Illinois, Northwestern retiring tomahawk trophy
Posted November 20, 2008 10:00 pm
CHAMPAIGN -- The University of Illinois put Chief Illiniwek on the shelf last year and the school says it's now retiring another piece of American Indian imagery.
Athletic Department spokesman Kent Brown says Saturday will be the last time Illinois' and Northwestern's football teams play for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk.
The NCAA directed Illinois to stop using American Indian imagery to represent its teams. That lead to last year's retirement of the chief mascot.
Brown says Illinois' board of trustees told Richard Herman, chancellor at Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus, to retire the 61-year-old tomahawk, too.
The tomahawk will stay with Northwestern no matter who wins Saturday.
Brown says the schools will pick a new trophy next year.
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