Schwarz: Illini are playing a whole new ballgame under athletic director Josh Whitman
When Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman promised “We will win” upon taking the job, did anyone take him seriously?
We should have. The Fighting Illini are so successful these days, they’re almost unrecognizable. It turns out winning is a lot of fun. Who knew?
Football has enjoyed occasional, irregular success over the decades, but something more lasting seems to be building there. After winning 10 games last year and being ranked 16th in the nation at the end of the season, coach Bret Bielema’s football program is ranked No. 9 in the nation this week and being talked about as a College Football Playoff contender.
The Illini are 2-0 with Western Michigan visiting Saturday (6 p.m., FS1) and Memorial Stadium sold out. They’ve come a long way in a very short time since previous coach Lovie Smith was coasting toward retirement.
After a drop-off following the run to the 2005 national championship game, men’s basketball is again one of the winningest teams in the Big Ten, taking the tournament title twice since 2021 and sharing the regular-season title in 2022. The program has won 20 games or more each of the last six seasons.
The women’s basketball program, which not long ago was the team everyone else wanted to play when they needed an easy win, has quickly and dramatically become a team other schools play to boost their strength of schedule.
Other sports are flourishing also. Men’s wrestling had an individual national champion last year. It’s still early yet, but women’s soccer under first-year coach Katie Hultin is 7-0 and ranked 16th in the nation already. Men’s golf and tennis are strong, as are the men’s and women’s track programs.
Compare that with how the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox have done this decade. Chicago has always been a pro sports town, but it’s not because the local heroes’ always deserved the adulation. Now there’s a winning alternative just a couple of hours south, if you can get a ticket.
The common denominator at our state’s flagship school is the man in charge of it all, Whitman, who has become one of the most influential and respected leaders in the Big Ten and college sports in general.
On Tuesday Whitman could crow about a $100 million gift to the program from alumnus Larry Gies to name the school’s 102-year-old football stadium for Gies’ father, an Army veteran. Much of the money will go to continue to modernize and upgrade Gies Memorial Stadium. Better to be named for an alum’s father than the highest-bidding corporation.
Ask any recruit how important facilities are. Recruiting isn’t just about NIL these days, though it does seem like it at times. Facilities matter too, and the facilities in Champaign-Urbana are top notch, thanks in large part to Whitman and donors like Gies.
That might explain why Whitman said the athletic department’s budget has roughly doubled in the nearly 10 years since he returned to his alma mater from “in the neighborhood of $95 million” to about $200 million in fiscal year 2026.
“To see that growth rate has been pretty breathtaking,” Whitman told reporters in Champaign at his news conference to discuss the Gies gift.
Whitman readily admits some of that increase is due to revenue outside his direct control, such as conference TV deals.
“But we’re also seeing the largest increase in college football in our average attendance,” Whitman said. “We’re seeing three sellouts for the first time in however many years. We’re seeing an incredible uptick in the interest for not only this football program, but now a basketball program that operates at nearly 100% capacity and donors and fans who are stepping forward in a way that we’ve never seen in this program’s history.”
These are heady days for the Illini. Whitman kept his promise, but he can’t forget how low the program was when he arrived.
“You can't appreciate where you stand today,” Whitman said, “if you don't realize where you started.”
Daily Herald Sports Editor Orrin Schwarz can be reached at oschwarz@dailyherald.com.