When the Good Guys won it all...

What a feeling.

*Word made the rounds earlier this spring University of Illinois athletics will honor the 40th anniversary of the 1983 Big Ten champion football team opening weekend of the 2023 season...being an Illini football 'fan'/historian eat this shit up...Went to YouTube to watch as many games/highlights from that season as possible on the Big Screen (games a bit fuzzy clearly tell what's going on)....below review of that years starting players/team/season why they won in anticipation of this fall's event.

*Perspective....1983 so memorable cause after all those years of Illini football struggling....like a dream that season....in the 80's college football changed....NCAA reduced scholarships each program could give out from 105 to 85...before power schools like Ohio State/Michigan could load the bottom of their rosters with recruits they wanted to keep away from the 'have nots' like Illinois....Archie Griffin going to Northwestern till Woody Hayes staff decided he was talented enough to make an impact in Evanston, gave him a ride....passing game also changed the Big Ten in 80’s....before Purdue, Mike White at Illinois, Hayden Fry at Iowa….conference three yards and a cloud of dust running the ball passing for the NFL....get a difference maker at QB in a scheme that most 'D's hadn't figured out, evened up the talent disparity between the 'Big Two' and 'Little Eight' B1G had been.

*1983 Illini schedule...

At Mizzou 28-18 loss

Stanford 17-7 W

at Michigan State 20-10 W

Iowa 33-0 W

at Wisconsin 27-15 W

Ohio State 17-13 W

at Purdue 35-21 W

Michigan 16-6 W

at Minnesota 50-23 W

Indiana 49-21 W

at Northwestern 56-24 W

1984 Rose Bowl vs. UCLA.....ummm.....no need to rehash that day.

*1983 Illini on offense...

How they won on offense...White came up with Bill Walsh under the John Ralston coaching tree....ran Walsh's West Coast offense at Illinois....1983 great example of the West Coast....QB taking snaps under center, 3-5-7 step drops/play action to freeze defenders, passes thrown in rhythm timing accuracy, run after catch key to scheme's success...flat passes to the running backs (long handoffs really),shallow crossers/tight end down the seam/deep in/comeback all staple pass routes of West Coast....Walsh's idea was to get the lead passing the ball early in the game, 'win' the contest 2nd half with ball control/running game/pass rush defensively....Illini did that plenty ‘83.

-Let's meet the starters on offense...

Jack Trudeau quarterback sophomore twelve starts from Livermore (Cal.) Granada High School-First year starter...his poise all fall what stands out....threw for 18 TD's/13 interceptions/averaged 8 yards per pass attempt (that's good)....ran a pro-style offense where he called/changed plays at the line of scrimmage, full field progression reads/set the pass protection/receivers ran NFL route tree...now in college football most offense's high-low triangle routes with three/four wide receivers where the QB has one read (safety or linebacker) sideline signals when to change play/shift left/right pass protection/receivers run some variation of same three routes....criticism...Sophomore Trudeau forced passes into tight coverage vs. Ohio State/Michigan Illini 'D' bailed him out....to be fair, whole career at Illinois Trudeau forced passes into way too tight coverage (as did Tony Eason before him)....all things considered....first time starter to come in and run that offense like Trudeau did?....impressive.

Thomas Rooks running back sophomore twelve starts St Louis Lutheran North-led the team in rushing....83' 2nd team All-Big Ten pick.

Dwight Beverly running back senior twelve starts Long Beach (Cal.) City College-First team All-Big Ten pick.....Butch and Sundance Beverly and Rooks that fall....pair combined for close to 2,000 total yards....forget how good Beverly was that season till you go back and watch the games...NFL career.

Cam Benson wide receiver senior eleven starts Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Aquinas High School-four-year letterman.

David Williams wide receiver sophomore twelve starts Harbor (Cal.) Junior College-59 catches tied for team lead in his first season playing D-1 (FBS now) football....All-Big Ten....perfect fit for the West Coast so many times 'big' (6-foot-3) under receiver shallow crossers over the middle hit in stride....College Football Hall of Famer...has had the opinion he should have a statue in Memorial Stadium.

Mitchell Brookins wide receiver senior one start Chicago King High School-moved from running back to wide receiver spring 1983...deep threat...had 22 catches (21 yard per catch average!) five touchdowns first year at position...played for the Buffalo Bills...passed away in 1993 32 years young.

Tim Brewster tight end senior twelve starts Pasadena (Cal.) City College-Tied with Williams team lead 59 catches....All-Big Ten mention....what became the Tampa Cover 2 hadn't gotten to the college game early 80's (fast middle linebacker covers the middle of the field/tight end in Tampa 2)...those days most of Big Ten played Cover 2 with so many slow middle linebackers struggled to cover the tight end down the seam….boy did Illinois take advantage of that for years.

