CLASS OF 1947
July 26, 2000
FIGHTING ILLINI SALUTE in memory of John F. Genis, Football `47. John was a standout tackle for the Illini in 1941, '42, and '46. He had the opportunity to play for both legendary coaches Bob Zuppke and Ray Eliot. John's 1946 team went 8-2 overall, including a Big Ten Championship with a 6-1 league record. This championship earned the Illini their first ever trip to the Rose Bowl. Despite being heavy underdogs to the previously undefeated UCLA Bruins, the Illini used a balance attack on the way to a 45-14 triumph. The 1947 Rose Bowl win propelled the Illini to a #5 national ranking in the final AP college football poll.
FIGHTING ILLINI SALUTE in memory of Andrew M. Phillip, Baseball/Basketball '47. Andy was a member of the UI's famed Whiz Kids basketball team. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961 and was the Illini MVP in 1942 and 1943. Phillip is
Illinois' only two-time consensus first-team All-American, and the last Illini to earn Associated Press first-team All-America honors. He was the Big Ten MVP in 1943. Phillip, Jack Smiley, Gene Vance, Ken Menke and Art Mathisen formed one of the nation's best teams in the early 1940s, winning 25 of 27 Big Ten games from 1941 to 1943 and earning two Big Ten titles. After the 1943 season, Phillip was called to duty in World War II with the Marine Corps. Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the nation, but following the final regular-season game, the entire Whiz Kid group entered the war effort. Following the war, he returned with Smiley, Vance and Menke for the 1947 season and helped the Illini to a second-place finish that season. Phillip played 11 seasons in the NBA, scoring 6,384 points as a pro. A five-time NBA All-Star, he was a member of the world champion Boston Celtics in 1957. In the NBA, Phillip played for the Chicago Stags, the Philadelphia Warriors, the Ft. Wayne Pistons and the Celtics. In addition to playing in five all-star games, he was named to the All-NBA team for the 1952 and 1953 seasons. Phillip retired from basketball after the 1958 season and later served as a probation supervisor for Riverside County in Palm Springs, Calif. He also showed great promise as a baseball star. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him to a baseball contract in 1937 at the age of 14. He never made it to the major leagues, but he ascended to the Class AAA level with the Cardinals' organization. Phillip broke five Big Ten records when he scored 40 points in a 92-25 win over Chicago March 1, 1943. He also played baseball at Illinois and was named the school's Athlete of the Year two years in a row as a sophomore and junior.
FIGHTING ILLINI SALUTE in memory of Arthur John Smiley, Baseball/Basketball '47. Jack was a member of the famed "Whiz Kids" who won the Big Ten Basketball Championship in 1942 and 1943. The Illini basketball team was 49-12 in Jack's three full years on the team including a 17-1 record in 1942-43. Jack also lettered in baseball in 1946.
The class of 1947 does not have a class contact.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A CLASS CONTACT PERSON...
Class Contacts assist the Varsity "I" Association by keeping track of the former letterwinners in their classes. In future newsletters, class contacts will write personal updates on members of their classes. This will help our members network with each other as well as improve our record keeping. For more information on how to become a class contact, call Chris Tuttle at (312) 575-7851.
