Illinois’ football team has used a lot of helmet designs over the years, but they’ll make history on Tuesday afternoon when they take the field against South Carolina.
The Illini, who are hoping to win 10 games in a season for the first time since 2001, will be debuting a new helmet design for their game against the Gamecocks, using a script logo for the first time in their history.
The team unveiled the look with the help of a certain orange snack cracker last week:
Fitted for something special.
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 28, 2024
For the Cheez-it Citrus Bowl, we will wear the Illinois script for the first time in program history. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/QYi2Rm2RHP
According to the Illini, the script Illinois logo will be used on helmets for the first time in team history, capping off a year that saw them wear a series of logos designed to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
In addition to their standard “Block I” logo design, the Illini also wore helmets throwing back to looks they wore throughout their history at the venerable stadium, including a leather helmet-inspired look that also featured one of the most noteworthy uniform combinations in recent memory.
The Illini didn’t just look distinctive on the field, either. They also put together their best season in nearly two decades, winning nine games for the first time since 2006 and qualifying for the Citrus Bowl, where they will face South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon.
Local
Kickoff for the game is set for 2 p.m., and the game can be seen on ABC.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
