2009 Football Traditions: Game Time, First Half

This is the third part of a four part series outlining Illini student football traditions. This series was published in 2008 and is being republished as an updated edition.

During game-time, the Illinois fans help play as the “12th man” on the team. This is done through a series of cheers, chants, and dances. Most cheers are lead by the Marching Illini. The new student section makes it difficult for the students to hear the band, so following along is rather difficult. There are too many cheers to count, so I am going to mention just a few important ones.

At each Illinois kick-off, the students add their own sound effect by holding up and shaking their keys. Whether you have keys with you or not, you need to be shaking something and making noise during the kick-off.

The William Tell Overture is a staple in any Illinois arena. The driving beat encourages students to join one another in the most patented dance on campus. Clapping at the beginning of the song leads to the bridge section where student put their arms around each other’s shoulders and trot, first “to the left”, then reverse. After the hopping, comes a rhythmic beat played on the bleacher beneath you and full body spin. Finally, sixteenth note air-drums with your hands and finish with a “Hey!” It is not as hard as it sounds. For the first time, just grab the person next to you and hold on for the ride.

The Imperial March is played on each opposing team’s fourth downs. This is followed by the students with a somewhat fist pump.

The Hey Song and Hey Baby are two classic cheers you should be able to sing along to.

In the past few years, the MI has enjoyed playing mainstream music. Depending on the student’s reaction to these renditions, they will most likely play them again in future year. Some of these songs include Green Day’s “Holiday” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Students particularly enjoy singing along to these songs.

At every Illinois first down, the students hold up their hands and flex their fingers until the stadium announcer says “First Down Illinois,” at that point they throw their hands in the direction of the first down and point.

Another fan favorite is the I-L-L-I-N-I cheer. This has some difficulties with the location of the new student section, but the basic concept is still there. One side of the stadium (usually the students) will chant I-L-L, and the other half will respond with I-N-I. The cheer can last a pretty long time, but not as long as the wave; which can hold up pretty well in Memorial Stadium.

One of the newest cheers is for the Illinois quarterback Juice Williams. It is pretty simple, everybody yells “Juuuuuuuuice!” holding out the “u” of course. It almost sounds like booing, but it is not.

Some of the best cheers, however, are the impromptu student chants calling upon another fan or an incredible play on the field. Some of these include “kick him out”, “bull-shit”, and even “let him stay!”

Continue to monitor The Quad for the next part of this story and its complete coverage of Illinois football.