Theft steals Rose Bowl memories from Illinois football hero

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - The rings and watches former Illinois football player Bill Tate received after the 1952 and '64 Rose Bowls mean a lot to him.

They're reminders of his MVP performance for Illinois in a 40-7 win over Stanford in the first game and work as an assistant coach in the second.

But Tate tells The News-Gazette in Champaign (http://bit.ly/1GxXO6V ) the memorabilia was stolen earlier this month from his home in Omaha, Nebraska, while he took his dogs for a walk.

The 83-year-old Tate says he was gone for about 20 minutes. He suspects whoever took the jewelry was watching his house.

Tate says police and others in Omaha have been a big help. But he suspects he'll never get the jewelry back.

Given the chance he says he'd go after whoever took it.

___

Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com