Jim Juriga right tackle sophomore twelve starts Wheaton (Ill.) North High School-All-Big Ten first team....All-American (UPI)...Illini All-Century team.

Chris Babyar right guard junior twelve starts Bloomingdale (Ill.) Lake Park High School-First team All-Big Ten pick....three-year letterman.

Bob Miller center junior eleven starts Itasca (Ill.) Lake Park High School-came to Illinois as a 210-pound linebacker....left 260-pound two-year starter at center.

Perry Carlini center junior one start Maine West (Ill.) High School-two-year letterman (83-84)

Rick Schulte left guard junior eight starts Maine West (Ill.) High School-first Illini player with a 400-pound plus bench press/squatting 500 pounds...sadly passed away heart attack 2008.

Scott Kehoe left guard redshirt freshman four starts Oak Lawn (Ill.) High School-four-year letterman.

Bob Stowe left tackle senior eleven starts Point Pleasant (N.J.) High School-four-year letterman played both tackle and guard for the Illini.

Brian Ward left tackle sophomore one start Hinsdale South (Ill.) High School-Parade All-American....three-year letterman...another former Illini done in by then athletic department orthopedic surgeon Gurtler (Dr. Do Over)...left Illinois with bad knees/shoulders after going under Gurtler's knife ....Three of his son's played college football....one at Northwestern/other two Iowa...have to think when he took his kids down to visit Illinois practices, saw Gurtler roaming the sidelines/still operating on the team said to his kids, 'ain't going there'...just my opinion.

*1983 Illini on defense...

How they won on defense...Unit most responsible for the Illini winning the Big Ten '83....Veteran group tough as leather.....look at all the seniors in the front seven.....Ran a 4-3 front with some Dallas Cowboys 'Flex' to it...d-front read and reacts to offensive linemen many times 'blocking' their gap/man to keep blockers off the Illini linebackers...defensive front twists/stunts opening holes for blitzers….mixed coverage man to cover 2/quarters in the secondary....Late Max McCartney's 'D' allowed just 94 rushing yards a game on average...key whole year stopping the rush 1st down putting offense's consistently in 2nd/3rd and long...made Illini blitz package so effective....also helped Illinois playing Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan at home that fall.

-Let's meet the Illini starters on defense...

Terry Cole defensive end senior four starts Peoria Richwoods-Father of Billy Illini hoops starter...first saw Terry Cole when my alma mater Moline High School lost to Richwoods basketball Bradley Super Sectional 1980 (Moline 2023 Class 4A boys basketball state champs)....Richwoods had a sophomore on the team named Doug Altenberger who three times dived off the elevated floor into the seats for loose balls that night....four-year letterman...talking to Cole at one of those former Illini player spring game get togethers said he played most of his college career at 6-foot-6 220-225 pounds.

Darryl Thompson defensive end senior eight starts Southern Regional (N.J.) High School/Garden City (Kan.) Community College-played at same high school as former Illini safety Abdullah Muhammad in New Jersey....had a helluva season that fall, under-sized (215-pounds) edge rusher, seven sacks, 12 hurries...infamous for going right from practice to team hangout Kam's bar to drink/fight....Michigan State head coach George Perles called White's team 'The Biting Illini' after a loss...could have been called the 'Brawlin' Illini' led by Thompson....involved in a jeep accident later in life that left him paralyzed neck down.

Don Thorp defensive tackle senior twelve starts Buffalo Grove (Ill.) High School-1st team All-American (AP/UPI/Football Writers)...named 1983's Big Ten MVP...poster boy benefits of playing for your home state school...successful on the field, in business after graduating/playing in the NFL....'major' IFund donor...have a beer with Thorpe....ask him to tell you some stories about his former D-line coach at Illinois late John Teerlinck...sit back and enjoy.

Mark Butkus defensive tackle senior eleven starts Thornton (Ill.) Fractional North High School-four-year starter....All-Big Ten....'Butkus Curse' got him....bad knees like uncle Dick and cousin Luke....another Illini player that reportedly had his own reserved area at Kam's to drink...toughest Butkus? that’s a toss-up.

Ron Bohm defensive tackle redshirt freshman one start Walnut (Ill.) High School-small town western Illinois representing.....White's staff found Bohm at their summer camp...the old days' summer camp when high school teams stayed in the '6Pac' dorms for a week while going thru drills with the coaching staff daily....another Dr. Do Over casualty....dirty cut block by Southern Illinois tackle Ralph Van Dyke in the 1985 game shattered Bohm's knee....Gurtler operates....knee infected blows up size of basketball reportedly...athletic department had to bring in a infectious disease specialist from the Mayo Clinic to 'solve the problem'....worked...infection was so bad some talk of amputating Bohm's leg discussed....yikes.

