Deadspin: chief illiniwek

The Chief Simply Will Not Go Away

Leitch — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:10:36 EST

For all the excitement about next Tuesday's Rose Bowl game between our Illini and those suddenly hateable USC Trojans, it has one major downside: Everybody's talking about the damned Chief again.

We've made our thoughts about the Chief pretty clear: We never much cared for him, but mostly, we just tired of the debate and hoped his absence would stop people from talking about him. Not bloody likely. Chief supporters are "gearing up" for a big Rose Bowl push, and, having attended two Illini sporting events in the last week, we can assure you that every damned shirt has CHIEF on it. The white people sure do love their Chief.

Anyway, let's fight the real enemy, people: The cheap tickets given out to friends of the University president. As if it weren't hard enough to get tickets.

Illinois Fans Fighting For Mascot Revival [Sports By Brooks]
Something Smells, And It's Not Roses [Chicago Sun-Times]

The Last Night Of The Chief

Leitch — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:00:38 EST

Last night, as tons of teary-eyed Central Illinoisians will tell you this morning, was the final dance of Chief Illiniwek, the skipping, painted white-guy-dressed-up-as-Injun who has "performed" at halftime of our alma mater's sporting events for the last 80 years or so. Like most alums — or at least the ones who have a hard time emotionally identifying ourselves with a college kid in war paint, or any mascot, really — we're both kind of sad that a symbol of our youth won't be around anymore and pleased that the whole "debate" will finally end and we can get on with our lives. Can't we just be the Wildcats like any other university? It would be nice to have a dumb, innocuous mascot that nobody thinks or cares about.

Anyway, if you're one of those people who likes to relive final evenings over and over again, here's a photo gallery of the Chief's last hooting and/or hollering. And don't worry about the Chief; after his last dance, he was driven home by Jamar Smith, so he'll be just fine.

The Last Dance [Daily Illini]
Chief Illiniwek's Last Dance [IllinoisLoyalty.com]

Champaign's Long National Nightmare Is Over

Leitch — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 09:00:40 EST

As an old lifer at the Daily Illini, no story was less fun to talk about than Chief Illiniwek. We once had our own personal take on the embattled "symbol" of the University of Illinois, but we don't even remember what it was anymore: It was talked about every day, in the most banal and "emotional" terms, so much that we just couldn't stand it anymore. We wanted the Chief to go away just so people would stop talking about it.

Well, that day has come The Chief is expected to be retired today.

The conversation I have had with University administrators, I got the impression that it's a very top-down decision," the student official said. My understanding is that they are going to remove the dance, keep the name and give the symbol to not-for-profit organizations for scholarships."

We remember, when we worked for the DI, meeting the guy who played the Chief back in 1997. We shook his hand and, we swear to God, the blond-haired, blue-eyed guy said, "I'm the Chief, dude." We figured we could probably do without the Chief then.

They were looking for the Chief for comment this morning, but they couldn't find him. We suggest taking a look in Jamar Smith's car. He's probably sitting in there, freezing, waiting for someone to let him out.

University To Retire The Chief Friday [Daily Illini]
Chief Illiniwek Will Be Eliminated Friday [Illini Pundit]
Trying To Understand The Illini Car Crash [Deadspin]

By the way, this story was broken by a blog and my beloved Daily Illini. You like to see that.

More Native American Mascot Babble

Leitch — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 12:58:50 EDT

As graduates of the University of Illinois at its endless debates about the merits/racism of its Chief Illiniwek, we will confess complete exhuastion when it comes to Native American mascots/symbols. We don't really care what they do, we just want them to do it and stop talking about it. Sorry. It's a sore spot.

Anyway, journalists are now saying their papers/stations shouldn't acknowledge Native American nicknames. We will now refer to Cleveland as The Lads From The Place That Is Know To Do Some Rocking On ABC's Wednesday Nights.

Complicity In Bigotry [Poynter]