By Sean McDevitt, FightingIllini.com
As we near the dedication of the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center, the DIA is acknowledging and celebrating all those donors who made the project possible with special gifts to the many amenities the building will offer Fighting Illini football players.
In this story, we honor the gift from former Illinois football letterwinner Wayne Paulson for the Paulson Family Football, Varsity I Wall.
With all the talk of transfer portals, playing time and "free agent college football," it's important to acknowledge the transfers that come into a program and make a significant impact. We see it on the 2019 squad, but Wayne Paulson was a trailblazer.
Paulson was the first Junior College transfer to play football at the University of Illinois. At that time, a lot of high school players went through the junior college system to be able to play for a Big Eight Conference school. Even though legendary Illinois football coach Pete Elliot recruited him to play straight out of Hammond High School in Indiana, he had decided he wanted to play for Sonny Grandelius at the University of Colorado.
After two successful years playing football out west where Paulson moved from quarterback to running back after suffering a broken right hand, he had several schools interested in him joining their teams. Unfortunately for Colorado, Coach Grandelius was fired due to recruiting violations and Paulson felt the need to return to the Midwest.
Paulson remembers fondly calling Coach Elliot, "I said, 'Coach, are you still interested in me coming to Illinois?' He said, 'Pack your bags, Wayne, we want you in Champaign.' So that's what I did."
As a member of the Illinois football team, he found his calling at corner and returning kickoffs and punts. Paulson played for the 1963 Rose Bowl team known primarily as the one featuring Dick Butkus, Jim Grabowski, and others.
Paulson said the camaraderie and talent on the team was incredible.
"First of all, you're surrounded by a bunch of guys that are motivated, that were very talented. And that talent runs off to everybody. I told Pete, 'Coach, I don't care where I play. I just have to start. So if its kickoff teams, punt teams, I don't care where it's at, I just want to play.' And I think I left that attitude with everybody out there on our team that I was the guy that was pretty serious and I wanted to make it and I wanted everybody around me to be successful. And I was very lucky that I was surrounded by a lot of successful, talented players."
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated the day before Illinois was to take on the fourth-ranked Michigan State Spartans. The game ended up being rescheduled for Thanksgiving Day and Illinois prevailed 13-0. The Illini then headed to the Rose Bowl to play the Washington Huskies. Paulson has cherished memories of that game.
"When Washington kicked off to us, after they scored, I caught the ball," Paulson said. "I ran it out of the end zone and Butkus said, 'Why'd you run the ball?' I said, 'You know what, you should pay more attention to blocking people because maybe I could've gone farther.' I think I went to the 22-yard line or 23-yard line or something like that."
The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center will feature the Paulson Family Football Varsity I Wall. Wayne and his wife, Diane, made the gift as an inspiration.
"Well, I hope it'll have some influence to other athletes to give back to the University and help with the program," Paulson said. "And I don't care what their contribution is, it can be $20, it could be $500, it could be $1 million, they're all the same. I want to see that wall of every football player that ever stepped on the field in Champaign. And I think, hopefully, that's what that'll accomplish."
Paulson sees tremendous potential in the current Fighting Illini football team and the coaching staff.
"I did have an opportunity to talk with Lovie, and I feel he's going to do exactly what our athletic director hired him to do—build a good team in the next two years that's respectable and that can play in the Big 10. And by giving him all the tools, hopefully that can get done. It was a big step for Josh Whitman to extend the contract, because I know how much heat he took from so many people, but it's his belief in Lovie, and his belief in himself that he made the right to decision. I think the kids are there and he's ingrained in them what they need to do, what he needs to do and what the staff needs to do to make it successful and to maintain the program for the future."
Paulson sees the Smith Center making an impact.
"The Smith Center is a phenomenal practice facility for performance. It's building kids to be able to play at a high level, and give them all the right tools that make them better."
