton and his opinions page editor, Chuck Prochaska, were fired from The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois for the Feb. 9 publication of the cartoons, which first appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. "The Illini Media Co. board of directors following a thorough review, a report by a student task force of senior members of the staff, and a threat from the Muslim Student Alliance to burn the school to the ground and disembowel the administrators if Gorton were not fired, found that Gorton violated Daily Illini policies about thoughtful discussion of and preparation for the...

Published: February 17, 2006 10:44 AM ET CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) An attorney for the editor at the University of Illinois' student-run newspaper who was suspended this week is demanding the paper stop critical statements about the student. Editor-in-chief Acton Gorton and another editor were suspended this week for their decision to run a series of cartoons that have sparked violence around the Islamic world. Gorton's attorney, Junaid Afeef, sent a letter to the board of the Illini Media Company yesterday. He's demanding that the paper stop what he calls "defamatory statements" about Gorton. The paper's editorial staff told readers this...

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Two high-ranking editors of the student newspaper at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were suspended Tuesday after they decided on their own to run some of the controversial cartoons that have sparked protests and outrage from Muslims around the world. Acton Gorton, the editor in chief of the Daily Illini, and Chuck Prochaska, the opinions editor, said they stand behind their decision to print cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that were originally published by a Danish newspaper. "I think it's unfortunate because what we did for our readership was something that most newspapers were scared to do," said...

Published: February 14, 2006 11:30 PM ET CHAMPAIGN Two editors at the University of Illinois student-run newspaper were suspended Tuesday for their decision to run a series of cartoons that have sparked outrage and violence around the Islamic world. Editor-in-chief Acton H. Gorton said the Daily Illini's publisher suspended him and the newspaper's opinions sections editor, Charles Prochaska, for two weeks pending the outcome of an internal investigation. "I'm very disappointed. I think this is nothing more than a cover-up," Gorton said. Publisher and general manager Mary Cory released a statement Tuesday night saying a student task force will "investigate...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Two editors at the University of Illinois student-run newspaper were suspended Tuesday for their decision to run a series of cartoons that have sparked outrage and violence around the Islamic world. Editor-in-chief Acton H. Gorton said the Daily Illini's publisher suspended him and the newspaper's opinions sections editor, Charles Prochaska, for two weeks pending the outcome of an internal investigation. "I'm very disappointed. I think this is nothing more than a cover-up," Gorton said. Daily Illini managing editor Shira Weissman would not comment on the situation Tuesday. A telephone message left with the newspaper's publisher, Mary Cory,...

The University of Illinois student newspaper Thursday published six caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that have sparked violent protests in the Middle East and Asia. Nearly every major U.S. newspaper, including the Chicago Tribune, has not published the cartoons. They were first published in late September by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, and they were reprinted in other European publications in recent weeks. While UN Secretary General Kofi Annan chastised newspapers Thursday that continue to publish the cartoons, Daily Illini editor-in-chief Acton Gorton said he decided to print them so students could better understand the Muslim response. "All across this nation,...

The Daily Illini, a college newspaper, has reprinted the cartoons that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper and have led to protests and riots all around the world. Calls, e-mails, and statements have been pouring in from around the country.

A column by Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune got me thinking on this subject of web sites dedicated to firing coaches. Fire Joe Paterno.com, the subject of Downey's wrath, has backed down a bit from its "noble" cause, and the domain owner has reserved the domain name "Keep Joe Paterno.com." Too bad the board of directors at Penn State didn't reserve it first. My first foray into internet activism was Blue States for Bush. I got some hate e-mails, which I expected. The e-mails I got that really troubled me usually followed this line of logic. "Your site sucks...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois lost its appeal of the ban on the university mascot Friday and will remain on a list of schools prohibited from hosting NCAA postseason events after February. The NCAA will allow Illinois to keep its "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" nicknames. The university contended those nicknames derived from the name of the state. The governing body, however, said Chief Illiniwek remains a "hostile and abusive" image of American Indians. The mascot is a student dressed in buckskins and headdress who dances at halftimes of home football, basketball and volleyball games. The tradition began in 1926. The NCAA...

In another episode of overly sensitive university political correctness, not all mascots will be present in St. Louis this week at the Final Four. Although Ramses the Ram, Cardinal Bird the Cardinal, and Sparty the Spartan will make the trek, Chief Illiniwek has been forced to stay in Illinois for the games. "All aspects of the chief and its dance should be eliminated," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who is a member of the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, a group involved in trying to do away with the chief and the "Fighting Illini" moniker. This is ludicrous - I...

