HOMECOMING HQ | HOMECOMING MERCHANDISE | REO SPEEDWAGON HALFTIME PERFORMANCE
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Chancellor's Committee to Support Homecoming has planned a virtual homecoming celebration which began on Sunday and will run through the Illinois football game vs. Iowa on Dec. 5. The highlights for the week include a special Homecoming halftime performance by Illinois alum and REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin.
HALFTIME PERFORMANCE: The virtual performance will be seen on Illinois' second screen experience which can be found on FightingIllini.com and the Illini Football Facebook page. The concert will include performances of four of REO's most popular tracks as well as commentary on the band and his time on the Champaign-Urbana campus. Cronin hails from the Chicago suburbs and went to Brother Rice High School.
"I feel honored at the invitation to perform at halftime of this year's Homecoming Game for the Fighting Illini," Cronin said. "The songs I'll play and the stories I'll tell remind me of our days on campus, and of the invaluable role the U of I student community played in launching REO Speedwagon from being a little old bar band from Champaign, Illinois, to being the biggest little bar band in America."
AN ATHLETIC HOMECOMING COURT: Illinois senior punter Blake Hayes and women's golfer Ali Morallos are two of the attendants on the 2020 Homecoming Court. Hayes, a Melbourne, Australia, native, has made Champaign his home for the past four years. The 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year is majoring in Kinesiology. Morallos will begin her fourth year as a starter on the nationally ranked women's golf team. A Long Beach, California, native, Morallos is majoring in International Business Management with a minor in Political Science.
ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020 PANEL DISCUSSION: On Friday, Illinois alum and in-venue voice of the Chicago White Sox and Blackhawks Gene Honda will host living members of the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for a talk with Illinois fans and alumni. The Zoom event will begin at 5 p.m. CT.
MARCHING ILLINI PERFORMANCE: The Marching Illini will put on a special Homecoming performance from Altgeld Hall on Friday, Dec. 4. The performance will also include interviews and stories.
HOMECOMING MERCHANDISE: Fans can pick up Homecoming and Alumni merchandise on the Homecoming website. Items include t-shirts and buttons, as well as Alumni Association cocktail and glass sets, blankets, and pride packs.
HOMECOMING SCHEDULE: Illinois' 110th Homecoming will be celebrated "at home" in 2020 which a week-long schedule of events honoring the on-campus traditions. The full schedule is below:
Sunday 11/29 (Kicking off Homecoming!)
- Homecoming Kickoff
- Campus Traditions Tournament Bracket Game
- Virtual Fountain Dyeing
- Virtual 5K
Monday 11/30 (Academics)
- Alumni & Student stories/memories
- Alumni award winners and interviews
- Individual college news & video tours
- Leading the Charge in COVID-19 Testing
- 2020 ACES Alumni Association Career Achievement and Outstanding Young Alumni virtual awards ceremony
- Trivia Night
Tuesday 12/1 (Community)
Getting Ready for Your At-home Tailgate
- Tailgating food and drink recipes from alumni chefs and local restaurants
- Giving Tuesday
- Green Street Changes
- Homecoming Heroes
- Trivia Tuesday
Wednesday 12/2 (Arts)
- Your Homecoming 2020 Soundtrack—Spotify Playlists by Decades
- Homecoming Zine
- Virtual cinema offering Life Itself, a documentary on Roger Ebert, panel presentation on film featuring Chaz Ebert and folks from media
- Krannert Center Spotlight featuring Mike Ross, Nathan & Julie Gunn
- Virtual tour of the Krannert Art Museum
- Wear Orange Wednesday
- Homecoming at Home: A conversation with the Dean
- Homecoming Comedy Show with Jourdain Fisher
Thursday 12/3 (International Day)
- Homecoming Around the Globe
- International Student Talent Show
- International Students & Impact at U of I around the world
- An evening with Sam Smith, Chicago Sports Journalist
Friday 12/4 (Countdown to Game Day highlighting Athletics)
- U of I band performance at Altgeld Hall, interviews and stories
- Flashback Friday
- Salute to Athletics 2020 Hall of Fame inductees (Panel Presentation by the Inductees and moderated by Gene Honda)
- A Talk with Danielle Feinberg, Pixar Animator
- Illinettes at Home
Saturday 12/5 (Game Day)
- At-Home Football Watch Parties
- Tailgate Recipe Reminder/Share Your Day
- 15 Minute Virtual Halftime Show – Alumnus Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon
- Matt and Darin Riggs Brewery Spotlight
- An Evening of iSchool Stories
