June 20, 2011
2001 Schedule/Results | @IlliniFootball on Twitter
Over 50 former Fighting Illini football players, coaches and support staff from the 2001 Big Ten Championship team will be returning to Champaign June 24-25 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their memorable season, which culminated in a trip to the Sugar Bowl. The event, which is put on by the Varsity "I" Association, will include a welcome party on Friday evening, an athletic facility tour and golf outing on Saturday and a celebration dinner on Saturday night.
The 2001 squad, led by former head coach Ron Turner, is the last Illini football team to win 10 games, ending the season with a 10-2 record, including a 7-1 mark in the Big Ten. They finished the season ranked No. 12 in the nation, were outright Big Ten champions and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl against LSU. Ten years later, the players still feel the emotion of their historic run.
"It was the best time of my life," said Kurt Kittner, starting quarterback and a co-captain for the 2001 team. "My senior year of high school, Illinois went 0-11. When we got (on campus), we all made it our No. 1 goal to win a Big Ten championship before we left. Not many people believed we could do it."
With the help of dynamic playmakers like Brandon Lloyd, Walter Young, Greg Lewis, Aaron Moorehead, Antoineo Harris and Rocky Harvey, Kittner led an explosive offensive attack. The Illini averaged 32.5 points per game while racking up 5,041 yards of total offense, both school records that have since been broken.
"We all came in together and worked hard," Kittner said. "Being in college, we didn't realize how talented the guys really were that we had. But there was a ton of talent and a lot of guys went on to have successful professional careers."
One of those talented individuals was future NFL Pro Bowler David Diehl. Diehl contributed to an Illini offensive line that gave up a mere 16 sacks on the season - tying another school record - while opening holes for a running game that averaged 142.8 yards per game.
"Our success in 2001 started the summer before," Diehl said. "We had a great group of veteran guys returning, and our success is credited to the way we worked and our team camaraderie."
A recurring memory for the players from the 2001 squad is how close the team was on and off the field.
"We were a family," former defensive end Terrell Washington said. "We did so many off-season activities together that it brought us close. Whether it was going through a designed boot camp or playing softball, we knew we could count on each other."
Washington played a big role on defense and special teams. He accrued four of the 40 sacks the Illini defense totaled throughout the season and was named Big Ten Player of the Week after blocking two kicks against Northern Illinois on Sept. 8, 2001.
"Special teams were something we took a lot of pride in, myself especially," Washington said. "I took great pride in blocking kicks. Defense and special teams is the key to winning games, and we knew that one or two big plays from us would give us a great chance to win with our explosive offense."
The passing attack came up big in a thrilling 42-35 victory over Wisconsin at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 20. Kittner threw for 401 yards and Lloyd made an acrobatic 22-yard TD catch for the go-ahead TD late in the fourth quarter
The defense was key for the Illini in a 38-13 road victory over No. 20 Purdue. During a day when the potent offense was struggling, the Illini forced the Boilermakers into four turnovers, highlighted by two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
"So many guys really bought in to what the coaches wanted to do," Washington said. "They told us to have fun on defense. Kick your heels back and just go."
A great example of the Illini offense's ability to score quickly came in the Penn State game. Penn State returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, the second one giving the Nittany Lions a 28-26 lead with 3:29 remaining.
The Illini got the ball needing to make another of their patented late-game charges. They responded with a nine play, 80-yard touchdown drive for a thrilling 33-28 win that kept their Big Ten title hopes alive.
"That drive was amazing," Kittner said. "A lot of big plays were made. Brandon (Lloyd) ran a drag route and I kind of rolled out to my left looking for him. He came open on the sideline and I got him the ball, and he got us up to about midfield. (Aaron) Morehead made a big catch a little later in the drive, Carey (Davis) had some nice runs and then Rocky (Harvey) punched it in from about 15 yards out. It was a night game at Memorial Stadium against a team we hadn't beaten a lot...it was awesome."
A week later, the Orange and Blue knocked off Ohio State 34-22 at the Horseshoe, with a Ty Myers pick-six in the final minutes sealing the victory. The win set the stage for a Thanksgiving Day showdown against in-state rival Northwestern with a Big Ten title on the line. The Illini were in control for most the game, jumping out to a 21-point lead over the Wildcats before hanging on for a 34-28 win at Memorial Stadium to claim the outright conference crown.
Ten years later, the memories of the 2001 season remain ingrained in the minds of the team members. An electrifying season filled with electrifying plays and electrifying athletes. But Diehl sums it up best.
"We capped off that year by winning at Ohio State and then beating Northwestern for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk," Diehl said. "We also got to hoist the Big Ten trophy that day. I still get goose bumps just thinking about it."