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Keep the bus running and point it toward St. Louis. Thanks to a jaw-dropping comeback, Illinois' journey has another leg left: the Final Four. Trailing 75-60 with four minutes left, Illinois showed why it was No. 1 most of the season. With Deron Williams leading the way, the Illini staged an electrifying and improbable comeback to force overtime and then held on to beat Arizona 90-89 Saturday night to win the Chicago Regional. The Illini (36-1), who've been able to drive to their two tournament sites in Indianapolis and suburban Chicago so far, can keep on...

The long-running dispute over the University of Illinois' Chief Illiniwek as a symbol will move into a courtroom. Chief Illiniwek has long been a target of Native American groups who say he is demeaning to them. But the mascot still performs at U of I sporting events. At a news conference Tuesday, the Illinois Native American Bar Association announced it filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. The group says continued use of Illiniwek is racial discrimination and violates civil rights laws. "The University of Illinois ought to be teaching respect for other ethnic minorities, not exploiting them. Continuation...

Ohio State stopped the University of Illinois Fighting Illini from going undefeated in the regular season. Being an Ohio State fan, I am thrilled, but 29-1 ain't bad either!!

EUGENE (AP) -- University of Oregon officials say the men's basketball team will play top-ranked Illinois in Chicago this weekend, despite calls from faculty and student groups to cancel the game because the Fighting Illini have an American Indian mascot. University officials, however, agreed to adopt a policy on the scheduling of future games with schools that have mascots deemed offensive. Dan Williams, vice president for administration, told the Eugene Register-Guard newspaper that the university signed contracts to play Illinois in 2004 and 2005, believing the mascot issue would be resolved by now. The University of Illinois board of trustees...

April 15, 2004 (CHAMPAIGN, IL) — Protesters occupied the main administration building on the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus Thursday demanding that the school eliminate its Chief Illiniwek mascot and associated Indian-head symbol. No one was allowed to enter the building after protesters arrived about 7:25 a.m. "We're prepared to be here for several days," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who was standing with about 10 other protesters four hours later. They blocked the entrance to the Swanlund Administration Building under a large sign that read, "Sit in against the chief." Tulsi Dharmarajan, a spokeswoman for the group...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) The agency that certifies the University of Illinois plans to send a team to Urbana-Champaign later this month to examine how the school is dealing with the divided opinions surrounding its Chief Illiniwek athletic symbol. The visit by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission is a follow-up to its 1999 accreditation review of the university. That review found that UI easily met accreditation standards, but the commission was concerned about the school's response to the Illiniwek controversy. Chief Illiniwek has divided the campus for years. Supporters argue the mascot, a student who dresses in buckskins and...

The majority of students have voted in favor of keeping Chief Illiniwek as the mascot for the University. The Illinois Student Government (ISG) unofficial election results show more than 13,000 students voted on the Chief issue. According to the results, 31 percent of the students voted in favor of retiring the Chief, while 69 percent voted to keep him. Sixty two percent of the voters also supported increasing the Cultural Programming fee to $2 per semester in order to fund Asian American programming. The fee already funds the Native American, Latino and African American programming. Although the majority of the...

Muslim Students Association Telling Lies By Diana Appelbaum, December 25, 2003 Home   Search   Forum   Terms At some point in the last two or three years, someone who hates Israel fabricated a bloodthirsty quotation and attributed it to Ariel Sharon. The false quote has circulated widely on anti-Israel and anti-Semitic WEB sites and list serves, and at least three student columnists have published it as fact in reputable college newspapers, the Georgetown University Hoya, the University of Florida Alligator, and the University of Illinois Daily Ilini. [http://www.thehoya.com/viewpoint/031902/view2.cfm, http://www.dailyillini.com/dec03/dec11/opinions/stories/opinions_column02.shtml, http://www.alligator.org/edit/opinion/issues/02-spring/020418/c02column18.html]. This is, or ought to be, a source of shame to the three newspapers...

URBANA--A resolution to retire Chief Illiniwek, the mascot that for years has divided the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus, was withdrawn from the board of trustees' agenda Thursday. Frances G. Carroll, the trustee who introduced the motion earlier this week to retire the American Indian mascot, said she was withdrawing it because other trustees were upset at the short notice. Carroll said she would reintroduce the resolution for a vote at the board's July 2004 meeting. Carroll's resolution called for retiring the chief and the American Indian-head image that adorns banners, sweat shirts and other merchandise advertising the school. The...