Illinois Football Captains
Last updated following the 2025 season
| Captains | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Position |
| 1890 | Scott Williams | QB |
| 1891 | R. W. Hart | FB |
| 1892 | R. W. Hart | FB |
| 1893 | George H. Atherton | E |
| 1894 | J.E. Pfeffer | T |
| 1895 | Robert J. Hotchkiss | FB |
| 1896 | Charles D. Beebe | G |
| 1897 | Don Sweney | T |
| 1898 | A. R. Johnston | FB |
| 1899 | E.C. McLane | C |
| 1900 | Arthur R. Hall | E-HB |
| 1901 | Justa M. Lindgren | T |
| 1902 | Garland (Jake) Stahl | T |
| 1903 | Claude J. Rothgeb | G-E |
| 1904 | C. A. Fairweather | G |
| 1905 | C. J. Moynihan | T-HB |
| 1906 | Ira T. Carrithers | HB |
| 1907 | Lion Gardiner | HB |
| 1908 | F. C. Van Hook | G |
| 1909 | Benjamin F. Baum | E |
| 1910 | G. D. Butzer | G |
| 1911 | Chester C. Roberts | HB |
| 1912 | William H. Woolston | FB-HB |
| 1913 | Enos M. Rowe | FB |
| 1914 | Ralph D. Chapman | G |
| 1915 | John W. Watson | C |
| 1916 | Frank B. Macomber | QB |
| 1917 | Reynold R. Kraft | E |
| 1918 | B. A. Ingwersen | T (Acting) |
| 1919 | William K. Kopp | FB |
| 1920 | J. C. Depler | C |
| 1921 | L. W. Walquist | HB |
| 1922 | David D. Wilson | E |
| 1923 | James W. McMillen | G |
| 1924 | Frank E. Rokusek | E-T |
| 1925 | Harold E. (Red) Grange | HB |
| 1926 | Charles E. Kassel | E |
| 1927 | Robert Reitsch | C |
| 1928 | Albert J. Nowack | T |
| 1929 | Russell J. Crane | G |
| 1930 | Olaf E. Robinson | FB |
| 1931 | Gilbert Berry | HB |
| 1932 | Gilbert Berry | QB |
| 1933 | Herman Walser | FB |
| 1934 | Charles Bennis | G |
| Jack Beynon | QB | |
| 1935 | Charles S. Galbreath | T |
| 1936 | Elvin C. Sayre | C |
| 1937 | Lowell Spurgeon | HB |
| 1938 | James W. McDonald | C |
| 1939 | Melvin Brewer | G |
| 1940 | Thomas J. Riggs | T |
| 1941 | Selected each game | |
| 1942 | James Smith | FB |
| 1943 | Selected each game | |
| 1944 | Selected each game | |
| 1945 | Ralph Serpico | T |
| 1946 | Mac Wenskunas | C |
| 1947 | Art Duffelmeier | HB |
| 1948 | Herb Siegert | G |
| 1949 | Lyle Button | T |
| 1950 | Bill Vohaska | C |
| 1951 | Charles Studley | G |
| 1952 | Alfred Brosky | HB |
| 1953 | Robert Lenzini | T |
| 1954 | Jan Smid | G |
| 1955 | Selected each game | |
| 1956 | James Minor | C |
| 1957 | Dale Smith | HB |
| 1958 | Jack Delveaux | FB |
| 1959 | Bill Burrell | G |
| 1960 | Bill Brown | FB |
| 1961 | Gary Brown | T |
| 1962 | Bob Scharbert | T |
| Ken Zimmerman | HB | |
| 1963 | Mike Taliaferro | QB |
| Dick Deller | G | |
| 1964 | Dick Butkus | C |
| George Donnelly | HB | |
| 1965 | Jim Grabowski | FB |
| Don Hansen | LB | |
