Sept. 25, 2014
Champaign, Ill. - With nearly 10,000 international students from 110 countries taking classes at the University of Illinois, it can't be taken for granted that students on campus are fans of the America's most popular sport, football. Or at least the American version of it. That is why the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA), the Fighting Illini football program and International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) partnered to host Football 101 at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night.
The program consisted of three segments, starting with three videos that focused on the rules and basics of the game. The approximately 500 students in attendance then split up into groups and took part in football drills under the instruction of the Illini coaching staff. The night concluded with the participants learning songs, cheers and chants from the Block I and Fighting Illini cheerleaders, like War Chant and William Tell Overture.
Though it was geared toward international students, domestic students who wanted to learn more about the sport were also welcome to attend. Those that came got free Fighting Illini football t-shirts and Papa John's pizza.
Former Illini quarterback and current Director of Alumni and Former Player Relations Juice Williams was part of the program on Wednesday night.
"It's a sport that everyone from around the Champaign area, they love, they've been supportive for years," Williams told the Daily Illini. "But if you talk with individuals from different countries, they're not really necessarily in tune to what's going on football-wise. I think it's a great idea for them to get involved a little bit."
» More on Football 101 from The Daily Illini
