University of Illinois - Illio Yearbook (Urbana Champaign, IL)

Page 33 text:

WA ' ■.:•■■• .• • • •:.■. : : ' • ; : ' ,: ' ; ■ ' •■ ' ■ ■ ' ■ ' ■:•:• v. 3 S ' 48 f IV - $ T rtfl i sKtSm vw y Hr oEli r iM. v fr £t]$$3m$( KL iftfeHKr ' H n HP V -» h 1969 FOOTBALL RECORD ILLINOIS OPPONENTS 18 Washington State 19 6 Missouri 37 20 Iowa State 48 6 Northwestern 10 20 Indiana 41 Ohio State 41 22 Purdue 49 Michigan 57 14 Wisconsin 55 Iowa 40 29

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i i The Fighting lllini had their worst football season since 1953 when they also compiled a winless season. Very few times were the lllini even ahead at the halftime, and the fans shared their discouragement. In spite of the repeated losses, the lllini believed every game was a new beginning, and if the No. 1 position could not be attained they would do everything in their power to stop someone else. And so it was: the cheer- leaders kept cheering, Chief llliniwek kept dancing, Block I keptflashing, and the lllini kept marching. Coach Valek ' s squad tallied 106 points against 397 for their opponents. Dave Jack- son, Bob Bess, Doug Dieken, and Steve Livas each scored three touchdowns for eighteen points apiece. In rushing, Jackson netted 465 yards. Junior Darrell Robin- son rushed 446 yards in 112 carries for an average of 3.9. Bess carried 66 times for a net gain of 286 and an average of 4.3. In passing, sophomore quarterback Steve Livas completed 42 of 131 attempts for 705 yards and one touchdown. Lange hit 25 of 56 attempts for a gain of 396 yards and 4 touch- downs. Leading receiver was Dieken with 29 receptions for a total of 486 yards and three scores. LINOIS VISITORS

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I Although the halftime activities provided the necessary revival of spirit, it was not long before anxiety set in. As time waned, one of the coaches pressed the need for retaliation by the Illinois team as members of the Pom-Pon squad empathized i with the battered, pressured team member. The clock ticked the final seconds of the game as two lllini dejectedly awaited the inevitable defeat. 30