Bird Friend
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2017
- Messages
- 12,558
Wow
I wish I could blame it on auto-correct. But the truth is I just like champagne much more than Champaign.Champagne is in France.
Dude, we are the Illinois STATE University.As a player, the goal was to play on that floor. At THE University of Illinois. Nowhere else. It almost would have felt blasphemous to not play there. But I'm pushing 50 and part of a different generation. The Illini mystique was no doubt stronger then than it is now. Which is a shame. You can hate 'em but they're still our state school.
A venue like BU probably makes more sense with the location of the Civic Center and surrounding commerce, including the multi-use entire facility.
But I like it in Champaign...or however you spell it.
Dude, we are the Illinois STATE University.
As a player, the goal was to play on that floor. At THE University of Illinois. Nowhere else. It almost would have felt blasphemous to not play there. But I'm pushing 50 and part of a different generation. The Illini mystique was no doubt stronger then than it is now. Which is a shame. You can hate 'em but they're still our state school.
A venue like BU probably makes more sense with the location of the Civic Center and surrounding commerce, including the multi-use entire facility.
But I like it in Champaign...or however you spell it.
I will concede to the facts that u if I is larger than ISU and offers more professional curricula that generate wealthy alums, but it is not MY state school. I turned them down twice.....accepted there out if high school but chose ISU and was offered the chance to transfer there during law school, but chose to stay put.
I'm also both a ISU and Illini fan and will root for the Birds in every matchup. In fact during those matchups, I find myself hating the Illini but love them every other dayI get it and I'm not saying it is mine today. I was referring to when I was a player. To get the opportunity to play at Assembly Hall was what you reached for and just the mere thought was special. Our coaches always took us to Champaign for the weekend even though we never made The Elite 8 during my time. Stayed in the dorms with previous players from our town. Heck we even navigated a newspaper airplane down to the floor once.
Is it a sin to be both an Illini fan and a Redbird fan? Well, I am. However, in a matchup, it's Illinois State through and through, hands down, 6 days a week and twice on Sundays. Would have loved to spank them in '17 and that would have been a very very excited Redbird Arena.