| 1966 | Bo Batchelder | E |
| Kai Anderson | C | |
| 1967 | Ron Bess | HB |
| Ken Kmiec | E | |
| 1968 | Carson Brooks | E |
| Tony Pleviak | T | |
| 1969 | Doug Redmann | G |
| Bruce Erb | LB | |
| 1970 | Kirk McMillin | G |
| Doug Dieken | E | |
| 1971 | Glenn Collier | E |
| Larry McCarren | C | |
| 1972 | Larry McCarren | C |
| John Wiza | LB | |
| 1973 | John Gann | G |
| Ken Braid | LB | |
| 1974 | Ty McMillin | LB |
| Revie Sorey | G | |
| 1975 | Dean March | DE |
| Stu Levenick | OT | |
| 1976 | Dean March | DE |
| Scott Studwell | LB | |
| Marty Friel | TE | |
| 1977 | Kurt Steger | QB |
| Rickie Mitchem | W | |
| 1978 | John Sullivan | LB |
| Charlie Weber | FB | |
| 1979 | Lawrence McCullough | QB |
| Stanley Ralph | DT | |
| 1980 | Dave Dwyer | DT |
| Ron Ferrari | Spec. T | |
| Dave Wilson | QB | |
| 1981 | Greg Boeke | C |
| Ron Ferrari | OLB | |
| Jack Squirek | MLB | |
| 1982 | Mike Bass | K |
| Dan Gregus | DT | |
| Mike Martin | WR | |
| 1983 | Don Thorp | DT |
| Tim Brewster | TE | |
| Joe Miles | FB | |
| 1984 | David Edwards | DB |
| Rick Schulte | OG | |
| 1985 | Jack Trudeau | QB |
| Craig Swoope | DB | |
| Chris White | K | |
| 1986 | Scott Davis | DE |
| Mark Dennis | OT | |
| Sam Ellsworth | LB | |
| Shane Lamb | QB | |
| 1987 | Mike Scully | OG |
| Mike Piel | DE | |
| Darrick Brownlow | LB | |
| 1988 | Glenn Cobb | S |
| Mark McGowan | OT | |
| 1989 | Craig Schneider | OT |
| Mike Bellamy | WR | |
| Steve Glasson | LB | |
| Moe Gardner | NT | |
| 1990 | Moe Gardner | NT |
| Darrick Brownlow | LB | |
| Curt Lovelace | C | |
| Howard Griffith | RB | |
| 1991 | Tim Simpson | OG |
| Marlon Primous | S | |
| Mike Hopkins | S | |
| 1992 | Brad Hopkins | OT |
| John Wright | WR | |
| Steven Mueller | Honorary | |
| 1993 | Greg Engel | C |
| Filmel Johnson | CB | |
| Gary Voelker | WR | |
| 1994 | Pete Gabrione | LB/C |
| John Holecek | LB | |
| Dana Howard | LB | |
| Jon Kerr | OG | |
| 1995 | Jason Dulick | WR |
| Kevin Hardy | LB | |
| Brett Larsen | P | |
| 1996 | Rodney Byrd | FB |
| Ty Douthard | RB | |
| Paul Marshall | NT | |
| Dennis Stallings | LB | |
| 1997 | Ivan Benson | S |
| Danny Clark | LB | |
| Robert Holcombe | HB | |
| 1998 | Ivan Benson | S |
| Danny Clark | LB | |
| Ryan Schau | OL | |
| 1999 | Danny Clark | LB |
| Steve Havard | HB | |
| Ray Redziniak | OG | |
| Neil Rackers | PK | |
| 2000 | Muhammad Abdullah | FS |
| Bobby Jackson | SS | |
| Ray Redziniak | OG | |
| Fred Wakefield | DE | |
| 2001 | Luke Butkus | C |
| Bobby Jackson | SS | |
| Kurt Kittner | QB | |
| Brandon?Moore | DT | |
| 2002 | Tony Pashos | OT |
| Jerry Schumacher | LB | |