Mike Johnson defensive end senior twelve starts Chicago South Shore High School/Butler (Kan.) Community College-White's staff discovered Johnson recruiting their 1980 class stashed him at Butler...excellent edge rusher...drafted/played for the Houston Oilers/USFL...20 years ago no one knew of his whereabouts...hopefully shows up for the 40th reunion.

Mike Weingrad middle linebacker senior nine starts Hartnell (Cal.) Junior College-originally from Columbus, Ohio...went to Hartnell on a wrestling/football scholarship....1982 Illini leading tackler/1983 third in tackles.

Clinton Haynes linebacker senior nine starts Chabot (Cal.) Junior College- best #63 to ever wear it at Illinois?...special teams standout to boot.

Archie Carter linebacker senior seven starts Pasadena (Cal.) City College-Class of 1982 White's staff signed multiple players (10?) players off the Pasadena championship team.

Moe Bias outside linebacker senior one start Pasadena (Cal.) City College-another special teams demon....drafted by the Los Angeles Rams/two-year career with the Raiders.

Vince 'Dr. Death' Osby outside linebacker senior Pasadena (Cal.) City College-JC safety that played weakside linebacker....biggest play Illini career 1983.....Ohio State leading game moving late 4th quarter, then Buckeye head coach Earle Bruce goes for it 4th and 4 at the Illini 19....'D' had knocked out starting QB Mike Tomczak...Ohio State calls a QB bootleg run with backup Jim Karsatos...Osby makes open field tackle short of first down....Illini ball Trudeau leads team down the field for winning score (Rooks TD run).....Osby played a few years in the NFL with the Chargers.

Ed Brady middle linebacker senior two starts Morris (Ill.) High School-Illini deep snapper/special teams standout....four-year letterman...NFL career with Bengals among others deep-snapping.

Mike Heaven cornerback junior twelve starts Del Ray Beach (Fla.) Boca Raton High School-three-year starter...All-Big Ten mention....another player that made his way into plenty of scrapes at campus bars during his time at Illinois.....Tampa Bay 1985 4th round pick.....drafted to be a physical cover 2 corner Bucs changed head coaches wanted man-to-man press corners...Heaven didn't have that kind of speed (4.6 forty) athletic ability....never found a fit with another NFL team.

Keith Taylor cornerback true freshman seven starts Pennsauken (N.J.) High School-four-star high school recruit...four-year starter....NFL career.

John Ayers cornerback junior five starts Contra Costa (Cal.) Junior College-two-year letterman....ten starts at cornerback during Illini career.

Craig Swoope safety sophomore eleven starts Fort Pierce (Fla.) Westwood High School-'The Hammer' big hitter....All-Big Ten in 1983....2nd team All-American honors post-season (UP/API)...how a book about Swoope's 'career' on and off the field at Illinois never written beyond me.....NFL career.

David Edwards safety junior twelve starts Decatur (Ga.) High School-four-year starter best remembered for his interception return for a score vs. Ohio State ‘83.

Luke Sewall safety senior one start Lyons Township (Ill.) High School-another special teams demon…blocked a punt vs. Michigan 83' that led to an Illini score...came to Illinois as walk-on....four-year letterman..

*Illini on special teams...

One thing you notice watching the 1983 season....Illinois a lot of junior and senior linebacker/safety types playing special teams....knew how to tackle/cover kicks....won the special teams battle weekly it seemed.....your team 'wins' on 'D' and special teams consistently...going to have a pretty good chance to have a winning season whatever 'era' team playing in.

Chris Sigourney punter senior Elgin (Ill.) Larkin-no All-Big Ten mention which is a joke looking back....45 punts in 1983, 15 of them downed inside the opponents 25...that's fantastic placement/coverage....again consistently make the offense have to drive a long field vs. a solid Illini defense.

Chris White place-kicker sophomore Champaign (Ill.) Centennial-son of the head coach....13 of 22 field goals....earned All-Big Ten mention....too many times Illini in red zone had to settle for field goals not touchdowns giving White plenty of opportunities.

Fun fact....6-foot-3 true freshman safety/linebacker Dwayne Pugh led the team with 10 kickoff returns in ‘83.

*Editorial comment....time to put Mike White into the Illini Hall of Fame...yeah his time ended cause of NCAA violations....time heals all wounds...1. White and his staff left John Mackovic with a helluva lot of talent they won big with...2. He came to Champaign and did what he was hired to do, win 'his way', fill the stadium/create excitement, put Illini football on the map nationally...3. White had been back so many times for games/team celebrations in Champaign, so proud of what he did at the school, un-official Illini goodwill ambassador....still a part of the community/fan base ('older' guys like me still majority of fandom) love to see him back.... bring White out at half of that Toledo game shake his hand congratulating him on being inducted into the Illini Hall...crowd goes nuts and rightly so.....from the human side, honor guys like White while they are still alive can enjoy that moment with family/friends/the fans...that 'moment' means so much to those honored...give White his 'moment' that day.