MEN'S TRACK & FIELD • 1947-48 | FOOTBALL • 1946-48 | MEN'S BASKETBALL • 1947-49

Dike Eddleman is generally considered the greatest athlete in UI history. He earned a combined 11 letters in track and field, football and basketball while being named the 1949 Big Ten Silver Basketball winner. Eddleman played in the 1947 Rose Bowl as a punter and punt returner, competed in the high jump (tying for second) in the 1948 Olympics, and led Illinois to the 1949 NCAA Basketball Final Four. He won the NCAA high jump title in 1948 while helping the Illini track and field team to a NCAA outdoor championship in 1947. Eddleman would win Big Ten indoor high jump titles three times from 1947 to 1949 and two Big Ten outdoor titles in 1947 and 1949. Eddleman earned basketball First-Team All-America honors in 1949 after being named Second-Team in 1948, while earning first-team All-Big Ten recognition in 1948 and Second-Team honors in 1949. He served as the team captain, earned team MVP honors, and led Illinois to the Big Ten title and NCAA Final Four appearance in 1949. He played four seasons in the NBA, including All-Star Game appearances in 1951 and 1952. Eddleman is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame. He entered Illinois in the fall of 1942 and competed on the Illini football and basketball freshman teams before being called to the Army during World War II. Beginning in 1969, Eddleman served the UI as chief fundraiser for the athletics department. He died in 2001 at the age of 78.