| Eugene Wilson | CB | |
| Walter Young | WR | |
| 2003 | Sean Bubin | OL |
| Carey Davis | FB | |
| Derrick Strong | DE | |
| 2004 | Kelvin Hayden | CB |
| Duke Preston | C | |
| 2005 | James Cooper | CB |
| E.B. Halsey | RB | |
| Ryan Matha | DT | |
| Pierre Thomas | RB | |
| 2006 | Alan Ball | CB |
| E.B. Halsey | RB | |
| J Leman | LB | |
| Josh Norris | DT | |
| Pierre Thomas | RB | |
| 2007 | J Leman | LB |
| Rashard Mendenhall | RB | |
| Kevin Mitchell | S | |
| Martin O’Donnell | OL | |
| 2008 | Arrelious Benn | WR |
| David Lindquist | DT | |
| Brit Miller | LB | |
| Juice Williams | QB | |
| 2009 | Jon Asamoah | OL |
| Arrelious Benn | WR | |
| Doug Pilcher | DE | |
| Ian Thomas | LB | |
| 2010 | Jeff Allen | OL |
| Corey Liuget | DT | |
| Eddie McGee | WR | |
| Martez Wilson | LB | |
| 2011 | Jack Cornell | OL |
| Trulon Henry | LB | |
| Whitney Mercilus | DE | |
| Nathan Scheelhaase | QB | |
| Tavon Wilson | CB | |
| 2012 | Graham Pocic | C |
| Ashante Williams | STAR | |
| 2013 | Jonathan Brown | LB |
| Steve Hull | WR | |
| Tim Kynard | DE | |
| Nathan Scheelhaase | QB | |
| 2014 | Justin DuVernois | P |
| Reilly O’Toole | QB | |
| Austin Teitsma | DT | |
| Earnest Thomas III | STAR | |
| 2015 | Josh Ferguson | RB |
| Clayton Fejedelem | FS | |
| Ted Karras | OL | |
| Mason Monheim | LB | |
| 2016 | Wes Lunt | QB |
| Hardy Nickerson | LB | |
| Dawuane Smoot | DE | |
| Joe Spencer | C | |
| 2017 | Nick Allegretti | OL |
| James Crawford | DL | |
| Kendrick Foster | RB | |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | |
| Tymir Oliver | DL | |
| 2018 | Nick Allegretti | OL |
| Dele Harding | LB/ST | |
| Del'Shawn Phillips | LB | |
| 2019 | Jake Hansen | LB |
| Dele Harding | LB | |
| Blake Hayes | P | |
| Doug Kramer | OL | |
| Alex Palczewski | OL | |
| 2020 | Jake Hansen | LB |
| Blake Hayes | P | |
| Nate Hobbs | DB | |
| Doug Kramer | OL | |
| Brandon Peters | QB | |
| 2021 | Tony Adams | DB |
| Owen Carney Jr. | OLB | |
| Jake Hansen | LB | |
| Blake Hayes | P | |
| Doug Kramer | C | |
| Vederian Lowe | OL | |
| 2022 | Tarique Barnes | LB |
| Sydney Brown | DB | |
| Alex Palczewski | OL | |
| Isaiah Williams | WR | |
| 2023 | Isaiah Adams | OL |
| Tarique Barnes | LB | |
| Jer'Zhan Newton | DL | |
| Keith Randolph | DL | |
| Tip Reiman | TE | |
| Isaiah Williams | WR | |
| 2024 | Tanner Arkin | TE |
| Pat Bryant | WR | |
| Seth Coleman | OLB | |
| Josh Kreutz | OL | |
| Dylan Rosiek | LB | |
| Miles Scott | DB | |
| 2025 | Luke Altmyer | QB |
| Tanner Arkin | TE | |
| Gabe Jacas | OLB | |
| Josh Kreutz | OL | |
| Dylan Rosiek | LB | |
| Miles Scott | DB | |
