Illinois Football to Wear Throwback Helmets for Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary Season
The Illinois football team has announced that they will be wearing three throwback helmets during the Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary season in 2024. These helmets will represent different eras of the Fighting Illini program from 1962-2012, covering nearly 50 years of history. Head coach Bret Bielema expressed excitement about celebrating the history of the program in this special season and mentioned that the helmets will honor a different era each week, appealing to fans of all ages.
The helmet designs include the Four Stars helmet that was famously worn during Dick Butkus’ time at Illinois from 1962-68. This helmet features four stars with players’ numbers underneath, a gray facemask, and white-blue-white center stripes. The Arched Illini helmet, worn from 1971-87, will also make an appearance with gray facemasks and a blue-white-orange-white-blue center stripe cadence. The Underlined Illinois helmet, worn from 1989-2012, will feature a white facemask and blue-white-blue center stripes.
Illinois also announced that a select number of game-worn throwback helmets will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. More details about the helmet schedule for the Memorial Stadium 100th Anniversary season will be released at a later date. The Fighting Illini program is looking forward to celebrating this milestone and bringing back memories for alumni and fans of the team.
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