Swoope to Attend Renaissance Celebration
July 24, 2008 | Football
July 24, 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics officials announced Thursday that Fighting Illini great Craig Swoope will return to Champaign-Urbana for the Illinois Renaissance Celebration Game against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6. Swoope joins linebacker Dana Howard, defensive tackle Joe Rutgens and quarterback Kurt Kittner on the list of legendary Illinois players who will be on hand for the 2008 home opener, when fans will get their first look at the newly finished stadium.
"I'm looking forward to coming back, seeing some of the guys and seeing the great things they've done to the stadium," Swoope said. "The program is doing really well, so it's a great joy. We've always had great facilities, so the improvements they've made are a great thing."
Swoope was selected as one of the 10 greatest defensive backs in Memorial Stadium history as released by the DIA on May 21. A large number of the Fighting Illini greats already have indicated they will be returning to campus for the event and their names will be announced as the game draws near.
Swoope ranks third on Illinois' career interceptions list with 13 and his 25 passes broken up place him sixth on the career list. He earned second-team All-American honors in 1983 as he helped lead that squad to Illinois' first Rose Bowl appearance in 20 years.
Swoope was a four-time All-Big Ten selection, earning first-team honors in 1983 and second-team laurels the other three seasons. Swoope was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played five years in the NFL with the Bucs and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Illinois Renaissance Celebration will be highlighted by the return of a multitude of former Fighting Illini players, with the list of 10 Greatest Illini in Memorial Stadium history at each position being honored during eight breaks throughout the game. The current team also will honor past greats by donning throwback uniforms modeled in the style of the Dick Butkus era. Illinois will take on Eastern Illinois Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. The game will be nationally televised by the Big Ten Network.
