Nov. 24, 2008

Currently there are 16 former Fighting Illini football players in the National Football League, 14 of whom are on active rosters. Here's how they fared in Week 12 of the regular season.

	Alan Ball CB Dallas Cowboys		Ball recorded two tackles in the Cowboys' 35-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Bio | Stats
	Danny Clark LB New York Giants		Clark started and recorded two tackles in the Giants' 37-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Clark has started in all 11 Giants games this season, recording 46 tackles. Bio | Stats
	Carey Davis FB Pittsburgh Steelers		Davis had one carry for six yards in the Steelers' 27-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night. Davis has seen action in nine games with 11 carries for 24 yards and three catches for 13 yards. Bio | Stats
	Dave Diehl OL New York Giants		Diehl made his 91st consecutive start in the New York Giants' 37-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Diehl helped pave the way for 321 total offense yards. Diehl has started in all 11 games for the Giants so far this season, leading them to an NFC-best 10-1 overall record. Bio | Stats
"Illinois football is really a huge family, and that's the great thing, because every time you go back you are bound to run into a couple of alumni who played at Illinois. It's fun to share your experiences with them and see where they are. It's kind of a fraternity in itself, and seeing all the alumni who come back, you can tell how much the program means to them."   - Dave Diehl
	Kelvin Hayden CB Indianapolis Colts		Hayden recorded a combined six tackles in the Colts' 23-20 win over the San Diego Chargers. Hayden now has 23 tackles in five games for the Colts so far this season. Bio | Stats
"I consider my time playing football at the University of Illinois as a great privilege. There are so many guys who play at the college football level who dream of the chance to play at the NFL, and I feel that the University of Illinois was a big reason that I am blessed to have that opportunity. I will never forget my first and last games at Illinois. I had waited so long to play college football, and coming out of junior college, it seemed like it took forever to get to that first game. We were able to get the victory that day. Winning our last home game on Senior Day really meant a lot to me, and in a year where we expected bigger things, it was great to get a win in our last home game in Memorial Stadium. "The fans at Illinois are extremely loyal. At times when I was there, we didn't give them a lot to cheer for, but they were always there at the games and always making sure you knew they were behind you. In addition the fans, I think the facilities at Illinois are top-notch. Most of the teams I visited in the NFL had very similar facilities to the ones at Illinois, and they are really at the top of the line. "It's awesome to be a part of the Illinois football family, and I really believe the Illini fans have a lot to look forward to."   - Kelvin Hayden
	Nathan Hodel LS Arizona Cardinals		Hodel snapped the ball back eight times in the Cardinals' 37-29 loss to the New York Giants. Bio | Stats
"Both of my parents went to Illinois and, as a kid, I would get Illinois football tickets as birthday presents. It was a dream for me to be a part of something that I grew up watching and being able to play for Illinois was special for me and my family. "I have been able to make it back to the spring game tailgate a few times, and I have had the opportunity to talk to guys who got out after me and guys who helped develop the program 30 years ago. There is no doubt there is a common bond between everyone who wore the uniform, and it's something I am proud to be a part of."   - Nathan Hodel
	Greg Lewis WR Philadelphia Eagles		Lewis did not have any receptions in the Eagles' 36-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis has seen action in 11 games for the Eagles recording 16 catches for 225 yards so far this season. Bio | Stats
"It was great to go to Illinois, and it was an experience I won't ever forget. To start at the bottom and bring the program back to the top with the 2001 Big Ten Championship was a great experience. "One of the things I was most proud of in my time at Illinois was helping to carry on that walk-on tradition. When I first got there, some other walk-ons there told me that the walk-ons at Illinois have a lot of pride in what they do and they aren't there to feel sorry and not play. A lot of the guys through the years at Illinois have done great things to help build the program, and I look forward to that tradition continuing in the future. "The Illinois fans have been tremendous to me. When I was down there they were always giving us support. Whether we lost or won they were there to cheer us on and make sure that we felt good about what we were doing. Illini fans are everywhere and I run into them in different cities and they are always interested in how things are going."   - Greg Lewis
	Brandon Lloyd WR Chicago Bears		Lloyd had one catch for three yards in the Bears' 27-3 win over the St. Louis Rams. Lloyd has 18 catches for 269 yards in six games of action so far this season. Bio | Stats
"Playing football at the University of Illinois meant way more to me than just playing football. The standards and the foundation that were left by the players before me are the standards that I want to live up to as a football player. One of the great things about playing football at Illinois is that it prepared me for the next level. Everything we did at Illinois we did first class--from training camp in Rantoul, to traveling and playing in first-class facilities. "Playing in Memorial Stadium on Saturdays is an once-in-a-lifetime experience. People always ask me where my favorite place to play college ball was, and I say Memorial Stadium--any day, all day! You'll never see so many people wearing their school colors and loving it. I will never forget winning the Big Ten Championship on Thanksgiving Day! After the game the field was covered with students and media and they rolled out a big stage. Our captains were up there with the coach and they all gave speeches to the crowd and I think we all felt like we had accomplished a tremendous feat."   - Brandon Lloyd
	Rashard Mendenhall RB Pittsburgh Steelers		Mendenhall suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4 and is on injured reserve. Bio | Stats
	Brandon Moore OL New York Jets		Moore made his 73rd consecutive start in the Jets' 34-13 win over the Tennessee Titans. Moore helped pave the way for 409 yards of total offense. Bio | Stats
	Tony Pashos OL Jacksonville Jaguars		Pashos started and helped pave the way for 321 total offense yards in the Jaguars' 30-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Pashos has started in all 11 games so far this season for the Jaguars. Bio | Stats
	Duke Preston OL Buffalo Bills		Preston made his sixth start of the season in the Bills' dominating 54-31 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Preston helped pave the way for 444 total offense yards in the victory. Bio | Stats
	Neil Rackers K Arizona Cardinals		Rackers was 3-4 on field goal attempts and 2-2 in extra point attempts in the Cardinals' 37-29 loss to the New York Jets. Bio | Stats
	Matt Sinclair LB Washington Redskins		LB--2nd year in NFL (2008) - on injured reserve Bio | Stats
	Pierre Thomas RB New Orleans Saints		Thomas and the Saints square off against the Green Bay Packers in Monday Night Football. Bio | Stats
	Eugene Wilson DB Houston Texans		Wilson recorded four tackles in the Texans' 16-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Wilson has started in five games and seen action in six, recording a total of 29 tackles Bio | Stats

Click on the player's name for his NFL bio; click on the thumbnail photo for his action photo.